Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Until very recent people with disabilities in South Africa were an overlooked
and under-utilised pool of labour. Disabled people have been denied the
chance to participate in employment opportunities by becoming economically
active and hence contributing towards the economy of the country. This is
because employers were seldom or never exposed to the employment of
disabled people in the open labour market. The result is that employers are
uninformed about the benefits of recruiting disabled candidates.
Since the establishment of a new democratic order in South Africa in 1994,
new legislation that protects the rights of disabled people was implemented.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (No 108 of 1996), the Labour
Relations Act (No 66 of 1995) and the Employment Equity Act (No 55 of 1998)
for the first time proclaimed that it is unlawful to discriminate against people
with disabilities.
The Employment Equity Act (No 55 of 1998) encourages employers to employ
persons from designated groups. These designated groups are black people,
women and people with disabilities. To enable employers to successfully
recruit disabled people in the open labour market, existing recruitment and
selection procedures should be reviewed to remove any discriminatory
elements. It is during the recruitment and selection process that the disabled
applicant are either denied access to employment or not given a fair chance to
compete for a position.
Currently the Employment Equity Act (No 55 of 1998) only mentions the terms
"people with disabilities" and "reasonable accommodation". This Act does not
provide guidelines for employers on how to go about recruiting and employing
disabled candidates. Therefore the aim of the study is to present practical
guidelines regarding the employment of people with disabilities. These
guidelines describe in a non-discriminatory manner the recruitment and
selection process, such as reviewing job descriptions, the advertisement of
positions, interpreting the disabled candidates' curriculum vitae and interviewing the disabled applicant. The idea of reasonable accommodation
within the workplace highlights the use and benefits of assistive devices for
disabled persons so that the essential functions of a job can be performed.
Exploratory-descriptive research was done with the assistance of
questionnaires as an instrument for data collection. To meet the aims of this
study, an availability sample of 20 businesses (small, medium and large
businesses) which also included government departments in the Cape
Metropolitan area was selected. The opinions and attitudes of human
resources staff and business owners concerning the recruitment of physically
disabled people, persons with hearing impairments, persons with visual
impairments and persons suffering from epilepsy, were determined. The
research findings reflected and discussed in this study indicate that employers
do not have recruitment and selection guidelines available to recruit persons
with different disabilities successfully.
Conclusions and recommendations are made regarding the knowledge and
opinions of employers recruiting people with disabilities. The use of
recruitment and selection guidelines will benefit both the employer and the
disabled candidate. Such guidelines will enable employers to recruit disabled
persons in a fair and consistent manner. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tot onlangs was persone met gestremdhede in Suid Afrika onderbenut in die
arbeidsmag. Gestremde persone is verhoed om deel te neem aan
werksgeleenthede en kon dus nie aktiewe bydraes lewer tot die ekonomie van
die land nie. Die rede hiervoor is omdat werkgewers selde of nooit blootgestel
is aan die indiensneming van gestremde persone in die ope arbeidsmark nie.
Die gevolg is dat werkgewers onkundig en oningelig is oor die voordele wat
die indiensneming van persone met gestremdhede bied.
Sedert die ontstaan van 'n nuwe demokratiese bedeling in 1994, is nuwe
wetgewing daargestel wat die regte van persone met gestremdhede beskerm.
Die Konstitusie van die Republiek van Suid Afrika (Nr 108 van 1996), die nuwe
Arbeidswet (Nr 66 van 1995) en die Gelyke Indiensnemingwet (Nr 55 van
1998) het vir die eerste keer verklaar dat dit onwettig is om te diskrimineer
teen gestremde persone.
Die Gelyke Indiensnemingswet (Nr 55 van 1995) moedig werkgewers aan om
persone van agtergeblewe groepe in diens te neem. Hierdie agtergeblewe
groepe sluit in swart persone, vroue en persone met gestremdhede. Om
werkgewers in staat te stel om persone met gestremdhede suksesvol te werf,
behoort huidige werwings- en keuringsprosedures hersien te word ten einde
diskriminerende faktore te elirnineer. Dit is tydens die keuringsproses dat
persone met gestremdhede of verhoed word, of die regverdige kans gegun
word om te kompeteer vir 'n betrekking.
Die Gelyke Indiensnemingswet (Nr 55 van 1998) noem slegs die terme
"persone met gestremdhede" en "redelike voorsorg". Hierdie wet verskaf nie
riglyne aan werkgewers oor hoe om werwing en keuring van persone met
gestremdhede te behartig nie. Die doelwit van die studie is dus om praktiese
riglyne aangaande aanstelling van persone met gestremdhede daar te stel.
Hierdie riglyne beskryf die wyse van werwing en keuring op 'n niediskriminerende
wyse, soos die hersiening van posbeskrywings, advertensies van betrekkings, die interpretering van gestremde persone se curriculum vitae
en die voer van onderhoude met gestremde applikante. Redelike voorsorg
beklemtoon die gebruik en voordele van hulpmiddels vir persone met
gestremdhede sodat die essensiele werksfunksies verrig kan word.
Verkennende beskrywende navorsing is gedoen met behulp van vraelyste om
inligting te bekom. Vir die doelwitte van hierdie studie is 'n
beskikbaarheidsmonster van 20 besighede (klein, medium en groot
besighede), wat regeringsdepartemente ingesluit het in die Kaapse
Metropolitaanse gebied gekies. Die menings en opinies van menslike
hulpbronne personeel, en besigheidseienaars rakende die werwing van
persone met fisiese gestremdhede, persone met gehoorgestremdhede,
persone met gesigsgestremdhede asook persone wat aan epilepsie Iy, is
vasgestel. Die navorsingresultate van hierdie studie dui aan dat werkgewers
tans nie werwings- en keuringsriglyne benut wanneer persone met
gestremdhede in diens geneem word nie.
Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings oor die menings van werkgewers rakende
die werwing van gestremde persone, is gemaak. Die gebruik van werwings en
keuringsriglyne behoort beide die werkgewer en die gestremde kandidaat
te bevoordeel. Hierdie riglyne sal werkgewers in staat stel om persone met
gestremdhede op 'n regverdige en eenvormige wyse aan te stel.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52258 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Smit, Karen |
| Contributors | Green, S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work . |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 v. (various pagings) : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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