Presentation on Department of Arts and Culture

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Presentation on Department of Arts and Cultures
contribution to Persons with Disabilities

• Presentation to Portfolio Committee on Women,
  Children and Persons with Disabilities
• 31 October 2012

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Presentation Outline

• Vision of the Department of Arts and Culture
  (DAC)
• DACs Legislative Mandate
• Programmes focusing on Persons with Disabilities
• Programmes focusing on promotion of Sign Language
• Specific DAC collaborative programmes focusing on
  PwDs
• Promotion of Sign Language
• Sample of Current Programmes
• Conclusion

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Vision of Department of Arts and Culture

• The vision of Department of Arts and Culture
  (DAC) I to develop and preserve South African
  culture to ensure social cohesion and nation
  building
• DACs legislative mandate is linked to
  Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,
  including the Preamble and Founding Provisions
  and in particular Sections 16 (1) and 32 (1)

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DACs Legislative Mandate

• Primary legislative framework of DAC emanates
  from its various Acts, relevant in this
  presentation are
• National Council for Library and Information
  Act, 2001 (Act No. 6 of 2001)
• Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act
  2 of 2000)
• South African Library for the Blind Act, 1998
  (Act 91 of 1998)
• Pan South African Language Board (PANSALB) Act,
  1995 (Act 59 of 1995)

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Programmes focusing on Persons with Disabilities

• The DAC seeks to promote of Arts, Culture and
  Heritage in South Africa and mainstream its role
  in socio-cultural and socio-economic development.
  
• The DAC Infrastructure section has been working
  on creating access to its institutions to PwDs,
  such as Theatres, Museum and administration
  buildings. Handrails have been installed, Braille
  labels (artwork called Alphabet for the Blind at
  Oliewenhuis Museum, accessible to people who can
  read Braille only) and suitable/dignified
  wheelchair access.
• PAN South African Language Board (PANSALB) has
  been established among others to promote the use
  of Sign Language

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Programmes focusing on promotion of Sign Language

• The DAC seeks to promote of Arts, Culture and
  Heritage in South Africa and mainstream its role
  in socio-cultural and socio-economic development.
  
• This includes of mainstreaming of Persons with
  Disabilities (PwDs), with Chief Directorate Arts,
  Social Development and Youths focus being
  inclusion participation of PwDs.
• The DAC Infrastructure section has been working
  on creating access to its institutions to PwDs,
• suitable/dignified wheelchair access such as
  Theatres, Museum and administration buildings.
• Handrails have been installed and where requested
  provide Braille labels
• Purchase of artwork called Alphabet for the Blind
  at Oliewenhuis Museum, a DAC Entity (accessible
  to people who can read Braille only), in Mangaung
• PAN South African Language Board (PANSALB) has
  been established among others to promote the use
  of Sign Language

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Specific DAC collaborative programmes focusing on
PwDs
Programme 2011/2012 partnership Financial implications in R000
PANSALB Promotion of Sign language campaign 69 000 (for Operations, awaiting Programme budget approval )
SA Library for the Blind Blind SA prints Braille materials in all eleven official languages of South Africa and liaises with the South Africa Braille Authority (SABA) in developing Braille standards and policy for these languages. 6 076
Art Therapy Centre Training in Art Therapy Counsellors for community workers 520
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Specific DAC collaborative programmes focusing on
PwDs
Programme 2011/2012 partnership Financial implications in R000
DeafTV Zwakala Festival Annual Deaf Children and Youth Arts talent showcasing 220
SA Council for the Blind Braille printing and production policy Policy Partnership
Tshwane Deaf Association Heritage Showcase by Deaf people of Tshwane 100
Theatre production by Africa Sinakho Arts Theatre production that prominently features PwD/Artists with Disabilities TBC
Gifted Stars National Art Talent search competition TBC
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Specific DAC designed programmes focusing on
Persons with Disabilities

• The DAC has partnered with civil society groups
  that serve PwDs
• Art Therapy Centre, based in Gauteng, trains
  community Art Counsellors, who work with
  vulnerable persons,
• DeafTV Zwakala Festival, an Annual Performing
  Arts awards, that identify talent among Deaf
  Children Youth. This is also linked to SABC
  DeafTV programme
• SA Council for the Blind, exploring ways of
  reducing the costs of Braille printing which has
  recommended Braille Production policy
• Tshwane Deaf Association, showcasing heritage
  performances by Deaf participants, including
  their visits to heritage sites
• In Blood Theatre production by Africa Sinakho
  Arts, that showcases artists with disabilities
  and able bodied artists interacting and sharing
  the stage
• Look at Me Photographic exhibition, done in
  collaboration with the British Council and
  Artscape, celebrates the beauty of women with
  disabilities
• Currently under discussion with DWCPwD The
  Gifted Stars national talent search competition,
  where DAC will be government partner

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Promotion of Sign Language

• Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
  recognizes South African Sign Language (SASL) as
  one of the languages of the Republic of South
  Africa
• The language is included as one of the languages
  PanSALB is mandated to promote, to create
  conditions for its development and to use, as
  well as protect (ensure respect).
• Democratic dispensation and the inclusion of Sign
  Language in the constitution
• created space for the Deaf to participate in the
  development and other activities of this country
• has given linguistic right to 412 421 profoundly
  Deaf and 1 237 264 extremely hard-of-hearing
  people (Statistics SA Census, 2001).

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Promotion of Sign Language cont.

• Since 1996, SASL has been recognised as the
  language of learning and teaching for the
  majority of Deaf learners in South Africa as can
  be seen in the Education White Paper.
• There are still challenges around this because of
  a lack of qualified teachers in SASL and the
  scarcity of accredited SASL Interpreters
  currently, there are only seven accredited SASL
  Interpreters.

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Promotion of Sign Language cont..

• Recognising the situations outlined above,
  PanSALB identified a need to put in place
  awareness campaigns whose purpose is to
• Assist the Deaf to come out openly about their
  access services (education opportunities, social
  services, etc.) like other South African
  citizens, equal education opportunities and
  therefore, SASL interpreter services.
• Conscientise the hearing about deafness, Deaf
  culture and SASL Interpreting services.
• PanSALB established the SASL National Language
  Body (NLB) together with NLBs for other eleven
  (for the eleven official languages) and another
  (for the Khoi and San languages).
• In the establishment of each of the nine
  Provincial Language Committees (PLCs), PanSALB
  ensures that there is a Deaf member representing
  SASL.

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Promotion of Sign Language cont

• Programmes and projects implemented by PanSALB
  are in line with the following
• The recognition of SASL as part of languages of
  South Africa and create space to ensure that it
  is used and developed to operate in all key
  domains of society.
• Ensuring that PanSALB and relevant bodies attend
  to the developmental needs of SASL.
• Providing advice to relevant bodies and
  individuals on SASL and strategies of promoting
  SASL as part of multilingualism in South Africa
• Monitoring the implementation of projects and
  programmes that promote the development and use
  of SASL
• Protect the linguistic rights of Deaf Rights

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Sample of Current Programmes
Programme Province and Activity Remarks
Service delivery through Sign language of for the Deaf Northern Cape The aim of the workshops was promoting SASL and Deaf Culture in the provision of service delivery. There is not a single Deaf person who is employed at the departments that were visited by PanSALB which included the follows SAPS, Health, Social Services, De Aar and Upington district municipalities.
Training and awareness in Sign Language NORTH WEST About 150 parents were taught Sign Language to facilitate easy communication with their children during school vacations Presently there are no known accredited services providers of Sign Language in the Northern West.
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Sample of Current Programmes cont
Programme Province and Activity Remarks
Sign language can improve service delivery Gauteng This training was to equip front line workers of the Hospital with basic Sign Language in order to ensure effective communication towards the Deaf clients visiting the hospital on a daily basis. Workers in most public institutions are not conversant in Sign Language, as a result these creates a barriers in service delivery.
Sign language development Free State PanSALB is funded training of 10 SASL interpreters in the Free State, run in partnership with University of the Free State. Material will launched in 2008. There are only 7 qualified Sign Language interpreters conducting training at the tertiary institutions in the Free State.
SASL Interpreters Guidelines needed Limpopo There is a need to look at the drafting of SASL Interpreters guidelines document. Lack of guidelines leads to mushrooming of private companies who exploits the Deaf.
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Sample of Current Programmes cont..
Programme Province and Activity Remarks
Unemployment rate Western Cape In 2005 2006 PanSALB funded the centre for the Deaf in Worcester to establish an infrastructure for the development of SASL and training the Deaf There is still high unemployement rate and discrimination towards Deaf people in most departments.
SASL Terms development Mpumalanga In 2008 SASL NLB Technical Committee recorded Signed Health Terms and produced a DVD and master copy and 50 copies funded by PanSALB Most teachers who are teaching in Deaf Schools have limited knowledge of Deaf language as a result they cant sign for instant scientific terms.
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Conclusion

• DAC will continue to collaborate with DWCPwD, in
  serving the needs of vulnerable persons,
  especially PwDs
• This includes ensuring that
• DAC Entities respond to the needs of PwDs
• Mzansi Golden Economy includes beneficiation and
  participation of PwDs

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Thank you