Universities must do far more for students with disabilities

By Desire Chiwandire and Louise Vincent. On paper, people with disabilities in South Africa enjoy the same rights as anyone else to an education, whether at school or university. The country’s constitution prohibits the state from unfairly discriminating “directly or indirectly against anyone on the grounds of disability”. South Africa is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This obliges the state “to take proactive measures to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are promoted and protected”. More...