UCT’s Division of Disability Studies celebrates 21 years

“Disability is articulated as a struggle, an unnecessary burden that one must overcome to the soundtrack of a string of crescendo. But disabled lives are multi-faceted – brimming with personality, pride, ambition, love, empathy and wit.” – Sinead Burke

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed on Tuesday, 3 December, disability rights activists, academics and persons with disabilities filled the Artscape Theatre to toast the 21st anniversary of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Division of Disability Studies.

Located in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (DHRS) in the Faculty of Health Sciences, the division is the first of its kind in Africa. It was established to generate knowledge on disability inclusion, with a specific focus on African youth. So, it came as no surprise that disability inclusion in all spheres of campus life, including campus spaces, access to the university and academic programmes, underpinned each speaker’s priority list as they took to the podium. Others, like Professor Theresa Lorenzo, who co-founded the division, used the occasion to reflect on this coming-of-age milestone.

“When we celebrated 10 years in 2013, I never imagined that we would be celebrating 21 years 11 years later.”

“It really is a great pleasure to be here, and I actually can’t believe it. When we celebrated 10 years in 2013, I never imagined that we would be celebrating 21 years 11 years later. And when you see what we’ve done since then, it’s just marvellous,” Professor Lorenzo said.

Future planning

As her presentation took the audience through a brief trip down memory lane to acknowledge the division’s roots, the head of the division, Sumayah Gabriels, was tasked with looking ahead and sketched their vision for the coming years. As a start, Gabriels said, a name change that aptly reflects the work the division does is on the cards. And during multiple strategic sessions over the past few months, one name, she said, sticks: Disability Inclusion Studies Africa.

But what tops the list is working towards integrating disability studies as a key component of all academic programmes across the university, and it includes designing an appropriate, targeted curriculum. The idea, Gabriels explained, is to ensure that UCT students understand disability, develop a shift in their perspectives and move from seeing disability as a welfare issue and more of a human rights and development issue, and adequately prepare them for the world of work.

Currently, she said, the division is driving disability inclusion in curriculum across five programmes in the DHRS, as well as in the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) programme.

“Imagine for a minute if all our graduates planned around, practised and promoted disability inclusion in all spaces that they will be working in – in the arts, education, law, science and engineering. It’s always been our dream to make this possible and design a curriculum that can be offered in all undergraduate programmes,” Gabriels said.

Be considerate, compassionate

When UCT Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Mosa Moshabela reached the podium to loud applause, he said society faces the problem of ableism and it’s easy for some individuals to take things for granted in a world that is not accommodating of everyone’s needs.

He emphasised the importance of developing a culture of kindness, compassion and consideration, and urged everyone to be intentional and deliberate about respect for others. That, he said, is step one of building an inclusive campus community and, as Gabriels highlighted, integrating disability studies into all academic programmes across the university.

“Support us as we learn from the African proverb: ‘I am because we are’.”

Professor Moshabela congratulated the division for their dogged pursuit of disability inclusion, for the rich repository of research and other resources that they have developed in this pursuit over more than two decades and for the foresight to understand what’s important and to tackle it head on.

“It’s not just about valuing the [metaphorical] bricks and mortar. It’s about valuing the people. Support us as we learn from the African proverb: ‘I am because we are’,” he said.