Pretoria - The newly launched Disability Policy Guideline is expected to assist South Africa in catering for the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.
Drafted by people with disabilities, the policy guideline addresses the needs of all diverse disabilities including lighting, sound, signage, tactile, ramp, parking, ablution facilities and lifts, among others.
Public Works Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, who is partially blind, also took part in drafting the policy which focuses specifically on public buildings and properties in rural areas.
The Department of Public Works has set itself a two percent target to increase the number of persons with disabilities benefiting from its programmes and also contributing to the mainstream economy of South Africa.
"We have not yet reached the two percent, we have just started a process of setting aside posts for people with disability," Minister Bogane-Zulu said.
The Disability Indaba, held in Cape Town last year under the theme "Nothing about us without us", set in motion the development of the policy, which intends to entrench the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.
