Improving mental health of people with disabilities
The month of October has been designated as Mental Health Awareness Month in South Africa, with the goal of not only educating the public about mental health, but also of reducing the stigma and discrimination that people with mental illnesses frequently face.
The mental stress that people with disabilities endures on a daily basis, is one of the mental health issues that is not always recognised or even ignored. According to Dr Martin Combrinck (PhD), the Director of the Wellness Council of SA (WELLCOSA), “Adults with disabilities experience frequent mental distress nearly five times more frequently than adults without disabilities”. Frequent mental distress is associated with poor health behaviours, increased use of health services, mental disorders, chronic disease, and limitations in daily life.
In line of mental health awareness during October, Combrinck has started the Access-Able project, with the goal of raising awareness and change behaviours regarding Wheelchair Disability in South Africa. “People that are wheelchair bound still face challenges in day-to-day activities,” according to him.
He partnered with Christine Taylor, a full-time life coach, after having retired as hospital general manager recently. Christine is wheelchair bound for most of her life and uses her personal experience with disabilities and act as a coach and a consultant to the Access-Able project.
People with disabilities often encounter challenges when seeking out effective and accessible mental health care, whether it’s in-person or virtual communication barriers making it difficult to interact with a mental health professional or the lack of reliable transportation for a person with a mobility-related disability. Many people with disabilities experience traumatic stress due to the painful treatments received for their physical condition, as well as depression and anxiety from the isolation they experience.
For persons with wheelchair disabilities to be fully functional in society, they should have certain requirements & facilities in the buildings in which they live, work or seek recreation. This Access-Able project will not only bring awareness and education around wheelchair disabilities, but WELLCOSA will also offer site audits of buildings and premises to verify them as accessible according to national & international standards.
“Good access is good business sense,” says Combrinck and “businesses will find value in the fact that they will be known as an Access-Able premises”.
The Access-Able project aims to ensure that each site, building, and facility may be utilised to the fullest extent possible by people with disabilities and, if properly built, can also provide safe, comfortable access to wheelchair users.
According to the South African Constitution: “No person may unfairly discriminate against any person on the ground of disability,” says Combrinck. “Let’s make SA accessible to all”
There are at least three reasons for improving accessibility in your business according to Combrinck.
“Firstly, you will gain extra market share by attracting more customers. Secondly, it will improve the quality of your services and thirdly it is your legal and moral obligations to make your premises accessible friendly.”
For more info regarding the Access-Able project, go the www.access-able.co.za or send an email to info@access-able.co.za