The Team
Project Management Team
An Executive Management team for the NAP consortium has been convened to manage the initiative. The executive management team meets once a month to plan and manage the execution of the initiative.
National Accessibility Portal (NAP) is a research and development initiative conceptualised and developed by the Meraka Institute, CSIR in partnership with a representative group of disabled persons’ organisations (DPOs) and national government through the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons in The Presidency.
NAP addresses the information and communication needs of persons with disabilities and their marginalisation from the mainstream economy and society. The project is aimed at achieving independent living and access for all through information and communication technology (ICT). The initiative is aligned with the NEPAD strategy and with the goal of the Africa Decade of Persons with Disabilities (1999 to 2009) to empower persons with disabilities.
Stakeholders
The stakeholders of the NAP are all those affiliated to the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFDC) and government departments.
- The Office on the Status of Disabled Persons (OSDP), an umbrella Organisation established in The Presidency and responsible for the coordination, monitoring and implementation of the Integrated National Disability Strategy.
- The Independent Living Centre (ILC), an NGO, operating as an integrated Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities. It provides a community-based service as well as a display of commercially available equipment and other resources for persons with disabilities.
- The SA National Council for the Blind (SANCB), an NGO striving to meet the needs of all blind and partially sighted people of South Africa.
- The Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA), an NGO which co-ordinates and facilitates services to the South African Deaf and hard of hearing communities.
- The National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in SA (NCPPDSA), an NGO promoting the maximum level of independence and integration of people with physical disabilities into the community and the prevention of the occurrence of physical disablement.
- The QuadPara Association (QASA) was established to assist quadriplegics by providing a range of highly specialised support services that are designed to promote and encourage their rehabilitation, community integration and independence.
- The South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH)is a non-profit organisation, which aims to act as a dynamic national movement, which serves as an effective resource to empower people to attain optimal mental health and quality of life in a just society, through its various services and programmes.
Beneficiaries
The National Disability Portal (NAP) is a national project aiming to address the needs of all people affected by disability. According to national statistics reports and the 1997 White Paper on Disability, over 12% of the South African population are affected by permanent disabilities. This translates in an impact on over 4 million people. The project will also impact on the many more people affected by temporary disabilities due to accident and/or illness, and the aged.
Presently only a small fraction (only a few thousand people across the country) are actively represented and cared for by existing national disability organisations. The project will dramatically improve their reach to all corners of the nation, including remote rural areas and informal settlements.
Elected national disability councils and related government departments will benefit from the project because of the NAP capabilities in assembling, managing, storing, updating, protecting and distributing statistics and data relative to the disabled population.
The project will address problems and issues related to health, training, job creation, communication and information sharing by disabled people and related structures and organisations in all corners of South Africa, including rural areas, traditional townships and informal settlements.