Covid-19 particularly severe for people with disabilities – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa.

• The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been particularly severe for many people with disabilities, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.
• It says the government is implementing a series of initiatives to empower people with disabilities.
• These include promoting sign language as an official language and improving ways of communicating with people with disabilities.

While the coronavirus pandemic has caused great hardship for all South Africans, the impact has been particularly severe for many people with disabilities, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.

In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa said that after a meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Disability held almost last week, a government delegation underscored its priority to incorporate the rights of persons with disabilities into government planning. He said it will ensure that all departments meet strict goals of inclusion and empowerment.

“We reiterate our commitment to fully implement the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to comply with our international obligations with regard to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Rights of people with disabilities, “Ramaphosa said. .

Most vulnerable people with disabilities

Movement and activity restrictions imposed at the start of the pandemic, coupled with pressure placed on health facilities, made it more difficult for many people with disabilities to access the medical care and other support services they needed, he added.

“This time was particularly difficult for people with disabilities who depend on the help of family, friends and community members with various tasks and activities. Many people, including the elderly, spent weeks and months in relative isolation. Because people with disabilities are disproportionately more likely to be unemployed or not in education or training, many have been more vulnerable than most to the devastating impact of the disease on their lives and livelihoods. “

The president said the government wanted to ensure that the circumstances of people with disabilities fundamentally and permanently improve.

“We must make up for lost time and move forward with greater focus and urgency to progressively achieve equalization of opportunities for people with disabilities.

“In developing the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan, we have emphasized that businesses that are owned and operated by people with disabilities must play an important role in the infrastructure construction program. People with disabilities will also receive support to form cooperatives in key sectors such as retail, agriculture, financial services and manufacturing and, in addition to women and youth, will be prioritized to access financing for business initiatives.

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“This must be done in conjunction with a concerted effort to increase the proportion of people with disabilities employed in both government and the private sector.”

Sign language will become the ’12th official language’ of SA

Ramaphosa said the private sector needs to do more to empower, train, train and employ more people with disabilities, and to make workplaces more conducive and welcoming.

He said that closely linked to the task of economic empowerment is the fight for inclusive education, which should ensure that children with disabilities can access and receive quality education that is adapted to their needs. He added that it is estimated that around half a million children with disabilities of school age are not in school. Many are in specialized schools and centers, often located far from their families and communities and without proper care or teaching.

“Our goal should be to allow children with disabilities to attend their local schools and to ensure that these schools have the resources, staff and physical infrastructure to meet their specific needs. Among other things, this requires the training of educators in education. inclusive and challenging attitudes that lead to discrimination and stigmatization, ”he said.

A long way to go

Ramaphosa said another critical area for inclusion is communication, adding that people with disabilities must be able to receive and impart information regardless of the nature of their disability. To this end, the government has been promoting the designation of South African sign language as the twelfth official language of the country, he said.

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The president said the government was looking for ways its information and services could be accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired, deaf, or with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities.

“As a country, we still have a long way to go. But if we want to move forward, we must begin by improving understanding in society of the ways in which people with disabilities are excluded and marginalized. We must address discrimination against and victimization of women. People with disabilities.

“This should be one of our top priorities as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic, so that we can better rebuild for all South Africans,” Ramaphosa said.