Western Cape Association of and for Persons with Disabilities

On 25 February 1937, the Cape Cripple Care Association, today known as Western Cape Association of and for Persons with Disabilities (hereafter WCAPD), was established, the first of its kind in South Africa, following the establishment of the Invalid Children’s Aid Committee, the Lady Michaelis Orthopedic Hospital, Princess Alice Orthopedic Hospital and St. Joseph’s Home for Chronically Invalid Children. The intention initially was to coordinate orthopedic services to persons with disabilities, but we soon realized that a far greater need lay in assisting persons to cope with social issues. We now take a holistic look at the person’s circumstances and work with them towards their own independence.

Over the years the organisation has undergone several name changes and is today known as Western Cape Association of and for Persons with Disabilities, fondly shortened to WCAPD.

The Association comprises of 20 established, autonomous Branches, registered to the Association. The national disability prevalence rate in South Africa is a staggering 7,5% and people with disabilities continue to lack access to adequate information, health services, basic education and are at risk of economic isolation with no prospect of securing employment. As this sector is particularly vulnerable to the compounded effects of discrimination and abuse, WCAPD and registered APD Branches are actively working towards creating a fair, inclusive society where persons with disabilities can attain their full potential and actively contribute to thriving communities.

Persons with disabilities often require inclusive and innovative approaches and opportunities to improve their quality of life and gain access to basic services, in most cases, in situations of severe poverty. We are passionate about building towards an inclusive society in which persons with disabilities are participating, contributing, equal and active citizens.

The challenge of addressing poverty through social work services lies beyond the level of the provision of handouts of basic assistance. WCAPD provides not only its registered APD branches, but also various community-based service providers (CBSP) with a unique platform to access capacity building and organisational strengthening opportunities, encouraging them to find creative ways in which to include persons with disabilities in all aspect of society that will continuously ensure their equal participation, contributions and human dignity.

The universal inclusion of persons with disabilities needs to be relevant to the personal needs experienced by persons with disabilities in vulnerable communities, accessible, inclusive and resilient within an every changing economic, political and social environment. We work alongside various stakeholders, including persons with disabilities and their families, to achieve universal access, equality and inclusion for all persons with disabilities in the Western Cape.

The 5 strategic focus areas of WCAPD includes Good Governance, Developmental Social Services, Childcare and Education, Adult Care and Work and Employment. Various projects, programs and resources have resulted as part of each of these focus areas, including but not limited to:

WCAPD Management Committee training, Extended & Special Governance Support program, Quarterly Managers Forums, Human Resource support and guidance, APD Hours, Social Work Supervision, Ukhula Programme, Peer Support Programme, Adult Inclusion Screening Tool, Adult Inclusion Drive Assessment, Awarenessraising program, Disability Sensitisation and Education program and the #OneLess Program.

Despite a substantial decrease in the WCAPD staff component, the organisational team has managed to develop, communicate & conduct the organisations mission, strategy, connections, people & systems in such a way that APD Branches & CBSP continued receiving opportunities for capacity building & organisational strengthening. Our main achievements for the past few years include:

APDCare - 2002

After an evaluation & needs assessment of the special care centres for children with disabilities, WCAPD realised that these centres have become: stagnant, social work group centres with limited activities & services, centres with little rehabilitation & training programmes, not cost-effective, closed groups with services that do not effectively reach the disabled children in the community.

WCAPD realised that they needed to assist the APD Branches to transform their child care centres to becoming sustainable, less dependent on government funding, well-managed with quality services, community-based facilities for assessment, rehabilitation and placements, develop services where it is most needed & that reaches rural-based communities & become facilities with services that link with developmental social work services.

The APDCARE programme, a model for managing & developing special care centres, were developed for assisting special care centres to transform, but also provide support in order to implement the programme successfully.

Peer Support Programme - 2009

WCAPD has specifically designed this training programme to empower persons with disabilities & parents of children with disabilities & to equip them with the knowledge & skills to provide support to other people with disabilities & their families by working as Peer Supporters in their respective communities.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities & White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities prioritises Peer Support as a powerful strategy for promoting change in people with disabilities’ lives. Peer Supporters, because of their personal experience of disability, have a greater empathy for & credibility with other persons with disabilities & parents in their community as they have walked the same road. They are role models who inspire hope & are able to motivate their peers out of places of depression & despondency towards a more fulfilling life.

The training programme is based on the World Health Organisation’s Community Based Rehabilitation Guidelines & designed around the principles of CBR, therefore aiming to motivate and assist persons with disabilities to take ownership and action within their own communities.

AIST & AIDA - 2023

AIST & AIDA were designed with the idea that when we meet people where they are, we can assist them according to their specific needs on their level of functioning. It can assist staff to assess & place persons with disabilities in the correct programme with the appropriated accompanying individual intervention plan.

Adult Inclusion Screening Tool (AIST), was designed with the purpose of determining if a person with a disability will benefit from participation in a Skills and Work Centre (SWC- previously known as a Protective Workshop), or would rather benefit from participating in an Adult Day Care Program.

Adult Inclusion Drive Assessment (AIDA) was designed to determine the functional capacity of a person with a disability. It determines a person with a disability’s level of motivation/ drive in order to place him/her in the appropriate SWC according to their level of motivation.

Within each of the 5 strategic focus areas, Western Cape APD creates, advocates and facilitates capacity building opportunities to the APD branches and various sectors of society through the establishment, development and sharing of Partnerships, Programme Development, Education, Training, Development, Monitoring & Evaluation, Resource sharing, Information sharing, Awareness raising, Fundraising, Providing a Communication and Marketing platform.

WCAPD is committed to developing well managed, productive, sustainable, resilient and inclusive APD Branches and CBSP to ensure universal access, inclusion and equal contributions for all persons with disabilities.

In 2023, WCAPD embarked on an exciting journey of transformation, including revisiting our vision, mission and reason for existence. We found it crucial to evaluate and review our current service package and the impact it has on all stakeholders. In an ever changing social, economic and political environment, it is important for our organisation to stay relevant and help solve, address and mitigate the challenges and problems vulnerable persons with disabilities experience.

With the assistance of a consultant, we determined four major elements for our organisations to stay relevant and reach success:

People: Our team is inclusive, capable and aligned to our vision

Processes: Our systems are efficient, simple, uniform and add value across the organisation

Finance: We're a financially sustainable organisation built on exceptional governance and accountability

Customer: Partners trust us to deliver sustainable impact and commit to us for the long term

We are excited to share that since we engaged in the process of strategic planning, we have already had a taste of development and innovation and would like to build on these elements of success with the support of Friends of Western Cape APD:

• Expanding our existing communication to APD Branches to also include Whatsapp groups, making communicating important information more accessible;

• Revamping our communication to APD Branches and giving it a new look and feel with the newly introduces “Incomms”;

• Revising our current website (ongoing process);

• Cost of services, resources & programmes

• Revising the WCAPD Work & Employment Admission Policy and developing the AIST and AIDA in the process;

• Distributing our newly designed Newsletter, “Inclusive Insights”;

• Launching the “I WE ALL Pilot Project”;

• Contracting a Public Relations Consultant to assist with brand building and corporate identity;

• Conduct a baseline audit of resources at APD Branch level;

• Contracting a Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist to assist with designing and implementing a Theory of Change and MEL framework.