3.3 LITERATURE REVIEW
3.3.7 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
3.3.7.3 SELF-INITIATED PROJECTS
South Africa is plagued by a high unemployment rate of approximately 40 percent for able-bodied people and an even higher rate for people with disabilities. There is definitely a need for vocational programmes to promote and support sustainable self- employment and income generating ventures amongst persons with intellectual disabilities who can participate in these (Mental Health in South Africa, 2000).
An example of a flourishing self-initiated project is the Therapeutic Mushrooming growing in India. A study was conducted by the National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) amongst intellectually disabled people in India. There are approximately 25 million intellectually disabled people in India. Intellectually disabled people are normally trained to pursue jobs such as candle-making and sewing. NISTADS found that these jobs seldom led to personal satisfaction or personal growth. They set about finding new jobs that intellectually disabled people would find interesting and at the same time generate sufficient income for them. They found a niche-market in the form of cultivation of oyster
mushrooms. There was a demand for this type of mushroom and it fetched a high price. Ten intellectually disabled adults were trained to grow these mushrooms. Over a three year period they learnt how to work independently, to deal with vendors and assist customers. This project helped improve the participants’ motor co-ordination, their overall mental and physical health, attention span and stamina (NISTADS, 1994).
NISTADS found that society has very low expectations for disabled people.
Unfortunately, it is not their own personal limitations that deprive disabled people of satisfying, productive work. Instead, society fails to appreciate the potential of disabled people due to an overall lack of awareness, understanding and knowledge about their capabilities. Normally society views intellectually disabled people only in terms of their problems. These problems include limited logical and abstract thinking abilities, short attention spans, inadequate communication skills, motor deficiencies and behavioural problems.
However, disabled people also have strengths that are ignored by society. Like other able-bodied people they can improve their skills through training. Due to their inability to get bored quickly they are able to handle routine tasks more efficiently. To compensate for their intellectual deficiencies they tend to work harder. Since they tend to be less ambitious they are less likely to change jobs. Overall they tend to be warmer, less demanding and more helpful than their able-bodied counterparts.
Research and surveys conducted by NISTADS have shown that intellectually disabled people can perform more complex tasks than experts previously believed possible. My study looks at the experiences and perceptions of intellectually disabled people concerning skills training at protected workshops and see how this compares to the intellectually disabled people that were part of the Therapeutic Mushroom Growing project in India. Society needs to change their attitude about intellectually disabled people by focussing on their strengths rather than on their limitations. I believe this attitudinal change will help in creating employment opportunities for the disabled.
A recycling and waste management project run by The Oasis Association based in Cape Town also boasts phenomenal success. It provides employment for 365
moderately intellectually disabled adults. According to Peuckert (2005) the project provides a one stop service to 1500 households, 98 businesses and 15 schools.
Good marketing and marrying a social cause with an environmental one are the ingredients of success according to Peuckert (2005). Besides the recycling project Oasis Books and Bric- a- Brac are the other initiatives of the Association. Being employed at the Oasis Association has enabled people with disabilities maintain their dignity of work opportunity and by interacting with business supporters it has helped change their attitude and broke down barriers of stereotyping. They have become more accepting and realised that people with disabilities do have potential.
It is these issues of competence and self-determination and its effects within the biopsychosocial model that forms the basis of my research with regard to the perceptions and experiences of skills training of mildly intellectually disabled adults.
CHAPTER FOUR
FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
CHALLENGE UNLIMITED IN DURBAN CENTRAL 4.1 INTRODUCTION
Challenge Unlimited is run by Durban and Coastal Mental Health Society which is a Non Governmental Organisation subsidised by the Department of Social Development. Durban and Coastal Mental Health has nine Challenge Unlimited Protected Workshops. Approximately 700 service users with intellectual and psychiatric illness are offered psycho-social rehabilitation through skills training as well as economic empowerment through contract work, block-making and supported employment. Contract work is secured from the business community and service users receive a share of the unit cost according to their production. Most of the contract work is of an unskilled, repetitive and labour intensive nature. Service users are mainly involved in gluing, assembling, packaging and labelling various items. I chose two protected workshops in the Durban region to conduct my interviews.
When I arrived at the Durban Central protected workshop on Monday, September 8, to interview the two service users, David and Precious, I was impressed with the lay- out of Challenge. It is situated on a large expanse of land. Since this protected workshop is the head-office there are a number of social workers based at this venue. Amongst other things, the building comprises a block-making project and a workshop. These are separate components of Challenge. The workshop is on the ground level and the block-making project is on the lower ground level. The workshop is the place where contract tasks are undertaken like packaging of cards, assembling earplugs and co-traps as well as other tasks. Although the workshop and block-making supervisors are different, the project manager, Mr. Naidoo, is in charge of getting contract work for the workshop and getting orders for blocks for the block- making project. The buildings are huge and the workshop where contract work is undertaken caters for approximately 195 service users. I was informed that the daily absentee rate is approximately ten percent. I was met by a curious number of on- lookers as this was their lunch-break. Some came forward to shake my hand and
others greeted me as I proceeded to the reception area. The staff was co-operative, friendly and accommodating. I was then introduced to David.