Accredited Skills Development For Persons Living With Disabilities

In an ideal world, the workforce should be fairly representative of the economically active population. But this is not always the case, and as such, the government has implemented various legislative tools to ensure the equitable recruitment of South Africa’s population. Legislation, including B-BBEE Act not only encourages businesses to employ Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), but it also sets concrete targets for businesses for the employment of Black people with disabilities. 

Background on Skills Development

According to the World Health Organisation people with disabilities have a far lower chances of participating meaningfully in the labour market and being employed. Similar trends have also been observed when it comes to career advancement and job security as they remain the most vulnerable to any upsets in the labour market. 

One of the main challenges  that has been observed as contributing to these trends both locally and globally is a significant lack of investment in education and skills development for people with disabilities from a young age. Many have been excluded from education at a basic education level and never get a chance to make it into tertiary education. As a result, many people living with a disability are unemployable, even when their disability does not affect their ability to work and do a job successfully. 

Who is considered as living with disabilities?

The Employment Equity Act defines ‘people with disabilities as people who have long-term or recurring physical or mental impairments with sustainability limits their prospect of entry into or advancement in employment. In other words, a person with a disability has a long-term impairment that puts them at a disadvantage when compared to people without a disability. A key criterion is that no assisted device is able to create a sense of equality.  

Challenges faced by People with Disabilities: 

Implementing a genuine transformation plan ought to include a sound understanding of the definition of disability in order to understand what reasonable accommodation this implies in the workplace. Without this level of understanding and support, PWDs face numerous challenges in the workplace. While some issues may depend on their specific disability, other issues related to the co-worker’s attitudes.  

General Challenges: 

1. Lack of education: Statistics show that fewer people with disabilities complete basic education than those who do not have disabilities.
   
2. Low health outcomes: People living with disabilities often require more health care and access to health care is often a challenge for most.
3. Difficulty with transport: Most PWDs have to rely on public transport which in turn is difficult for them to navigate; e.g. a person using a wheelchair would not be able to use public transport.
4. Poverty: Many PWDs may live well below the poverty line and thus unable to pay for transport or professional wardrobe to get to interviews/jobs. 

Physical Challenges:

1. Infrastructure: PWDs require ramps, lifts, and ablution facilities.
2. Timekeeping: If reliant on another person for help, PWDs may come to work a little later.
3. Health care needs: depending on the nature of their disability, PWDs may have health issues that require periodic time off work to seek healthcare, and if they are reliant on government healthcare this can mean an entire day.  

Attitudes: 

1. Long-held biases: Biases do not disappear simply because the constitution has been changed.  
   1. People with disabilities are often thought of as too much trouble or not capable in other ways and passed over for employment opportunities or, once in a job, passed over for development opportunities.   
   2. Employers consider the cost of modifying equipment to accommodated PWDs makes it expensive to employ them. 
2. Negative attitudes: The stigma associated with disabilities of any kind – especially visible disabilities – still exist. Negative attitudes lead to the social exclusion and marginalisation of PWDs. 
3. Stigma - When a person is labelled by their disability they are no longer seen as an individual but as part of a stereotyped group e.g. a person with a mental disability may find themselves shunned as colleagues avoid them
   
4. Stereotyping - a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people e.g. people with a mental illness have a form of intellectual disability
   
5. Prejudice - Prejudice is an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual’s membership of a social group.
   Discrimination - is the behaviour or actions, usually negative, towards an individual or group of people, especially on the basis of sex/race/social class, etc. e.g. the company decides to no longer employ people with mental disabilities on ground of the disabilities
   
6. Ambivalence – not caring, or indifference to the challenges/circumstances faced by people of a certain group. Not caring enough to ACT to change behaviour, or contribute to their advancement
7. Long-held biases: Biases do not disappear simply because the constitution has been changed.  
   1. People with disabilities are often thought of as too much trouble or not capable in other ways and passed over for employment opportunities or, once in a job, passed over for development opportunities.   
   2. Employers consider the cost of modifying equipment to accommodated PWDs makes it expensive to employ them. 

Taken together, these challenges significantly decrease the employability of PWD. Employers need to ensure that their policies in place to address these challenges and accommodate PWDs in a sensitive manner that preserves dignity. Furthermore, the balance employers need to find is to do all this without disadvantaging able-bodies employees, to avoid exacerbating any negative attitudes. 

Legislative and policy provision for people with disabilities

Additionally, there is a legislative imperative to ensure that society addresses the exclusion of persons living with a disability. The Section 9 of the South African Constitution outlaws discrimination on any grounds of a number of identity traits, including disability.

To address barriers to employment we have discussed above, provision has been made in various legislative frameworks including the:

1. Employment Equity Act - provides for employment equity; and recognising that as a result of apartheid and other discriminatory laws and practices, there are disparities in employment, occupation and income within the national labour market; and that those disparities create such pronounced disadvantages for certain categories of people, including people with disabilities, that they cannot be redressed simply by repealing discriminatory laws
2. Black Economic Empowerment Act - promotes the empowerment of people with disabilities. Under the BEE Act, in terms of the scoring requirements for skills development, the amended codes allow for 4 points on skills development spend on PWDS
3. Promotion of equality and prevention of unfair discrimination Act - -is an anti-discrimination law that prohibits discrimination by government, private organisations and civilians. Amongst a specific list, it includes ‘disability’ as prohibited ground for discriminations. PEPUDA does not apply to any person to whom the Employment Equity Act applies
   
4. Technical Assistance Guidelines on the employment of People with Disabilities - was intended to complement the Codes of Good practice and sets practical guidelines and examples for employers, employees and trade unions to promote, equality through the elimination of unfair discrimination.
5. Codes of Good Practice In the Employment of People with Disabilities - while not legally binding, should be taken under consideration when provisions of the EEA are interpreted. The Codes of Good practice provide provides guidance to employers or employees on the development implementation and refinement of disability policies in the workplace.

 These have been enacted to ensure that corporates and organisations facilitate access and opportunity to education, skills development and the workplace for people with disabilities.  Furthermore, the National Skills Development Strategy requires the Sector Education and Training Authorities to increase access to training opportunities through learnerships for persons with disabilities. 

Training Solutions for people with disabilities

Research shows that training and equipping persons living with a disability for the workplace is an ongoing challenge, both globally and locally. PWD have been disproportionately affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is an urgent need to address disability inclusion in all aspects of society including the labour market.  

Amongst other challenges, COVID-19 along with relevant social-distancing protocols has presented further difficulties when it comes to skills development, the pandemic has essentially made it even more difficult to train as well as integrate persons living with disability into the workplace.  

Non-governmental organizations such as the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisations are working with governments and private sector around the world to develop special training and skills development programmes for people with disabilities. This  is in recognition of the fact that such persons do not always have the opportunity to go to school or to complete their basic education. Access to tertiary education becomes even more of a challenge, nevermind completion and many can study for only a few years. As a result many  people with disabilities experience poor educational outcomes and at worst they can barely read or write or are totally illiterate.  

Training programmes and other skills development solutions must be especially developed to take such challenges into account and use innovative and creative techniques to teach new skills to persons with disabilities.  
 
In addition to the other challenges we have mentioned, let us also take into account that in south Africa it is estimated that people with disabilities represent 1 percent of the total workforce. This is dire especially given that people with disabilities make up between 8% and 11% of the population. The situation is worse for women with disabilities.  

At Transcend, we view training and capacity building not simply as a technical intervention, but as a crucial and empowering element to ensuring that marginalised and socially excluded groups such as people with disabilities are able to participate in the labour market they have been excluded from. We acknowledged especially the negative attitudes that people with disabilities face and have had to overcome.  

1. Build confidence and acquire a tool to develop and maintain their self-esteem.
2. Are included and empowered to contribute meaningfully to the workplace and the community at large; especially because of the unique set of challenges that they face. 

1. facilitate both learner and corporate success in the journey of sustainable and meaningful employment of persons living with a disability.  
2. empower people with disabilities, increase their employability and equip them with skills to transition into the workplace. 
3. bridging the gap between education and the world of work
4. boosting confidence, self esteem and other crucial life and business skills competences
5. equipping learners with a SETA accredited qualification that will boost their CV
6. enhancing employability and unlocking opportunities in the labour market
7. increasing absorption rates of unemployed learners by 80%

 Why should corporates consider sponsoring learnings on such a programme? Essentially this is an opportunity to  drive transformation, make an impact and contribute to a more disability inclusive society. The REALISE Programme should be considered by business who would like to: 

1. Better equip current and future staff living with a disability to succeed in the workplace -  Both current staff and unemployed learners can be sponsored to participate on this programme. This allows corporates to not only upskill their staff but build a talent pipeline of young people who will be ready to hit the ground running should you ever need to absorb them.  
2. Integrate these solutions into your BEE Strategy and maximise disability points on your skills development scorecard – many organisations usually struggle to meet their disability spend targets often because they do not have the critical numbers of people with disabilities in their organisations. This programme brings those disability points within your reach. 
3. Be socially a responsible employer and contribute to the upskilling of young people and especially those living with a disabilities in South Africa  - unemployment is at record highs in this country and Transcend understands that people with disabilities are especially vulnerable to exclusion from the labour market. This programme gives people with disabilities a boost allowing them an opportunity to participate in the labour market with confidences and often with successful outcomes.  

Please contact us should you:

1. Wish to learn more about how to facilitate skills development for people with disabilities. 
2. Be considering implementing learnerships for people with disabilities.
3. Wish to learn how to optimise your BEE Scorecard for skills development and management control by sponsoring disability learnerships and disability skills development.

Transcend Corporate Advisors would welcome a discussion with you on the skills development solutions we have put in place for people with disabilities. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to arrange a call.