Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities - Nelson Mandela Bay
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Mission Statement
To promote the advancement of people with disabilities so as to enable them to attain their maximum level of independence and integration in the community and to allow them to take their rightful place in society.
About This Cause
The Association for the Persons with Disabilities, Nelson Mandela Bay, was established in 1940 and is a non-profit organisation located at 55 Paterson Road, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Our vision is for Nelson Mandela Bay to be the most accessible, inclusive and disability-friendly metro in South Africa. Our purpose is summed up in our Ability cause: Changing lives by empowering persons with disabilities. We believe that by empowering persons with disabilities in their personal capacities, they in turn become powerful catalysts for change in their immediate social circles and, in time, their communities. APD NMB has several departments, which include: AbilityWear Work Centre: This centre provides basic and advanced sewing and garment-manufacturing skills training to persons with disabilities. Beneficiaries who are deemed competent after completing their twelve-month basic sewing training programme are placed in the centre’s various production lines where they are provided with income-generating work opportunities. On-the-job skills training and knowledge transfer is ongoing in this centre. We are continually looking to identify persons with disabilities with potential to receive sewing, printing, embroidery and digital sublimation printing training. The centre custom manufactures and brands a wide range of clothing apparel for local companies, government departments and some 50 schools. Currently we have 32 beneficiaries working in this centre who mostly come from impoverished communities in and around Nelson Mandela Bay. ABILITY INDUSTRIAL WORK Centre: The Ability Industrial Work Centre provides real-world skills training and income-generating work opportunities for people with disabilities in an accessible, accommodating environment. This centre secures contract work from local companies which is generally labour intensive and includes bulk posting, packaging, and assembling of components to mention but a few. The centre serves two purposes: 1) To act as a “stepping stone” for people with disabilities who are capable of being up-skilled and eager to grow. These beneficiaries receive training and then move into our Ability Wear Job Creation Centre. 2) It also caters for people who have lesser capabilities, who are happy to come to a supportive, enabling work environment every day (e.g. persons with moderate intellectual disabilities). The centre plays an important role in addressing the huge challenge of unemployment amongst people with disabilities from impoverished communities in Nelson Mandela Bay. Due to a number of barriers the majority of our people working in the centre have no job alternatives in the open labour market. APD NMB is currently looking at all options to keep this centre operational and viable. The sad reality is if we had to close the centre, most of the 25 beneficiaries working here would in all likelihood end up at home and unemployed. ABILITY RECRUITMENT Centre: The Ability Recruitment Centre is registered with the Department of Labour and is responsible for finding employment for suitably qualified people with disabilities in the open labour market in Nelson Mandela Bay. Ability Recruitment provides the following services: • Placement of people with disabilities in the open labour market • Advise and partner with other registered placement agencies to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are upheld throughout employment processes • Facilitation of work-readiness programmes for applicants registered on our employment database • Presentation of disability sensitisation workshops to companies and government departments to address social and environmental barriers in the workplace • Conduct accessibility surveys, compile reports, and make recommendations to ensure workplace environments are accessible to people with disabilities • Advise companies/government departments on reasonable accommodation measures and universal design principles ABILITY SOCIAL SERVICES: Our team of social workers provide developmental and integrated services to persons with disabilities to ensure their access to a comprehensive, well organized delivery system that enhances their independence and advances their integration into mainstream society. Our social workers provide a wide range of disability services including: Assistance with grant applications, rehabilitation services, referrals to special schools, assessments for assistive devices (e.g. wheelchairs), disability sensitisation workshops in schools and local communities, facilitating APD’s employee health and wellness programmes and more. ABILITY INSPIRE: We inspire change by sharing the stories of the people we serve. ABILITY WHEELCHAIR Centre: We sell and repair all makes of wheelchairs and ability aids APD NMB also provides sensitisation workshops, where required, and promotes all aspects of disability wherever possible. APD Nelson Mandela Bay is proud to be a B-BBEE Level 1 Supplier, with 135% status, and we have all the required certification and documentation. Our projects meet the requirements of Code Series 700 of the B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice and qualify as socio-economic activities. We are able to perform socio economic development initiatives, with the specific objective of facilitating sustainable access to the economy for our beneficiaries. Any contributions directly benefit a Black Beneficiary Base of greater than 75% and our projects thus qualify for 100% B-BBEE Socio-Economic Development Recognition. Donors qualify to receive 18A certificates. Please consider APD NMB for your next donation.