Human Rights Day is commemorated annually on 21st March in South Africa. This year, the SA Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH) is highlighting the importance of upholding the human rights of young persons with intellectual disability, especially their right to employment, education and self-autonomy.
The right to education and employment
Despite various pieces of both national and international legislation, aimed at ensuring the right of persons with intellectual disabilities to employment, such as the South African Bill of Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the majority of persons with intellectual disability remain unemployed. Young persons with intellectual disability are marginalised in accessing employment. This marginalisation can be attributed to a number of reasons, including the myth that persons with disabilities cannot work. However, this is not the case at all, including for persons with ID. Many people can work depending on their level of intellectual disability and the more this myth is perpetuated, the more barriers and obstacles persons with ID will continue to face when it comes to accessing suitable employment.
Similarly, young persons with ID face obstacles and barriers when it comes to accessing education. In South Africa there are policies and guidelines to encourage inclusive education, including Education White Paper 6: Special Needs Education, Building an Inclusive Education and Training System, the Guidelines for Responding to Learner Diversity and the National Strategy on SIAS. Despite these attempts at inclusivity, many young persons with ID experience challenges in the education system.
There are youth with ID who are equipped with the skills and knowledge for them to join the open labour market, and they have a right to be educated, empowered and assisted in their attempts to find employment.
SAFMH believes that youth with ID deserve the same access and opportunities to education, skills development and employment as all South Africans. As such, intentional effort must be made by the South African government to develop strategies and policies aimed at fostering and promoting meaningful paths of inclusion. This includes working closely with high schools and universities to implement courses and specific training aimed at equipping youth with ID with skills and competencies to move forward into formal employment.
We also call on Government to ensure the implementation of the National Mental Health Policy Framework 2023-2030 where it is stated that there will be an intersectoral approach when it comes to the inclusion of persons with ID in general community life, such as access to: education and skills development; income generation opportunities for users, and reasonable accommodation provisions in the workplace. We want our government departments to commit to including youth with ID in this approach as well.
We encourage employers to consider employing youth with ID. We encourage supported employment as best practice when it comes to working with and improving the lives of youth with ID. Persons with ID want to and can work, they just need the opportunity.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines dignity as something inherent to persons with disabilities (including those with ID) and it emphasises their human rights. The UNCRPD highlights that crucial human rights for persons with ID is their independence, autonomy, and freedom to make decisions. There is evidence that points to the positive outcomes for persons with ID when they are able to be autonomous and are involved in decision-making processes. This does not mean that youth with ID do not need support. A study from 2012 argues that youth with ID who gain support in decision-making can feel more protected and independent.
We therefore encourage families to include young persons with ID in any decisions that are made about them and to recognise their autonomy and right to self-determination. In this regard we, as always, support the mantra of persons with disabilities: “Nothing about us without us!”.
This Human Rights Day, we ask that you join us in calling for the human rights of young persons with ID to be upheld, ensuring that they are not left behind, their voices are heard and that they feel included in society.
For enquiries, please contact:
Michel’le Donnelly – Project Leader: Advocacy & Awareness
CELL: +27 (0)79 799 6533
EMAIL: michel’le@safmh.org
