The failure to provide learning material to every learner in an appropriate format places learners with special needs at a serious disadvantage, and constitutes a violation of the right to a basic education. The Commission has also noted ongoing concerns raised by multiple stakeholders, including schools and civil society organisations, around the delay in the provision of appropriate materials. The Committee may wish to request in the List of Issues: Information on measures being taken to improve access to LTSM. ARTICLE 27: Work and employment Section 9(c) of PEPUDA prohibits discrimination in the form of to eliminate ‘failing obstacles that unfairly limit or restrict persons with disabilities from enjoying equal opportunities or failing to take steps to reasonably accommodate the needs of such persons’. However, persons with disabilities face disproportionately high levels of unemployment, are employed in low status jobs, or receive lower than average remuneration. Furthermore, massive earning disparities exist by geographical location in that persons with disabilities in urban areas generally have higher earnings compared to those in rural areas. This is attributed to limited access to employment opportunities in rural areas as well as only having access to low-paying and unskilled jobs. In terms of the WPRPD, the employment equity and work opportunity targets for persons with disabilities should increase to at least 7 percent by the year 2030.And while current employment equity statistics cast doubt on the prospects of meeting this target, engagements with employers in South Africa suggest that the concept of disability is not adequately understood from the perspectives of identifying people with disabilities, – understanding what constitutes a disability, how and when to accommodate persons with disabilities, and the general legal provisions governing the employment of persons with disabilities. This could potentially mean that people with disabilities are not being identified and hence not accommodated and or reported on. It is estimated that on average, eight in ten persons with disabilities are unemployed, discrimination in ‘making terms of the denial of employment opportunities one of the most daunting challenges
The failure to provide learning material to every learner in an appropriate format places learners with special needs at a serious disadvantage, and constitutes a violation of the right to a basic education. The Commission has also noted ongoing concerns raised by multiple stakeholders, including schools and civil society organisations, around the delay in the provision of appropriate materials. The Committee may wish to request in the List of Issues: Information on measures being taken to improve access to LTSM. ARTICLE 27: Work and employment Section 9(c) of PEPUDA prohibits discrimination in the form of ‘failing to eliminate obstacles that unfairly limit or restrict persons with disabilities from enjoying equal opportunities or failing to take steps to reasonably accommodate the needs of such persons’. However, persons with disabilities face disproportionately high levels of unemployment, are employed in low status jobs, or receive lower than average remuneration. Furthermore, massive earning disparities exist by geographical location in that persons with disabilities in urban areas generally have higher earnings compared to those in rural areas. This is attributed to limited access to employment opportunities in rural areas as well as only having access to low-paying and unskilled jobs. In terms of the WPRPD, the employment equity and work opportunity targets for persons with disabilities should increase to at least 7 percent by the year 2030.And while current employment equity statistics cast doubt on the prospects of meeting this target, engagements with employers in South Africa suggest that the concept of disability is not adequately understood – from the perspectives of identifying people with disabilities, understanding what constitutes a disability, how and when to accommodate persons with disabilities, and the general legal provisions governing the employment of persons with disabilities. This could potentially mean that people with disabilities are not being identified and hence not accommodated and or reported on. It is estimated that on average, eight in ten persons with disabilities are unemployed, ‘making discrimination in terms of the denial of employment opportunities one of the most daunting challenges
INT_CRPD_ICO_ZAF_30104_E.docx