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Disabled given a chance to work
About four million South Africans are living with disabilities, yet only a very small number are gainfully employed, according to research by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Ashley Berman, founder of Brite Byte, an organization that specializes in the recruitment and placement of people with disabilities, says South Africa has some of the best legislation to support or enforce the integration of people with disabilities into the workplace, but it does not necessarily create a situation that gets them into the workplace.
To try to bridge the gap between being economically inactive and active, Brite Byte and the Services Seta have implemented an internship programme for people with disabilities. As part of the mentored workreadiness programme, unemployed people with disabilities receive training in internal motivation and empowerment.
Participants learn to create effective CVs, hone interview skills and participate in a cognitive enrichment course. They are then better equipped to be placed in an organization for a three or six-month work experience, potentially leading to full-time employment.
"Benefits for organizations that participate in this project include the opportunity to assess potential employees and time to train potential employees at no cost, as participants receive allowances from the Services Seta" says Berman.
Recruitment firm Kelly has partnered with Brite Byte since the programme's in-ception in March 2008, introducing candi-dates to Brite Byte's clients in the hope of finding the right fit. So far, Kelly has helped place 18 people with disabilities, including 30-year-old Mamazana Tshabalala. Tsha-balala is a bright, confident South African who struggled to find permanent employ-ment because she is partially sighted. She was part of the Brite Byte's internship pro-gramme, and with Kelly's assistance now works full-time at a leading financial institution.
"I know people think that because I can't see well, I can't work" says Tshabalala. "People like me suffer because it is assumed that we are only good to get the disability grant. Now that I work in a bank, I have gained respect, particularly from my family who now realise I can provide, that I can support them. I am being taken seriously." One of the most important aspects of the internship programme is to encourageage a shift in the minds of the participants, encouraging them to become more proac-tive and confident.
Tshabalala says: "We have to live with ourselves, accept who we are and be happy. We can't just wake up in the morning and no longer be disabled. We have to know what we want, be confident in our abilities and make the best of it."
Today, Tshabalala is an assertive full-time employee who still finds the time to run her own charity which offers support and advice to disabled people in her home province, the Free State, while challenging the local municipalities to provide more for their disabled constituents.
Kelly chief operating officer Gayleen Baxter says Kelly hopes to be able to make a significant difference in the lives of people with disabilities, giving them a chance to access the workplace and gain permanent employment. "We have a great network of clients who could potentially provide internships for unemployed people with disabilities, and ultimately, employment."
Ivor Blumenthal, CE of the Services Seta, says the organization is continually trying to find creative and practical mechanisms for creating access to the world of work for people with disabilities. "A series of strategic projects will be launched in the next two months to facilitate entry. We are encouraged by the progress made and hope to expand on this" says Blumenthal.
by Sarah-Jane Bosch
From Association for People with Disabilities newsletter (vol 10. Issue 2) of May 2009
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