MOSSELBAY NEWS - Since 3 November, the start of Disability Rights Awareness Month, the Western Cape Department of Social Development has been highlighting various support services for persons with disabilities.
But thinking beyond this month, Western Cape Minister, Jaco Londt, has been working with numerous partners to find ways to create and advocate for more inclusive spaces.
One of these stakeholders is the Mossel Bay Municipality, which with its Disability Accessibility Mossel Bay (DAM) initiative, is on track to become the first disabilityfriendly town in South Africa.
DAM explained
On 19 November, Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé and Diane Hobbs, director of the Education and Training Hub for Autism Needs (ETHAN), gave a presentation on DAM at the Ministers' and Mayoral Forum.
Mossel Bay executive mayor Dirk Kotzé, Western Cape Minister of Social Development Jaco Londt, ETHAN director and Disability Accessibility Mossel Bay cofounder Diane Hobbs and Mossel Bay municipal manager Colin Puren.
This meeting brings together Western Cape government cabinet ministers, mayors and other government officials from across the province to discuss matters of strategic importance.
DAM provides a five-star rating in terms of how accessible public spaces in Mossel Bay are for persons with disabilities. Mossel Bay Mayor Kotzé said: “DAM is a communityled partnership between the Western Cape Department of Social Development, Mossel Bay Municipality, community organisations, such as ETHAN, and local businesses, to incentivise others to build a more universally accessible Mossel Bay.
"DAM’s five-star rating system is designed by persons with disabilities for persons with disabilities and determines the level of universal access facilities offer.”
Offer features
Through this initiative in Mossel Bay, organisations are encouraged to offer accessibility features, such as braille text, ramps, accessible door handles, text-to-speech facilities and water bowls for guide dogs.
Some Western Cape mayors have shown interest in this model.
Saldanha Bay deputy executive mayor, Charmaine Laubscher, said: “As a parent of a child with special needs, this resonates deeply.
"By empowering the differently abled, we unlock a world of change and integration, fostering growth in various sectors and promoting inclusivity."
Londt said: “There are already hotels and other facilities who are buying into the DAM initiative, because they see the value of opening up more public spaces to all residents. "I believe this can turn into a Disability Accessibility Movement, where more municipalities adopt the model.”
For more information about services offered by the department, call the toll-free number (0800 220 250), send an email to SD.CustomerCare@westerncape. gov.za or visit the department’s website: www.westerncape.gov.za/ dept/social-development.
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