UCT Sustainability and the SDGs 2022 - Magazine - Page 24
SDG 10
REDUCED
INEQUALITIES
Institutional initiatives
Labour. It is against this stark backdrop that UCT’s Inclusive
its history, intersecting with other forms of marginalisation.
Working towards equal opportunity for all at UCT
brought together thought leaders, academics, policymakers
UCT is committed to addressing these challenges, both
UCT’s Of昀椀ce for Inclusivity and Change (OIC) was established to
and disability advocates. Themed “Let’s Talk Work: Towards
South Africa continues to have some of the highest levels of
inequality in the world, with racial disparity deeply rooted in
within the university and in broader society.
build, develop and foster an environment where everyone feels
included and change is respected, encouraged and celebrated.
The OIC works through evidence-led inclusivity programmes
using a multipronged approach that focuses on curriculum,
disability services, institutional cultural change, and sexual and
gender-based violence prevention policy and research.
A key part of this mandate is their Disability Service, which
supports the full and equal participation of students and
staff with disabilities. The service works to remove physical,
policy and attitudinal barriers, including improving campus
accessibility, coordinating assistive technologies for learning,
arranging exam accommodations and facilitating interpreters
and note-takers where needed.
Practices Africa (IPA) held a symposium in 2024 which
Inclusive Economies through Intersectoral Collaboration”,
this inaugural symposium included discourses on dismantling
barriers and encouraging inclusive employment systems for
persons with disabilities (PWD).
Africa is home to 300 million persons with disabilities, many
of whom face challenges of poverty, systemic inequities and
limited access to essential services.
IPA seeks to promote quality education, digni昀椀ed work
and active social participation for all. Through researchinformed methodologies, IPA collaborates with marginalised
communities, organisations and service providers to
challenge societal mindsets and develop inclusive practices
that reduce the social exacerbated by disability.
By embedding inclusion into university policy, practice and
infrastructure, the OIC helps ensure that everyone at UCT
can participate fully and thrive. Its work re昀氀ects UCT’s
broader goal: to create a community where diversity is
valued, equality is realised and opportunity is open to all.
Community engagement
Sparking dialogue for national
inclusive employment
In South Africa, disability prevalence is estimated at 16%
Our goal is to deliberately
move away from focusing on
de昀椀cits or impairments and
instead explore how to change
systems to become inherently
inclusive, ensuring everyone
can thrive – be it in workplace,
education or communities.
but only 1.2% of the national workforce comprises persons
with disabilities, according to the National Department of
48 - Sustainability and the SDGs 2024
– Professor Harsha Kathard, founder of the IPA.
Sustainability and the SDGs 2024 – 49
