NCPD Hearing Loss Matters project thanks Casual Day for support

The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities’ (NCPD) Hearing Loss Matters project thanks Casual Day for their tremendous support in ensuring that the needs of this marginalised group are met.

The project began over 35 years when NCPD observed that the needs of persons who experienced hearing loss later in life and who didn’t use a signed language, were not being met.  Further investigation revealed that the greater portion of South Africans who experience hearing loss fall into this category, causing NCPD to create this project as a means of raising awareness of the unique challenges faced by this group.

Over the years, funding from Casual Day has allowed NCPD to target the discrimination in this sector, resulting in several trailblazing activities, notably –

• The inclusion of hearing impairment and deafness terminology into Government policy and civil society documentation, specifically the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, South Africa’s version of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
• The establishment of the Road to Independence project which provides services and information to the individual adult living with hearing loss, his/her family, friends, employer and the broader society, as well as training to the professional dealing with the individual;
• Fostering symbiotic relationships with audiologists, ENT specialists and other related healthcare professionals who are instrumental in providing information, care and rehabilitation to individuals with hearing impairment or deafness;
• Extensive training by our senior specialist for all interested persons, staff, public entities, Government departments, civil society and more on the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the implementation thereof;
• Creating awareness of the unique challenges facing individuals with hearing impairment in accessing communication, information, products, services and environments.

“With the necessary support, many people with hearing loss can lead full and successful lives.  We are thankful that NCPD is the key role-player in South Africa in the field of the empowerment of persons who are deaf or hearing impaired not using a signed language as their primary method of communication,” says Fanie du Toit, our Senior Specialist in hearing impairment and deaf affairs, himself a bilateral cochlear implantee with 40+ years of experience with hearing loss. 

Casual Day provides much-needed funds for the work of hundreds of schools and organizations in the disability sector, including nine Provincial Associations of and for Persons with Disabilities (APDs) and five nationwide projects/programs. These projects/programs encompass Workplace and Entrepreneurial Projects/Programs, Universal Design and Access Projects, and Gender-Based Violence Awareness and Training Programs.

The NCPD is a non-profit organization that works to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, to create an inclusive society where persons with disabilities can fully participate in all spheres of life and enjoy equal rights and freedom. Casual Day is the NCPD’s flagship project and contributes to the funding of over 700+ disability sector organisations and schools. Casual Day is an annual fundraising campaign that encourages individuals and organisations to purchase Stickers and Merchandise before the first Friday of September, with a donation of R20 earning every donor a Casual Day sticker.

Get your Personalized Digital Stickers and 2024 #ISeeYou merchandise by visiting Casual Day online at https://casualday.co.za/