*Update: The title and first paragraph of this article was updated on 12 March 2022 for accuracy purposes.
Stellenbosch University (SU) has presented evidence against recent claims made by the portfolio committee for higher education, science and technology that SU has no clear plan for disabled students and staff. This is according to university statistics and other developments communicated to MatieMedia.
The disability unit at Stellenbosch University advocates for better accessibility for disabled students, explained head of the disability unit, Dr Marcia Lyner-Cleophas. As of 2021, the unit has assisted 607 students. PHOTO: Asive Mabula
The portfolio’s comments appeared in an article on SowetanLIVE on 18 February, and came after the committee’s oversight visit on 16 February. “The portfolio committee on higher education has raised concerns about the lack of detail relating to the representation of people with disabilities at Stellenbosch University,” stated the article.
“The Portfolio Committee did not specifically request information about disability before its oversight visit, so the university did not include this in its presentation,” said Viljoen. “According to meeting documents, the aim of the visit was for the committee to engage with the university regarding progress on its transformation journey, look into its readiness for the 2022 academic year, and receive an overview of governance, management and related matters at the institution.”
According to Viljoen, the oversight visit took place between the portfolio committee, SU’s top management (which consisted of the vice-chancellor and the rectorate), the chairpersons of the university’s Council, the Student Representative Council and the Institutional Forum, and representatives of staff on Council.
“We urged the university to ensure that its transformation policies and plans become the lived reality of all its students and stakeholders. Implementation of these policies and plans is essential before meaningful transformation can be achieved,” said chairperson of the portfolio committee for higher education, science and technology, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, in an interview with SowetanLive. The portfolio committee was not available to comment directly to MatieMedia.
The disability unit in Victoria Street also has workshops, such as Lead with Disability, that are open for everyone, and can earn participants transcript accreditation points. PHOTO: Asive Mabula
“SU has started to make sure that their transformation policies and plans are implemented through progressive realisation in the form of the Disability Access Policy,” according to the head of the university’s disability unit, Dr Marcia Lyner-Cleophas.
“The disability unit was founded in 2007 and continues to advocate for better accessibility for disabled students and staff. In 2018, SU’s disability policy was revised and approved by the SU Council – it is now called the Disability Access Policy. It offers an overarching framework for promoting universal access for people with disabilities at SU,” said Lyner-Cleophas.
The number of students registered at SU who have indicated and disclosed a disability has nearly doubled since 2017, according to university statistics provided by Viljoen.
Pictured are SU statistics of students who disclosed disabilities from 2017 until 2021. GRAPHIC: Sourced/Martin Viljoen
“In 2021, the university had 607 students that had indicated and disclosed their disabilities upon registration. Construction in some university buildings, such as Krotoa, has taken place to make them more accessible by having lifts; the white lines on the Rooiplein are also there to assist visually impaired students and staff,” said Lyner-Cleophas.
Conflicting student feedback
“My university experience had ups and downs, but with the years, I got a lot of support from my lecturers, tutors, students and the interpreter provided by the university,” stated Ilzé Aäron, a deaf alum from SU, who graduated with a BEd foundation phase degree in 2021. Aäron currently works at Dominican Wittebomme School for the Deaf.
Anna Elizabeth Pansegrouw, a third year MBCHb student from SU who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, claimed that the university has not necessarily done a good job with catering for disabled students, with some lecturers being “less accommodating, especially on Tygerberg campus”.
“Much of the focus is on minimising the effect of disabled students on the general student population and not adjusting the campus to disabled students,” claimed Pansegrouw. “Focusing more on the response from disabled students would go a long way.”