Skukuza – In line with the International Day for People with Disabilities celebrations, the South African National Parks (SANParks) officially launched the SANParks Forum for People with Disabilities at Skukuza in the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Saturday.
The forum, which is aimed at supporting both staff and tourists living with disabilities, strives to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in employment, identifying and managing barriers to equal access to opportunities, career advancement and retention, and ultimately creating a non-discriminatory and inclusive workplace culture.
“It is a reality that people living with disabilities are still being discriminated against in some areas of our society, including in the workplace, SANParks head of human capital Philiswa Mahlangu said at the launch.
“Some people are born with a disability; some get sick or have an accident that results in a disability, while some develop disabilities as they age or at some point in their lives. SANParks strives to play a part in breaking down these barriers and ensure that the stigma or perception attached to disabilities diminishes.
“We therefore hope that this launch will increase awareness, understanding and improve attitudes towards the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities,” Mahlangu said.
Research by the tourism department showed that tourism products should be designed with the sole purpose of being enjoyed by all tourists – young, elderly, and people with disabilities. One of the SANParks’ objectives was to increase the representation of people living with disabilities in its workforce from the current 1.7 percent to two percent by the end of the 2016/17 financial year.
“As SANParks, we place commitment to equity and diversity [highly], and we can only achieve this if the organisation itself is more inclusive for its staff, tourists, and members of society,” Mahlangu said.
African News Agency