Pretoria - The North West province has adopted a revised Job-Access Plan to accelerate the employment of people with disabilities.
The province’s executive council made the announcement on Saturday, as the country marks National Disability Rights Awareness Month.
According to the provincial government, close to 1 200 additional people with disabilities are targeted for employment by the provincial administration within the next 10 months.
Premier Thandi Modise said the employment plan was a product of intense debates during the consultative process involving departments and the Provincial Disability Forum.
The approval of the plan will bring changes to employment practices, including the inclusion of disability interests in short-listing and interview panels.
Modise said building an inclusive society required departments to go beyond placing people with disabilities as interns, to employing them and advancing their upward mobility within the public service.
The National Disability Rights Awareness Month was launched today under the theme, ‘Break Barriers, Open Doors to Realise an Inclusive Society for All’ by Women, Children and People with Disabilities Deputy Minister, Hendrietta Bogopane–Zulu, in the Northern Cape.
The National Development Plan (NDP) acknowledges that many persons with disabilities are not able to develop to their full potential due to various barriers, resulting in them often being viewed as being unproductive and a burden.
The NDP highlights the following barriers that need to be addressed: physical barriers, educational barriers, communication barriers and attitudinal barriers. - SAnews.gov.za
