Disabled Students Movement (DSM) launched at Faculty of Commerce

7 August 2008

The Transformation Office of the Faculty of Commerce has assisted with the birth of a new student movement on campus – the Disabled Students Movement which is aimed at raising awareness and easing the study and social barriers of UCT's approximately 120 disabled students.

The Dean of the Faculty Professor Melvin Ayogu congratulated the students for their initiative and expressed the need to respect the rights of disabled students. He told the students he wanted them to know that they had his full support, even to the extent of his active chasing of inconsiderate drivers from designated disabled parking bays.

Also at the launch was the president of the SRC Thulani Madinginye, who said: "It is good to see that the Commerce Faculty is not just about Commerce, but is concerned about giving students all the space and support they need."

"Transformation is a process which will keep happening, because there will always be people who are sidelined and who need to be brought into the mainstream," he said.

The movement is the brainchild of a Master's student, Samantha Richmond, who is on her way to Ann Arbor in Michigan on a visiting scholarship. She said she had been on campus since 2001 and as a partially-sighted person had broken her ankle four times, before she decided: "Gee whiz, I need assistance."

Since then the University had done much to support students with providing course material in Braille or transforming hard-copy notes into electronic formats they could read. But there was much to be done.

Champion of the cause was the Faculty's Transformation Officer, Dr Ingrid Tufvesson, who said she wanted to build bridges across campus and draw in other faculties in raising awareness.

At the launch today, Chair Michelle Botha said the vision of the new Disabled Students Movement (DSM) was to practically and intellectually address issues of disability at UCT and to create a forum for students with impairments.

The movement has four goals:

1. To enable students with impairments to gain assistance readily by means of a help desk.
2. To raise awareness and instil a greater understanding of disabilities around campus.
3. To establish a paired volunteer-mentorship programme between students with similar impairments.
4. To allow students with impairments to come forth and gain assistance by creating a platform that destigmatises disabilities and supports students.

Anneke van Belle congratulated the Faculty of Commerce on taking the lead in supporting disabled students. She said: "Commerce is traditionally seen as being less accommodating of difficulty. It is great to see the Faculty recognise that Disabilities are part of Transformation."

She said many students had disabilities which were invisible, such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) which needed to be accepted as disabilities that are just as challenging as a lack of vision or impaired movement.

"All we need is understanding that we function differently and cope differently. The biggest problem at university is that people do not give you the space or the tools to cope."

If you would like to support the DSM, have any queries or suggestions, please contact Nasreen at dsm.uct@gmail.com.

Ingrid Tufvesson	Sam Richmond	Michelle Botha