EDS4801
ASSIGNMENT 1 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 6 MAY 2025
, 1.1 Historical Development of Disability Rights in South Africa (30 Marks)
Apartheid Period: Exclusion and Segregation
Under apartheid rule (1948–1994), South Africa’s laws promoted widespread racial
discrimination, which also deeply affected people with disabilities. The dominant
approach to disability was based on the medical model, where disability was seen
purely as a physical or mental problem needing treatment. As a result, individuals with
disabilities were often placed in institutions and excluded from mainstream society.
Services provided to Black people with disabilities were especially poor, and they were
denied equal access to education, employment, and public participation. This led to
profound social isolation and inequality (Swartz & Schneider, 2006).
Despite the repressive environment, some early voices began to challenge these views.
One such figure was Vic Finkelstein, a South African who became active in disability
rights while in exile. He later helped form the Union of the Physically Impaired
Against Segregation (UPIAS) in the UK and was a key proponent of the social model
of disability, which sees disability as a result of societal barriers rather than individual
impairments (The Guardian, 2011).
Shift Towards Democracy: Rise of Disability Advocacy
In the 1980s and early 1990s, as South Africa moved toward democracy, there was a
growing awareness and mobilization among people with disabilities. Advocacy groups
such as Disabled People South Africa (DPSA), founded in 1984, emerged as
influential voices. These organizations fought for the inclusion of disability rights in the
larger movement for political and social justice. They insisted that the new democratic
South Africa must uphold equality and human dignity for all, including people with
disabilities (Jagoe-Davies, 2009).
This period marked a turning point, as disability rights were increasingly seen as a
fundamental part of broader human rights and equality frameworks in South Africa.
ASSIGNMENT 1 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 6 MAY 2025
, 1.1 Historical Development of Disability Rights in South Africa (30 Marks)
Apartheid Period: Exclusion and Segregation
Under apartheid rule (1948–1994), South Africa’s laws promoted widespread racial
discrimination, which also deeply affected people with disabilities. The dominant
approach to disability was based on the medical model, where disability was seen
purely as a physical or mental problem needing treatment. As a result, individuals with
disabilities were often placed in institutions and excluded from mainstream society.
Services provided to Black people with disabilities were especially poor, and they were
denied equal access to education, employment, and public participation. This led to
profound social isolation and inequality (Swartz & Schneider, 2006).
Despite the repressive environment, some early voices began to challenge these views.
One such figure was Vic Finkelstein, a South African who became active in disability
rights while in exile. He later helped form the Union of the Physically Impaired
Against Segregation (UPIAS) in the UK and was a key proponent of the social model
of disability, which sees disability as a result of societal barriers rather than individual
impairments (The Guardian, 2011).
Shift Towards Democracy: Rise of Disability Advocacy
In the 1980s and early 1990s, as South Africa moved toward democracy, there was a
growing awareness and mobilization among people with disabilities. Advocacy groups
such as Disabled People South Africa (DPSA), founded in 1984, emerged as
influential voices. These organizations fought for the inclusion of disability rights in the
larger movement for political and social justice. They insisted that the new democratic
South Africa must uphold equality and human dignity for all, including people with
disabilities (Jagoe-Davies, 2009).
This period marked a turning point, as disability rights were increasingly seen as a
fundamental part of broader human rights and equality frameworks in South Africa.
