Disability Rights Awareness Month is commemorated between 3 November and 3 December every year.

This year, the North West Department of Health focused on raising awareness on health-related disability policies, health promotion among those with disabilities and on addressing the challenges that affect them. These range from domestic violence, substance abuse, sexual assault and HIV/Aids prevention to their right to quality health care.

‘This is a platform and a positive opportunity for people with disabilities to share and celebrate the common belief that everyone has the right to a good quality of life.

We want people to know that those with disabilities are part of the community and that they don’t have any special rights Z their rights are the same as of those who are referred to as able people.

We want them to know that government cares about them, said Ms Lucy Tladi, provincial manager of the disability, gender and youth programme at the NW Department of Health.

She added that all issues that were raised by the delegates would be taken further to form part of the departmental disability programme and policies.

‘We want to emphasise that, as the Department of Health in Bokone Bophirima, we benefit intensely from feedback like that which we got from this workshop.’

A multi-sectoral approach has been established to deal with feedback throughout the year to prevent workshops like these from being reduced to just events.