‘The right way to treat persons with disabilities’
A man who describes himself as a disabled industrial engineer with a passion for productivity, would like to engage with employers and the differently abled on how to make workplaces more inclusive.
Nico Nel came to speak to Mossel Bay Advertiser while he was on holiday in town. He lives in Secunda, Mpumalanga.
Nico says: "Rules we make in society cause people with impairments to be further disabled. In fact, often they are not disabled by their impairment, but by the rules."
About 15 percent of people are classified as disabled, according to the World Health Organisation, he points out. Often they are excluded from normal activities unintentionally.
Nico, aged 52, was born without a left forearm and hand.
Experience
He explains that he has a "wealth of disabled experience" that he can share with others. He has started a website, www. differentabilities.co.za, to engage with people.
He points out that there are many different types of disabilities and various degrees of these disabilities.
As an example of not taking people into account, Nico mentions pavements, which often do not accommodate women with prams, people in wheelchairs or people making deliveries.
Only a fraction of wheelchair users can use staircases, he points out. "Buildings and facilities should meet universal design standards."
Nico says: "People with disabilities also have dependants and want to send them to school and university. They cannot do this if they are excluded unintentionally. Just as all races must be included and given equal opportunities, people with impairments must be included so they can share in economic activity."
Nico says managers "get hung up on how things are done, so they exclude people unnecessarily". They should be less concerned with how things are done and rather focus on getting things done.
Many ways
Nico says there are often many ways something can be done, to create the same result.
"Managers should not be fixated on one method. They should allow persons with disabilities to participate in a different way.
"People confuse inclusion with charity." Nico says disabled-friendly facilities are not charity, but a basic human right.
His advice to people with disabilities is: "Don’t be afraid to disclose your impairments. Speak out, so people can help you and learn about your impairments. I want to sensitise companies and all people on how they should go about including persons with disabilities.
"People say PWDs don’t want help, but they do. However, human dignity is more important to them than assistance. If they have to choose between the two, they will choose human dignity.
"People offer to cut my food for me. Instead of asking if I am able to cut my own food, which I can do, they assume I can't and offer to. It is intended well, but it is humiliating.
"If a company focuses on care firstly, compliance will come naturally. If you focus on compliance first - wanting to be legal then care does not automatically follow.
"Persons with disabilities will go somewhere else because they are not being cared for. Companies won't retain persons with disabilities and PWDs will be labelled unfairly as job hoppers."
Contact Nico (082 903 2329, nico@ differentabilities.co.za) for more information.