Disability Awareness Month 2025
“Don’t leave me behind… understanding the challenges young persons with intellectual disability face”
CONCEPT DOCUMENT
Introduction
Intellectual Disability Awareness Month (IDAM) is celebrated annually in March. For 2025, the SA Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH) will be focusing on the theme: “Don’t leave me behind…understanding the challenges youth with intellectual disability face” with the aim of highlighting the difficulties young persons (aged 18-24 years old) with intellectual disability (ID) face, especially as they transition into adulthood.
Throughout IDAM we will be sharing stories, quotes and the lived experiences of young persons (aged 18-24 years old) with ID to ensure we hear their experiences in their own words. We believe that by showcasing and sharing these stories, we can ensure that young persons with ID are not left behind, their voices are heard and that they feel included in society.
UNDERSTANDING INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY(ID)
ID is a term used when “there are limits to a person’s ability to learn at an expected level and function in daily life” (Center for Disease Control, 2020).
ID generally starts before the age of 18 in most people, affects the development of children, and continues throughout the person’s life.
ID can occur in one of four levels: mild1. moderate2. severe3. profound4.
Each of these levels require unique support needs
Source: The Western Cape Forum for Persons with Intellectual Disability
Children with ID develop and learn slower than other children their age in two specific domains:
1) Adaptive functioning – the ability to acquire skills and behaviours that help them navigate the demands of everyday living to the same degree as other children their age
2) Intellectual functioning – the ability to learn, think, engage in problem solving, use reasoning and make sense of the world to the same degree as others their age.
In South Africa, approximately four out of every 100 people are affected by some level and form of ID, yet, it remains one of the most disregarded disabilities in the country.
Youth with disabilities struggle to access the livelihood assets of education, employment, social support systems, free-time activities, facilities, and services, when compared with their non-disabled counterparts.
Intellectual Disability and Youth
It has been widely reported that the youth in South Africa (defined as 18-34 years old) are facing ever-mounting challenges and uncertainty. These challenges include unemployment, the rising cost of living, a lack of opportunities, poverty and limited access to quality education. These challenges are significantly increased amongst youth with disabilities, including youth with ID.
Young persons with ID find it particularly challenging to navigate life as they transition into adulthood. Most young persons with ID want the same opportunities and experiences as their non-disabled peers, including independence, social connection and meaningful employment.
DidYouKnow?
Persons with disabilities experience high levels of unemployment or work in precarious, part-time jobs, making it almost impossible to earn a decent income. Despite various pieces of both national and international legislation, aimed at ensuring the right of persons with intellectual disabilities to employment, such as the South African Bill of Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the majority of persons with intellectual disability remain unemployed.
Young persons with ID are severely marginalised in accessing employment.
TheImportanceof ProtectiveWorkshops
Protective workshops are programmes and services provided by community-based NGOs, such as our Mental Health Societies, where persons with disabilities are provided with skills development programmes. Protective workshops provide persons with ID with opportunities to gain skills and knowledge. Many young persons with ID find themselves in protective workshops after leaving school.
The ideal outcome is that instead of the person permanently staying in a protective workshop, they would move from the protective workshop into the open labour market.
However, we know that this is not the case. Whilst protective workshops provide a safe and stimulating environment for persons with ID, they are often excluded from taking part in further skills development, including those offered through Sector Education and Training Authorities.
There are young persons with ID who are equipped with the skills and knowledge for them to join the open labour market, and they have a right to be educated, empowered and assisted in their attempts to find employment. The reality is that employment in the open-labour market remains elusive for young persons with ID This is why the work of our Mental Health Societies, as well as other community-based organisations working with persons with ID, is very important.
Example's of Protective Workshops
CapeMentalHealth'sTraining WorkshopsUnlimited(TWU)
Cape Mental Health’s Training Workshops
Unlimited (TWU) is a life and work skills training and development project for persons with intellectual disability. TWU provides a structured and purposeful daily programme, helping persons with ID develop life and work skills.
The programme aims to help people with intellectual disabilities achieve their potential in the workforce.
TWU programmes are developed at a level suitable for training persons with intellectual disability and culturally appropriate for the South African context.
Example's of Protective Workshops
ZululandMentalHealthSociety's SiyazenzelaProtective Workshop
Zululand Mental Health's Siyazenzela
Protective Workshop is a gardening project that provides skills development for persons with ID, aged between 18 –34.
Those who attend the workshop grow and sell vegetables as part of this farming and income generating initiative, and they also learn to manage their disabilities through medication adherence and therapy to achieve the optimal level of mental health and functioning in society.
MeetDanel
Danel Botha is 20 years-old and comes from a big family. Her favourite colours are pink and teal. She has a pekingese dog named Milly.
Danel is a resident at Cresset House, a community that provides a 'home away from home' for persons living with intellectual disabilities (ages 18 and above). What Danel enjoys most about Cresset House is being surrounded by people who understand her as well as the supportive social workers.
Danel is a loving and friendly person who really enjoys the workshops at Cresset House She enjoys the creative arts, working at the bakery and spending time in the garden. She also loves to read and write, which is helpful as she is currently studying early-childhood education. Her dream job is to be a care worker or au pair and she is determined to finish her studies to achieve this.
She wishes that people understood that we are not all the same and that is okay. "I would rather be a rose in a sunflower field than a sunflower in a sunflower field."
MeetSheldon
Sheldon Bacon is 24 years-old. He is a resident at Cresset House He has an older sister and two catsSmudge and Archie. He enjoys the performing arts workshops at Cresset House. He also enjoys working at the bakery. His favourite thing to do is baking biscuits, which he only eats sometimes. Whilst he enjoys gardening, he doesn't like his hands getting dirty.
His real passion is DJing, which he's been doing since 2011. Sheldon has started playing music for the other residents as well. He has wanted to be a DJ for a long time and it brings him much joy to be able to do it.
Sheldon also loves IT. He first realised his love for IT when he would help his parents with their laptops at home He dreams of running his own IT business one day.
"Sometimes I can't write but I can type on a laptop."
Recogniseme andmyAbilities!
Persons with ID experience discrimination to the extent that it prevents them from participating in social life and developing and exercising their personal capacities to their full extent.
There is evidence that points to the positive outcomes for persons with ID when they are able to be autonomous and are involved in decision-making processes.
This does not mean that young persons with ID do not need support. In this study by Saaltink et. al 2012, they argue that young persons with ID who gain support in decision-making can feel more protected and independent.
Sharing and amplifying the voices, perspective and stories of young persons with ID is an effective way to create a shared understanding between people with ID and those without. It is also the best way to understand more about their abilities as well as their wants and needs.
Helping young people with an intellectual disability to become autonomous can enable them to live more satisfying lives, support their families, and contribute to their communities. -
Marie-Claude Sirois
CALL-TO-ACTION
SAFMH believes that young persons with ID deserve the same access and opportunities to education, skills development and employment as all South Africans. As such, we call upon:
Government: To to develop strategies and policies aimed at fostering and promoting meaningful paths of inclusion. This includes working closely with high schools and universities to implement courses and specific training aimed at equipping young persons with ID with skills and competencies to move forward into formal employment. Increased support for protective workshops will ensure that these facilities can sufficiently support and equip more young persons with ID to attain the highest levels of skills and move into the open labour market, where possible. We also call on Government to ensure the implementation of the National Mental Health Policy Framework 2023-2030 where it is stated that there will be an intersectoral approach when it comes to the inclusion of persons with ID in general community life. We want our government departments to commit to including young persons with ID in this approach as well
Employers: To consider employing young persons with ID. We encourage supported employment as best practice when it comes to working with and improving the lives of young persons with ID. Persons with ID want to and can work, they just need the opportunity
Families: To include young persons with ID in any decisions that are made about them and to recognise their autonomy and right to selfdetermination.
This IDAM, we encourage the sharing of young persons with ID's stories, ensuring that we hear their challenges and experiences in their own words.