Disability Rights Awareness Month, 3 November-3 December

"South Africa commemorates National Disability Rights Awareness Month annually between 3 November and 3 December. 3 December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and is also commemorated as National Disability Rights Awareness Day.

This year's theme is: Persons with disabilities : Equal participants in shaping a sustainable future.

Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) provides South Africa with an opportunity to:

• Inspire hope and confidence in the ability of South Africans and the state machinery to work together in addressing the common challenges facing persons with disabilities and society in general;
• Mobilise persons with disabilities around the gains made in protecting, promoting and upholding the rights of persons with disabilities since the adoption of the Freedom Charter 60 years ago and 21 years of democracy;
• Reach out to the diversity within the disability sector, and acknowledging that all human and socio-economic rights should be equally enjoyed by all persons with disabilities, irrespective of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, impairment, socio-economic status, educational qualification level, religion, culture, employment status or nationality; and to
• Celebrate the release of the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which advocates for measures that will hold duty-bearers accountable and strengthen recourse measures for rights-holders whose rights have been violated."