Facts on people with disability

Over a billion people live with some form of disability

This corresponds to about 15% of the world's population. Between 110-190 million adults have very significant difficulties in functioning. Rates of disability are increasing, due to population ageing and the global increase in chronic health conditions.

Disability disproportionately affects vulnerable populations.

Lower-income countries have a higher prevalence of disability than higher-income countries. Disability is more common among women, older people and children and adults who are poor.

People with disabilities often do not receive needed health care.

Half of disabled people cannot afford health care, compared to a third of non-disabled people. People with disabilities are more than twice as likely to find health-care providers' skills inadequate. Disabled people are four times more likely to report being treated badly and nearly three times more likely to be denied health care.

Children with disabilities are less likely to attend school than non-disabled children.

Education completion gaps are found across all age groups in all settings, with the pattern more pronounced in poorer countries. For example, the difference between the percentage of disabled children and the percentage of non-disabled children attending primary school ranges from 10% in India to 60% in Indonesia.

People with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people.

Global data show that employment rates are lower for disabled men (53%) and disabled women (20%) than for non-disabled men (65%) and non-disabled women (30%). In OECD countries, the employment rate of people with disabilities (44%) was slightly over half that for people without disabilities (75%).

People with disabilities are vulnerable to poverty.

People with disabilities have worse living conditions–including insufficient food, poor housing, lack of access to safe water and sanitation–than non-disabled people. Because of extra costs such as medical care, assistive devices or personal support, people with disabilities are generally poorer than non-disabled people with similar income.

Rehabilitation helps to maximize functioning and support independence.

In many countries rehabilitation services are inadequate. Data from four Southern African countries found that only 26–55% of people received the medical rehabilitation they needed, while only 17–37% received the assistive devices they needed (e.g. wheelchairs, prostheses, hearing aids).

People with disabilities can live and participate in the community.

Even in high-income countries, between 20% and 40% of people with disabilities do not generally have their needs met for assistance with everyday activities. In the United States of America, 70% of adults rely on family and friends for assistance with daily activities.

Disabling barriers can be overcome.

Governments can:

• promote access to mainstream services;
• invest in specific programmes for people with disabilities;
• adopt a national strategy and plan of action;
• improve staff education, training and recruitment;
• provide adequate funding;
• increase public awareness and understanding on disability;
• strengthen research and data collection; and
• ensure the involvement of people with disabilities in implementing policies and programmes

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) promotes, protects and ensures the human rights for all people with disabilities

So far, more than 150 countries and regional integration organizations have signed the Convention, and over 130 have ratified it. The WHO/World Bank report provides the best available scientific evidence to improve the health and well-being of people with disabilities in line with the CRPD.

For more on this you can check out the following website who.int/en/

And be sure to check out sh-a.co.za

Here's a list of things you may not have known about Call Centres

1. People account for around 70% of the operational costs This makes them a key asset of an organisation. It is the people in the centre who are the real impact on the customer not the technology or the processes. Investing in the right people with the right training will provide the right results, but unfortunately many organisations do not view it like that in part because of their view that with high turnover they are not worth investing in. One of the key reasons why individuals leave is because of lack of training or progression.
2. People are challenging Where there are large groups of people working together you will get problems – call centres have a reputation for turnover and absenteeism. These challenges make managing the centre especially difficult when you think that the managers have to forecast and plan their resources very tightly against predicted call volumes. If a centre is under resourced for any reason, then queues will form, customers will become dissatisfied and agents will be put under more pressure.
3. Monday is typically the busiest day of the week We have all had the weekend to sort our bills or decide on that holiday so now we are back to our normal week, so we pick up the phone and call the call centre! If you need to call a call centre, try to do it on any day but Monday!
4. More customers call between 10 am – 12 noon than at any other time! Why? Typically because those calling have either got into work and are settled into their day, so will make their personal calls (managers usually go for meetings during this time so it is easier) or, they have returned home after doing the school run and are getting on with the things they need to do.
5. Technology does not always fully support the agent in doing their job!There can be a lot of technology in a call centre, but for a variety of reasons it may not help the agent to do their job effectively. Each technology component may be built separately from each other so like a cake mixture, when all the ingredients come together it may not be perfect. The key factor is to understand how the agent will use the combination of systems to handle the customer enquiry.
6. The agents are the voice and ears of the company! Agents will talk to more customers in a day than most other people in the organisation do in a year. They can tell you what is happening with customers, what is important to them and what competitors may be doing. Agents are an invaluable research tool and can provide a multitude of ideas on how to do things better or what will or will not work. The best call centres use their agents as a means of providing feedback to all parts of an organisation.
7. Call Centre Managers do not have crystal balls The demand on Managers to reach service levels everyday with all the constraints placed on them is probably one of the most challenging jobs we know. For this reason most Managers spend their time fire fighting existing situations and do not have time to raise their head above the parapet to plan for the future. By getting into the detail within the centre, they are not able to think more strategically about what needs to be done to develop or improve current performance.
8. Team Leaders drive the business performance The Team Leader role is critical provided it does what it’s name suggests and that is lead the team of agents that they are responsible for. The Team Leader should be present with their team in order to provide support and advice throughout their day. The Team Leader must be responsible for coaching and developing their agents because it will be these agents who deliver the service.
9. The biggest critics of call centres are within the company. Call centres are an easy target to criticise, because most people have had a bad experience of one! By criticising the call centre and highlighting it’s failures will enable others to detract attention from their own performance! Few understand the complexities of call centres and the issue that they have to manage, so it makes them a soft target. More importantly call centres may not have a senior sponsor and may be located remotely from the head office – this makes them vulnerable and open to attack.
10. Call centres are a great place to work With a wide range of opportunities to fit many different circumstances, call centres can be great as a first job to provide staff with experience or flexibility in the working hours that are needed to meet family or other commitments. In addition there is usually great camaraderie and friendships to be had. As call centres are a microcosm of the entire organisation, the learning opportunities are huge. Within a single location you will have exposure to everything – people management, processes, vast amounts of technology, operational management, cultural issues, team working and politics!

Many thanks to Paul Weald for providing this information.

Budget Impact

How the budget will impact on private learning providers

• Posted by Hannes Nel on February 26, 2015 at 10:21 in Training Service Providers
• Back to Training Service Providers Discussions

Not mentioning private learning providers in the budget speech does not mean that it will not have any effect on us. It most certainly will and the prognosis is, as can be expected, not a very good one. Private learning providers need to know how the budget will impact on their operations and they need to manage their finances in such a way that they will at least survive in the face of this new monster that already broke down the door.

A budget, that hits the middle class the hardest, inevitably hits the private learning institutions equally hard. Private learning institutions whose learners mostly come from middle class households will find that they lose learners. One way to overcome this is to see if you can focus more on offering learning to learners whose tuition fees are paid by corporates or government institutions.

The focus of the budget, however, is not the most important effect that the budget has on the financial health of private learning institutions. The cumulative effect of all the tax increases is the biggest threat.

• Raising the marginal income tax of all but the lowest income groups reduce the money available to households for education and training and reduce the income of learning providers. To this should be added to effect of bracket creep (tax brackets are shifted 4.2% higher except for the low income groups).

• Not so luxury home owners (steeper transfer duties on homes worth more than R2.25-million) and car owners (all facilitators must have cars) further reduces the nett income of education and training practitioners.

• The increased electricity levy form 3.5c/kWh to 5.5c/kWh, coupled with the inevitable load shedding has a huge impact on learning institutions that are dependent on electricity in numerous ways.

• I will mention sin taxes to show that it was considered. However, sin taxes are a product of the individual’s indulgence in the good life. The impact on education and training should be minimal.

Private learning institutions will need to find ways in which to limit the effect of the above on their costs and ability to offer professional education and training. Examples include;

• going green (gas stoves and geysers, sun panels to generate electricity, etc.);
• using more efficient teaching methods;
• limiting travel to the minimum, etc.

There are a number of opportunities in the budget, although most are directed at public learning institutions. The initiatives listed below are spread over a period of three years.

• R640-billion will be spent on basic education.

• R195-billion will be spent on post school education (including tertiary education and occupational training).

• R3.1-billion will be awarded in bursaries for aspirant teachers.

• R7.4-billion will be spent on the replacement of 500 unsafe or poorly constructed schools.

• R4.1-billion will be spent on establishing public libraries.

• University subsidies of R72.4-billion will be made available.

• The National Student Financial Aid Scheme will be increased from R9.2- billion to R11.9-billion. Private learning institutions will need to identify the opportunities that this offers them.

For example, one can negotiate with public learning institutions to offer learning programmes in partnership with them or on behalf of them, one can make facilitators, assessors and moderators available to public learning institutions, one can develop learning materials for public learning institutions, etc.

In closing, all the money that the government will collect through taxes will be wasted if it is not spent responsibly. All right, every political party in opposition to the governing party and every financial expert harps on this. The following should, however, already have received more attention in the budget speech:

• The Minister should have explained to us what government is doing to bring those who constructed unsafe schools to book and what government will do to ensure that such shoddy work is never delivered again.

• The Minister should have explained to us what government is doing to ensure that the increase in the electricity levy will, indeed, only be temporary.

• The Minister should have explained to us exactly what government is doing to destroy corruption and why their efforts will work this time around.

• The Minister should have explained what government will do to ensure that students who receive bursaries, government subsidies, stipends, etc. will study hard and achieve success.

• The Minister should have explained to us what government will do to ensure that public learning institutions will offer good quality education and training.

• The Minister should have explained to us what government will do to ensure that government officials will provide a professional service to the community.

• The Minister should have given us the assurance that government will lead by example and the President should openly have declared that he supports the Minister in this respect.

Creating a united workforce with people with disabilities

Creating a united workforce with people with disabilities

An overview for employers

Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 January 2015 – According to research conducted by the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA), around 1 percent of people with disabilities (PWD) are gainfully employed in the private sector.

Out of a population of 4 million people, this statistic is unnerving when you consider that this leaves an overwhelming 99 percent relying on social grants of which the CSDA reports only 10 percent are actually on the receiving list.

Stanley Hutcheson, Founder and Director of Stanley Hutcheson & Associates (SHA), a Skills Development Firm specialising in practical work readiness programmes and solutions, believes these poor statistics can be attributed to long standing negative stereotypes when it comes to considering PWD within the work environment. These negative perceptions originate from lack of societal interaction with PWD, particularly in the job market.

Hutcheson says, “As a PWD, finding legitimate employment is made more challenging in the face of this prejudice. This can be seen in the CSDA’s research where it reveals that 68 percent of adults living with disabilities have never looked for a job. Aside from the negative stereotypes concerning PWD in the work place, there is also the nagging suspicion that changing your company’s facilities to accommodate those with disabilities can be an expensive exercise.”

The ‘National Buildings Regulations and Building Standards Act’ has stipulated that all buildings, particularly those where commerce takes place, need to have structural accommodations to support the disabled. These include access ramps, adequate parking, bathrooms and lift access. Businesses should consider these structural additions before deciding to rent commercial properties or ensure that developers accommodate these necessary additions.

Hutcheson explains, “Employers and companies need to understand that PWD do not suffer from a ‘one size fits all’ dynamic. There are many facets to disability ranging not only from the physical challenges but mental disability too. Only through education can the private sector really understand what it is like having a PWD as a positive addition to their productive workforce. At SHA we take a tailor-made approach to PWD and our clients who see the potential of our disabled candidates.”

By providing detailed evaluations on company’s building facilities, sensitivity workshops that educate businesses on the correct approaches when communicating with and employing people with disabilities, Stanley Hutcheson also provides Disability Toolkits that clearly unpack important information on the various kinds of disabilities and how to accommodate them in the workplace.

Hutcheson believes that businesses are short-sighted when it comes to the monetary and equitable gain employing people with disabilities can offer. “There are many incentives that are available to companies that are able to employ people with disabilities such as SARS income tax rebates.  Section 12H tax deduction commencement allowance for disabled learners to the value of R50 000, this amount is also applicable for Section 12H tax deduction completion allowance for disabled learners. Skills development of PWD is also a BEE points earner in the work environment.

The most understandable reward, is being able to help a PWD become a contributing member of society, which requires strong steps by the PWD to help break down negative PWD stereotypes. Aside from monetary gain, equitable gain is also to be considered when hiring a PWD. Not only will equitable representation be enhanced - additional BEE points will give businesses a competitive edge.”

PWD can be employed in all industries and Stanley Hutcheson has seen many successful placements of their learners who have graduated from their Contact Centre and Generic Management Learnerships. Hutcheson adds, “Our learnership programmes empower our students to be proficient in back office support, administrative skills, call centre customer service and data capture. We also ensure that our learners are equipped with soft skills such as time management, technology skills, and know how to operate as part of a team.”

According to Hutcheson, SHA aims to provide equal opportunity to all recruits, and streamlines their approach to suit client’s specific business processes and role requirements. “At SHA, we open our doors to all PWD regardless of their current disability. Our internal procedures help establish a qualified platform that meets not only the needs of our clients but the standards of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the various SETA’s we engage with.”

SHA Profiling Ronelle Lyson

SHA PROFILING

PART 1

RONELLE LYSON

For those of you who haven't heard,we're starting a new series on profiling key employees at SHA just so you can get to know them a little better.

Our first victim will be Ronelle Lyson who is our Office Administrator.Let's see what she has to say:

          Could you tell me how you first got involved with SHA?

Three years ago SHA had a Nedbank Campaign in the Contact Centre and they required agents to dial. I was interviewed for this position and started off my journey at SHA as a Contact Centre agent. I was then offered a role as Switchboard Operator on a contract basis.  I think I managed to impress my bosses cause I was then offered a permanent position at SHA and three years on and I am still here J

·              What was your initial impression of SHA and what made you feel or think that way?

When I first joined SHA we operated from a small office and everyone was very warm and welcoming. You had a sense of not just finding employment but waking up every day and going to work cause you wanted to and not cause you have to. The atmosphere at SHA is the key quality to the productivity in the business. We work in an atmosphere that allows us to grow not only as an individual in a business capacity but also in a personal capacity.

·                           What has been the best and the worst thing to happen to you at SHA?

The best thing to happen to me without a doubt will be our first intake of the BANKSETA Learners. It was the first time that I worked with people with disabilities. This was a great learning experience for myself as I had preconceived notions about what to expect from having disabled Learners with us on a daily basis. They have taught me so much and I was honored to be able to create a bond with each of them. The best thing was watching them develop into who they are today and it makes me proud knowing that I had a hand in assisting them reach their goals and each and every one of them have made me extremely proud….they even call me or message me when they have achieved something and tell me all the time that SHA is the reason they are where they are.

The worst thing that has happen to me at SHA……. I really can’t think of anything as every day is a new adventure here at SHA. You have no idea some days what may get thrown at you (figuratively speaking). Personally I have learned a lot from the three years being at SHA and I can’t say that there’s anything bad that happened to me here.

·                           What might people be surprised to know about you?

I am terrified of the dark…..

What has surprised you most about working at SHA?

I think it’s the way our CEO and GM treat us. They make it known to us that our opinions and ideas are valued and taken seriously. The thing that surprises me the most is that we are able to develop an open relationship like this at SHA. Normally in other companies you will encounter the formidable CEO / GM who is unapproachable but at SHA it’s not like that. We are able to communicate openly with Stan and Wes and they take your point of view into consideration and offer you feedback and give you credit where its due.

When your friends/family find out that you work at SHA, what do they say or ask?

“Organize us a job there”

Well there you have it,our first look into what our employees are like. Next week we'll have another profiling in our series.

SHA Testimonial Part Four

SHA TESTIMONIAL

PART FOUR

Ooooh myyyy god, we're at part four in our series already. Today we're gonna hear what

Bongani Sipho Cele has to say about his experience at SHA. :

 

Hi I am Bongani Sipho, Cele is my surname.

I am one of the shining stars raised in SHA and gained the deep knowledge

concerning contact centre in and out bound operation, I'm even more proud

that I had gained it beyond my expectation and today I am working for

NEDBANK.

Initially when I got recruited and be counted as part of the participants

in a learnership, I was not sure what is going on, as I did not know the

use of the theoretical parts of learning than the experimental part. I was

thinking oh, are they taking us back to school...?

Immediately we started learning, it was awesome I must say, Peter, the

facilitator was excellent, he made me feel home and enjoy his facilitating

experience.

After four months we went for practical part of it. I was still missing

Peter. We did everything and we had more understanding of working environment. We were placed in different companies for work experience and still we were getting stipend to be interns of transport.

That been a good experience for me... To you... Working with different

people will teach you different things, good and bad but all you need is to

take what is good and use it profitably, When life gives you lemons make

lemonaid. Not everything will be smooth and easy but you need to view it

at an easy angle and take it as stepping stones to your destiny.

Thank you

Nicely done by Bongani Sipho. Next in the series coming soon.

SHA Testimonial Part Three

SHA TESTIMONIAL

PART THREE

Here at our 3rd part of our series we hear from Lihle Ngcobo who had wonderful things to say about her experience at SHA:

SHA is a great place, that offers opportunities to people living with disability. They provided us with a place where each and everyone of us felt welcome and comfortable. During the course of lectures we had an amazing lecturer who understood us individually and hence accommodated and catered for us individually. They also allocated mentors for us that gave their time in one on one meetings where  we would raise our concerns and resolve them accordingly. The entire staff is friendly and yet very professional. The environment is wheelchair accessible and had all the resources to help us archive our ultimate goal. 

After the four months of theory we were placed for the practical component of the qualification. Prior to placing us, they conducted a thorough research in different companies to ensure that they were appropriate for each individual concerning work, accessibility and transportation. 
We have come to the  end of an amazing year. Not only have we got the qualifications but we also got a chance to meet other people that are living with disabilities and had made great friends. As a result of hard work and commitment from both parties, most of our peers have got permanent jobs in great and recognized companies. Overall, the learnership program from SHA has great learning experience and  recruitment expertise. And surely opens doors for people with disabilities.

Well I think that shows the extent SHA goes to,to make sure each and every learner is accommodated for. That's another 1up for SHA.