Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane will on Thursday, 03 November 2022 lead a media briefing to launch the Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) 2022.
The theme for this year’s DRAM is titled “Empowering Persons with Disabilities through resourceful, sustainable and safe environments”.
The 2022 International theme is “Not all disabilities are visible”.
This year’s theme emphasises the importance of resolving existing barriers towards disability inclusion by ensuring resourceful, sustainable and safe environments for and with persons with Disabilities and also specially recognizing that not all disabilities are visible.
According to statistics, persons with disabilities continue to face various challenges including but not limited to, serious unemployment; poverty and inequality.
In line with the theme, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities will coordinate activities and government departments will also implement activities identified according the calendar. Amongst the activities identified is the Economic Empowerment Summit for Persons with Disabilities.
The Summit will explore entrepreneurship and business opportunities available and explore solution to deal with barriers hindering access by persons with disabilities in the mainstream economy.
The Summit will also have an exhibition display to showcase innovation by and for persons with disabilities.
These activities are part of Government’s Disability Rights Awareness Campaign as part of the 365 days Calendar on disabilities to create more awareness about the disabilities, showcase gaps and challenges that are experienced in delivery of services for persons with disabilities, showcase inroads and achievements made to date by government in line with the MTSF priorities and forge further partnerships between persons with and without disabilities to support the social cohesion towards realization of disability inclusion in all our programs and all aspects of society.
Government departments are expected to develop calendar of activities in line with the themes and champion the activities during the Disability Rights Awareness Month (03 November to 03 December).
The media briefing will also include the signing of a memorandum of Agreement on Disability Inclusion Training for public servants between the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and the National School of Government.
This training is aimed at empowering public servants in ensuring disability inclusion in their programmes and services of their departments.

Source: Government of South Africa