Dear Mr (Raphael) Wolf,
I read your article (“Differently abled students take UCT to task on discrimination”) with great interest. Our cerebral palsied daughter, who is subsequently learning disabled and also dyslexic, studied at UCT from 2010-2014 and again this year.
The Disability Unit at UCT is outstanding and provides excellent service.
There are about 40 differently adapted computers in the disability centre that cater for every individual need. There are also places to rest. Accommodations are made for reading material and for needs around writing examinations.
I am aware that choosing a university on a mountain adds extra burden.
Yet, I have to confess that the Disability Unit has made our daughter’s study possible and without them smoothing her path she would not have successfully completed her three degrees. (She went to Stellenbosch for her Master’s in 2015-2016.)
I am terribly sorry to hear that students with mobility challenges have difficulty in acquiring suitable places of residence and I am sad that UCT is publicly being portrayed in such a negative light because of it.