Inclusive employment was framed not as charity, but as a matter of social justice and human rights, aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030 targets, as emphasised by Faith Chirinda, Regional Programmes Manager at Terre des Hommes (TDH) Germany, the project’s primary funder.
Faith Chirinda presenting
Key outcomes included strengthened employer commitment to inclusive hiring, the dissemination of reasonable accommodation guidelines, expanded intersectoral partnerships and initial steps toward developing a database of inclusive employers.
Despite progressive disability legislation, persons with disabilities make up less than 2% of South Africa’s workforce, underscoring the gap between policy and practice.
The symposium was hosted in late 2025 at the University’s Ocean Sciences Campus by Mandela University’s Department of Social Development Professions (Faculty of Health Sciences), in partnership with Indlela Mental Health (IMH) and TDH Germany.
Participants included learning partners (persons with intellectual disabilities), parents and caregivers, employers, government representatives, disability rights organisations, researchers and funders, all working to advance inclusive employment pathways, particularly for persons with intellectual disabilities.
The event was grounded in a three-and-a-half-year research partnership led by Professor Veonna Goliath, with support from PhD student Crucial Mutambu (co-supervised by Professor Zoleka Soji, Deputy Dean of Health Sciences).
The research evaluated IMH’s Masakhane Skills Development and Supported Employment Programme and produced evidence-based reasonable accommodation guidelines, policy analysis and programme evaluation findings to strengthen access to dignified employment for youth with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.
The symposium aimed to raise awareness of inclusive employment, examine systemic and attitudinal barriers, share lived experiences, present reasonable accommodation guidelines and foster dialogue between employers and inclusion advocates.
Discussions addressed barriers such as stigma, inaccessible recruitment processes, workplace inflexibility and misconceptions about capability, alongside facilitators including job coaching, mentoring, adapted training materials and supportive employer practices.
Presentations highlighted successful inclusive employment models, including the Masakhane Skills Development Programme, SAE4D’s employer pipeline model, the Rosemary Collaboratory project in Nigeria and inclusive approaches within SETAs and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
Autism SA contributed a presentation on reasonable accommodation for neurodiversity, emphasising a shift away from “high” or “low functioning” labels toward understanding support needs and recognising unique workplace contributions.
Learning partners and employers shared testimonies demonstrating that, with structured support and reasonable accommodation, persons with intellectual disabilities contribute meaningfully across sectors such as hospitality, cleaning services, horticulture, retail and entrepreneurship.
Mandela University’s Human Resources Department, alongside Leo Doria, facilitated job-shadowing opportunities through the Horticulture Department and Cleaning Services for the learning partners from the Masakhane project.
Michael Ntlantla and Jennifer Clarke from Cleaning and Horticulture acknowledged the seamless integration of learning partners into these workplaces. This initiative reflected Mandela University’s role as a civic university in action, contributing to destigmatisation and mutual learning among staff and learning partners.
The symposium concluded with a collective call to action for sustained collaboration, practical implementation and scaling of inclusive employment models, affirming persons with intellectual disabilities as valued contributors to South Africa’s economy and society.