University of the Witwatersrand: Disability Rights Unit

A gentle reminder and a worthwhile read. Sharing this again for those who may have missed it.

📢 INVITATION: Join us for Beyond the Ramp: Disability, Inclusion, and Innovation Seminar at Wits

Title: Disability as Diversity: Transforming Inclusion through Dignity and Dialogue

📅 Date: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
🕐 Time: 13:00 – 14:30
💻 Platform: Microsoft Teams
🔗 Register: https://shorturl.at/PQSuQ

🎓 DRU Student Support Sessions – You’re Invited! 💙

The Disability Rights Unit (DRU) invites students to a series of Student Support Sessions designed to help you reflect, reset, and build effective study and life skills.

📅 5 August – Reflect and Reset: Goal Setting
📅 12 August – Study Styles (Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, Kinaesthetic)
🎤 Guest Speaker: Neuropsychologist – Enid Schutte
📅 26 August – Study Tips and Memory Function
📅 2 September – Study Tips for Neurodiversity
🎤 Guest Speaker: The Spectrum Centre – Chael Nel
📅 16 September – Understanding Neurodiversity
🎤 Guest Speaker: Head of Pre-Award Support – Thashni Pillay
📅 30 September – How to Structure a CV

🕐 Time: 13:15 – 14:15
📍 Venue: DRU Boardroom

Come along, learn, connect, and equip yourself with tools for success! 🌟

📧 Contact: [email protected]

📢 INVITATION: Join us for Beyond the Ramp: Disability, Inclusion, and Innovation Seminar at Wits

Title: Disability as Diversity: Transforming Inclusion through Dignity and Dialogue

📅 Date: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
🕐 Time: 13:00 – 14:30
💻 Platform: Microsoft Teams
🔗 Register: https://shorturl.at/PQSuQ

Boitumelo Dingalo has graduated with an Honours degree in Bachelor of Arts. As a blind student, she has shown remarkable determination, resilience and excellence throughout her academic journey.
The Disability Rights Unit is proud to have supported Boitumelo along the way, and we are honoured to celebrate this important milestone with her. Her success is a reminder that with the right support, opportunity and perseverance, barriers can be overcome.
Congratulations, Boitumelo! We wish you every success as you continue to pursue your dreams. Your achievement inspires us all.

Leadership looks even better in blue! 💙💛

Big Blue Friday called, and our leaders answered. Ms Carol Crosley, Registrar, Registrar’s Division; Ms Nicoleen Potgieter, Deputy Registrar; and Dr Leila Abdool Gafoor, Head of the Disability Rights Unit showing that great leadership comes with Wits pride, team spirit, and a smile.

Inclusive spaces don't happen by chance. They are designed with purpose. ♿✨

At the World Facilities Management Day celebration hosted by the Wits Operation and Facilities Management Department in May 2026, Mrs Subhashini Ellan, DRU Academic and Facilities Access Coordinator, sharing : “WHY DISABILITY ACCESS MATTERS: “A shift from fixing the person with a disability to fixing barriers to access” was based on cultivating belonging for people with disabilities through Wits campus accessibility.

Zystra Complex visits for the final snags🔨🔧👷‍♀️🏗👷‍♂️

The Wits Disability Rights Unit presents a five-part seminar series titled “Beyond the Ramp: Disability, Inclusion, and Innovations at Wits”, exploring disability inclusion through access, dignity, empowerment, and innovation — bringing together students, staff, and partners to build a more inclusive campus and society.

Session 1: Access Granted – Rethinking Accessibility Beyond the Ramp
This session challenges traditional ideas of accessibility, expanding the conversation from ramps and infrastructure to attitudes, policy, and belonging. It calls on the Wits community to rethink what it means to create a campus where everyone, regardless of ability, can thrive.

Session 1 Keynote Speaker: Mr Elash Mistry
Elash is a Wits alumnus and trailblazer in the South African financial sector - in 2017, he became the first totally blind actuary in South Africa. A Fellow actuary with over two decades of experience across major life insurers and the FSCA, Elash currently serves as Business Development Actuary at Hannover Re South Africa. His journey - from the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind to Wits, where the Disability Rights Unit played a pivotal role in his success - has opened up doors for others and contributed to the greater cause of inclusion. Passionate about coding, entrepreneurship, and self-realisation, Elash believes that true inclusion is not a bureaucratic checkbox, but a fundamental human need to belong. He dedicates himself to helping others discover their unique purpose and live a more fulfilled life.

Session 1 Keynote Title: The Power of Inclusive Education: Stories, Challenges, and the Road Ahead.

Panel Discussion: Following the keynote, join Wits staff, alumni, students, and external guests - disability inclusion experts in their own right – exploring accessibility, mental health & invisible disabilities, and technology for inclusion.

Date: 25 June 2026
Time: 13:00 – 14:30
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/zZqyCBHcxn

Today, on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), we join the world in recognising the importance of accessibility, inclusion, and equal access for all. 🌍♿

At the Disability Rights Unit (DRU), we remain committed to creating an environment where every student is seen, heard, supported, and empowered. Accessibility is not a privilege. It is a right.

This day reminds us that true inclusion happens when spaces, opportunities, technology, and education are accessible to everyone, regardless of disability.

Let us continue to learn, advocate, and work together towards a more inclusive and accessible future for all. 💙