Thesis (MPA) --University of Limpopo, 2006 / Introduction: Discrimination against people with disabilities is evident in the social and economic environment. The categories of disabilities that are mostly affected by discrimination are physical, visual, hearing and mental impairment. Aim: The study was aimed at evaluating the employment and integration strategies of persons with disabilities in the Limpopo Department of Agriculture. This was done by evaluating the recruitment and employment methods of persons with disabilities; investigating the level of participation of persons with disabilities in the departmental activities and by evaluating the accessibility of the work environment. Method: The study was a descriptive, quantitative survey design. It described the perceptions of top management and senior management officials on the integration and employment of persons with disabilities into the mainstream of government activities. It described the available integration strategies and policies in the department as well as the physically accessible structures and environment to persons with disabilities. Out of a total of 33 senior managers that were surveyed in this study, only 18 responded. Results: The study revealed negative attitudes and perceptions in the department towards people with disabilities. Persons with physical impairment seem to be the most easily employed at a higher rate than other categories such as the visually impaired and the deaf, this was mainly influenced by the accessibility of adverts. On the other hand, a significant measure appeared to be in place to redress the imbalances in terms of gender. Conclusion: There was a general agreement that the method of recruitment was discriminatory against visual and hearing-impaired people, and therefore Managers must spearhead transformation and equity in their respective branches/sub- branches.

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Thesis (MTech (Construction Management))--Cape Penninsula University of Technology, 2005 / The construction industry contributes to the economy in terms of its labour intensive nature and status as a major employer of labour in many countries. This pivotal role is divided by its unappealing status ofbeing an industrial sector with the lowest level of employment of disabled persons. Despite the South African government's efforts to diversifY the industry's labour force, these have had little concrete effect on changing the demographics of construction especially relative to the representation of minority groups such as women and disabled persons. The industry presents both a challenging and hostile environment and attitudinal barrier for persons with disabilities. They have not been seen as part of the pool of people considered for employment, and when already employed, possible promotion. To change this negative image, conscious measures are necessary to remove barriers. These measures should include a change in leadership style and approach, fundamental change in culture, change in the negative image of the working environment, and full implementation of equal opportunity policies. This paper reports on the employment status of disabled persons within the construction industry. To achieve this, the qualitative methodology was adopted and included surveys, self-administered questionnaires and interviews as well as the quantitative methodology to validate the completeness of data