No jobs for the disabled in Ekurhuleni – DA
People with intellectual or special educational needs rarely have the opportunity to access the job market
EKURHULENI Metro has forgotten the disabled.
This is according to John Anticevich, DA PR councillor and deputy spokesperson for Ekurhuleni Metro’s disability oversight portfolio, who visited centres caring for the disabled in Ekurhuleni as part of the DA’s jobs campaign.
Anticevich said through these visits it became clear the metro had forgotten the disabled.
“The centres I visited continuously struggle to obtain funds to pay for trained staff and keep the doors open,” said Anticevich.
At the East Rand Protective Workshop in Pomona staff have to help mentor and enhance the skills of the 33 permanent intellectually disabled residents and 60 day visitors. Local businesses sometimes provide employment to the residents in the form of easy repetitive tasks such as packing gadgets, Anticevich said.
Naas Ferreira, executive director of the East Rand Protective Workshop, said: “There is a shortage in funding, equipment and jobs. Our biggest need is to find contract work for our people to do on the terrain. This helps them to develop certain skills and to teach them how to keep themselves busy.”
Little Eden, which cares for over 300 intellectually disabled residents in Edenvale and Bapsfontein, is forced to employ untrained staff and have to use their own funds to provide on-site training.
“Unfortunately, many of the newly trained staff have repeatedly found better employment elsewhere as soon as they have completed their training and the process of training staff starts over again,” according to Anticevich.
“The residents of Little Eden cannot be trained to fullfil a place in the open job market due to their intellectual disabilities. They can only fullfil basic chores inside the home under the guidance of a supervisor. Some of the residents of Little Eden do tasks such as washing the dishes or making tea,” said Anticevich.
Disabled students or learners with intellectual or special educational needs rarely have the opportunity to access the jobs market. However, 15 learners from Thembinkosi School for Learners with Educational Needs in Tembisa recently received training and secured jobs after completing their schooling in 2015.
Thembinkosi School attempts to place more students in the job market but their biggest challenge is using public transport to get to and from work.
“It is disappointing that the metro has failed to thus far provide any initiative that accommodates the disabled in its job market. It is crucial that they invest in the education and training of their disabled residents. It is also crucial that the metro invests in infrastructure that will make travelling to and from work safe and easy for the disabled residents who have a job,” said Anticevich.
