Feature

A harder walk to freedom

Emerging from the apartheid era, South Africa is a country which takes equal rights very seriously indeed. Shelley Barry and Sue Philpott explain how its disability strategy has become a model for the world

The emergence of South Africa from the apartheid era, and the birth of a democratic nation has provided unique opportunities and challenges for disabled people in their struggle for equal rights. The following discussion traces past approaches to disability in South Africa, and highlights the major features necessary in a disability strategy working towards a ‘society for all’.

Historical background

Disability services in general have been institution-based, resulting in the segregation of disabled people from mainstream society. Separate schools, sheltered employment workshops and other facilities were established to cater for people with different disabilities. These services were also underpinned by the ideology of apartheid, with racial segregation and discrimination favouring the white minority at the expense of the black majority.

The South African disability rights movement strongly opposed this approach, arguing that disability is less about individual impairment than about social structures that exclude some people. Exclusion on the basis of disability was likened to that of apartheid, with similar harmful results:

• Black people have been at a disadvantage in terms of access to basic facilities and services.

Many preventable diseases caused permanent impairments, in addition to disabilities resulting from political violence.

• There have been very few ‘special schools’ (or other facilities) for black disabled children. As a result, very few black disabled children have had access to education, families have had to bear the high cost of transport, and it has been difficult to maintain contact between the disabled child and their family and community.
• A number of community-based services run by non-governmental organisations and organisations of disabled people were set up in response to the inadequacy of services but, in the absence of state support, had to rely on foreign donors.

Key features of the disability strategy

The disability rights struggle can be traced back to Soweto, 16 June 1976, when police fired on a peaceful march by schoolchildren protesting against the use of Afrikaans in schools. The oppression and killings that followed in the late 1970s and early 1980s intensified the struggle and many youths were disabled as a result of their involvement. Disabled people started a period of mobilisation and organisation to fight both against apartheid and for their rights as equal participants in the liberation struggle. In 1984, Disabled People South Africa (DPSA) was founded, with 60 per cent of the first executive committee comprising people disabled because they had been shot by the police.

Initially the focus of the new movement was urban. But after several years it became clear that the rural population had to be reached too. This led to an emphasis on the organisation of disabled people living in former ‘Bantustans’, often areas of extreme poverty. DPSA now has almost 200 affiliate community-based disabled people’s organisations, and is a member of Disabled People International.

The following are some of the key components of DPSA’s disability strategy:

• Initiation and support of community-based organisations of disabled people. These groups are regarded as essential tools in freeing disabled people from a sense of hopelessness and isolation. They provide opportunities to socialise, to be exposed to new ideas and theories, to become active and to gain access to resources (eg basic skills training).

The groups help disabled people realise that they have the right to make choices, to have loving and stable relationships, to take risks and to participate fully in community activities. Participation in grassroots structures mobilises disabled people into becoming activists — being able to address issues that directly affect them (eg income-generating projects, advocacy and awareness raising, gaining access to education, health services).

• Maintaining a close link between the liberation movement and the disability rights movement. This link has helped DPSA realise the importance of ensuring that disabled women receive particular attention in the development process — just as South African women have always played a key role in the liberation struggle. For example, women’s participation in the drafting of the Disability Rights Charter helped ensure that it is gender sensitive. This link has also enabled disabled people to understand disability as a human rights and development issue.
• Participation in and representation on government structures. Now that the liberation movement has been formally established within the Government of National Unity, the South African disability movement has been active in a number of areas. Mechanisms has been set up to ensure ongoing consultation, and that disabled people are agents and partners of the democratisation and transformation process. Of particular significance are the following:
• The Integrated National Disability Strategy, a document which underwent broad consultation, with hearings throughout the country during 1996. It was adopted as a White Paper, released in early December 1997. It has its roots in the South African disability rights movement, as well as in the Standard Rules for the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (United Nations 1993) and is regarded as the ‘touchstone’ for developing policies and programmes in all areas which include disabled people. It provides guidelines and requires that all government ministries address disability issues.
• Formal structures which represent disabled people’s interests in government. These include the Office on the Status of Disabled People (in the Deputy State President’s Office) which has been set up as a national structure; provincial disability desks are currently being established. There is also an MP who represents the disability sector.
• Various commissions set up to investigate specific disability and related issues (eg the National Commission on Special Needs in Education and Training), as well as inclusion of representatives from the disability sector on other national Commissions (eg the Gender Commission, the Human Rights Commission — which is in the process of setting up a Disability Unit — and the National Youth Commission).
• Addressing issues faced by parents of disabled children. 98 per cent of parents of disabled children living in the rural areas of South Africa are unemployed, semi-literate or uneducated single women. Deserted by husbands and lovers, they live in very disadvantaged conditions, trying desperately to survive. They face rejection and scorn, often banished even by their extended families. In areas of poverty, women find themselves unemployed due to the additional attention required by, and lack of facilities for, disabled children. DPSA has recognised the urgent needs of these parents and has supported the parents of disabled children in setting up the Disabled Children’s Action Group (DICAG).

Future challenges

The disability sector has made great progress in addressing the oppression of the past. But there are still many challenges ahead in ensuring that disabled people enjoy the same rights and opportunities as South Africa’s other citizens. These include:

• Setting up mechanisms to monitor the implementation of policies and legislation. While tremendous progress has been made in formulating disability policies, the challenge is to see that they are implemented. A DPSA policy unit has been established within parliament, responsible for monitoring policies to see if they help disabled people, and for promoting enabling legislation. Much work remains to be done in ensuring appropriate research/monitoring components of national initiatives (such as the Early Childhood Development pilot programme), in order to evaluate the extent of inclusion of disabled children.
• Building the capacity of the disability sector. Given the legacy of apartheid, there is a great need for resources to equip disabled people with expertise in a range of fields — such as management and research. We must focus on building both individual and organisational capacity in the disability field. Appropriate training and support are needed, with partnerships between the disability sector and resource organisations.
• Taking maximum advantage of current initiatives. South Africa is in the throes of transformation, and policies are being re-written in many sectors. For example, the ‘outcomes-based approach’ is being promoted in education. Potentially this provides access to education for those previously disadvantaged; it accommodates a variety of learner needs and gives recognition to prior experience and knowledge. Disabled people need to use this (and other initiatives) to ensure their full inclusion in society.
• Ensuring that improvements in the daily lives of disabled people are not limited to the urban middle class. There is a real challenge in ensuring that improvements for disabled people are not limited to issues such as parking places at suburban shopping centres, but are also felt by those in isolated rural areas and peri-urban slums. Disability truly needs to be integrated into development — so that as programmes systematically address issues such as water, housing, electricity, transport, early childhood education and nutrition, they cater for the needs and rights of all South Africa’s citizens.