The Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA) continues its support for people with disabilities in the South African insurance sector with its second annual National Disability Awards next month – nominations are now open.
The Awards aim to honour and raise the profile of workers with disabilities who are making a remarkable difference in the workplace, as well as individuals and organisations supporting the advancement of people with disabilities. Award winners will be announced on December 3, which is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The national Awards follows on the success of the inaugural event held last year. The United Nations has themed this year’s celebrations as "Keeping the promise: Mainstreaming disability in the Millennium Development Goals towards 2015 and beyond".
INSETA Chief Executive Officer Sandra Dunn said the insurance sector had done well in terms of integrating and training people with disabilities. Globally the UN had raised concerns that while many commitments have been made by the international development community to include persons with disability in all aspects of development, the gap between policy and practise still continues.
With that in mind, Dunn said that: “The call with the 2010 theme is for everyone to support government, global leaders and policymakers in their efforts and to remind them to keep their promises.”
“At INSETA we acknowledge that the insurance sector has done very well in terms of transformation where people with disabilities are concerned. During this year, 630 disabled learners completed their learning programmes (learnerships, bursaries, internships), 232 disabled learners started new learning programmes, and a pilot internship programme for those intellectually disabled ran successfully, with six interns getting placements immediately,” said Dunn.
However, she said, a lot more still needed to be done to challenge the prejudices that persist.
“These Awards are a celebratory affair, but we also want to raise awareness of how incredibly able many so-called disabled people truly are. We need to start raising our expectations of them, as so often it is our perceptions, not their disabilities, that continue to hold them back,” she said.
This sentiment was echoed by Ari Seirlis, National Director of the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA).
“The Awards are a magnificent idea, especially as INSETA are not trying to politicise the issue as many organisations do, but rather celebrate the successes of individuals and companies who are championing the interests of workers with disabilities,” said Seirlis.
“The challenge for employers is, of course, finding skilled people – but we want to emphasise that there is massive value if they are willing to invest in training for people with disabilities and explore their potential,” he added.
CEO of INSETA, Sandra Dunn, declared the first-time Awards in 2009 were a great success – having achieved its primary goals of challenging prejudices and showing what outstanding contributions people with disabilities are making to South African businesses everyday. “With these Awards we have encouraged the further efforts of everyone in South Africa, able bodied or disabled, to challenge the prejudices that still persist in our country,” she said.
In total, the National Disability Awards will have four nomination categories:
The Business Leader Award (for people with disabilities who have shown outstanding personal achievement in the workplace);
The Young Leader Award (for people with disabilities aged 18 to 25 who have displayed great potential in their studies/workplace);
The Champion Award (for employers or individuals who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities); and finally,
The Company Award (for organisations that have created opportunities for people with disabilities).
Individuals and companies wishing to make nominations are to call 086 113 0013 to obtain a nomination form, said Dunn. Nominations close on 25 November 2010, and the winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
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