International Day of People with Disability

Join the Wits Disability Rights Unit (DRU) team for an awareness drive, as they mark International Day of People with Disability.

International Day of People with Disability is a day to celebrate the many contributions people with disability make to our University community. Getting involved in celebrations for this United Nations sanctioned day, is a chance for you to champion challenging myths, improve awareness and take positive action towards inclusion and accessibility for people with disability.

Each year the UN announces a theme. The theme for 2016 is: Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want, which draws attention to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and how these goals can create a more inclusive and equitable world for persons with disabilities. The annual theme provides a framework for considering how people with disability are excluded from society, by promoting the removal of all types of barriers; including those relating to the physical environment, information and communications technology (ICT) and attitudinal barriers. This has been occurring since 1992, when the General Assembly proclaimed 3 December as the International Day of Disabled Persons. Countries all around the world celebrate this day.

 The Disability Rights Unit (DRU) at Wits is a support unit within the Registrar’s Division, committed to ensuring that students  have equal access to educational opportunities at Wits, so they can participate, freely and actively, in all facets of university life. The DRU pledges to assist students with disabilities to receive reasonable accommodations in academic and non-academic programmes and to create awareness of the issues and abilities of people with disabilities, amongst the Wits community. We are committed to working toward the goals of creating an equal, accessible and welcoming environment for all students with disabilities. We endeavour to make the learning environment a rewarding and enriching one, through the exceptional design of innovative learning and working environments.

For more information on how to support your colleagues and/or students with disabilit(ies), please visit the DRU website: www.wits.ac.za/disability-rights-unit or contact us directly. Members of the university community are welcome to visit our offices on the 1st Floor, East Wing, Solomon House, East Campus or our satellite office at Wits School of Education Campus - 1st Floor, Administration Block.

The DRU team, based in universal design offices, offer practical support to all staff and students, to achieve their core work functions and over 1 000 students are assisted with study accessibility, in line with existing Wits policies.

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