Pretoria: The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has reiterated its call for strengthened disability inclusion across all sectors of society. “Persons with disabilities must be meaningfully involved in policy development, planning, budgeting, and programme implementation,” Department spokesperson Cassius Selala said. Selala emphasized that ensuring the rights, dignity, and full participation of persons with disabilities is both a constitutional obligation and a cornerstone of South Africa’s transformative development agenda.
According to South African Government News Agency, persons with disabilities, both in South Africa and globally, remain at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder and are most vulnerable to violence. The department highlighted that empowering people with disabilities across all sectors is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to equality, inclusion, and human rights. This includes advancing accessible built environments, inclusive education, equitable employment and economic participation, access to assistive devices and support services, and strengthened social protection systems.
The department stated that disability inclusion requires a whole-of-society approach, ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities are mainstreamed across all spheres to prevent further marginalisation and exclusion from all processes of ‘decision-making, participation, and beneficiation.’ As South Africa observes Disability Rights Awareness Month, the department called upon every member of society and all stakeholders to actively reflect on their roles, assess their achievements, identify the gaps, and confront the challenges in pursuit of true inclusivity for individuals with disabilities.
‘Let us commit to taking decisive action to ensure that every person is recognised, valued, and empowered,’ Selala said. This year’s Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) is commemorated under the theme: ‘Celebrating 30 Years of Democracy: Creating Strategic Multisectoral Partnerships for a Disability-Inclusive Society,’ a call to action for government, business, academia, and civil society to work collaboratively to remove barriers that continue to marginalise people with disabilities.