November marks National Disability Rights Awareness Month, which is dedicated to highlighting the rights and needs of people with disabilities in South Africa. In observance, the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) has launched the ‘Captions for Communication’ campaign, advocating for real-time captions in news bulletins on television.
Erica du Toit of the Western Cape Association of Persons with Disabilities explained, “The campaign is aimed at addressing the lack of access to news bulletins and public service announcements for people with hearing impairments who do not use sign language. This issue affects a large portion of the population, and both our organisation and the NCPD have been pushing for this change.”
Du Toit further comments on the current state of accessibility, saying, “Sign language interpreters are helpful for the approximately 600 South Africans who use South African sign language. However, we are focused on the millions who are deaf or have hearing impairments but don’t understand sign language, and who currently lack access to crucial news broadcasts.”
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
