Human Rights Month: The Bill Of Rights At 30 | The Right to Joy with Dr Michelle Botha and Dr Zara Trafford
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Is human dignity a tangible reality for disabled South Africans, or are we still trapped in a culture of "grateful receiving"? 30 years into our democracy, why is the right to joy and play still treated as a luxury rather than a fundamental human right?
In this episode of our Human Rights Month: The Bill Of Rights At 30 series, Thoriso sits down with two visionary researchers from Stellenbosch University (SU) who are shifting the narrative on disability and rehabilitation. Dr Michelle Botha, a Senior Lecturer from the Division of Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, and Dr Zara Trafford, a Wellcome Trust Early-Career Fellow and Senior Researcher at SU's Institute for Life Course Health Research, join us to dismantle the "imperative to cope."
We move beyond legal jargon to discuss the real-world impact of accessible transport crises, the lingering racial divides in blindness welfare, and why lived experience must always lead the way in research.
What we cover in this episode:
- The Right to be Seen: Dr Botha discusses the Dial-a-Ride transport crisis in Cape Town and how budgetary cuts to accessible services deny disabled people the basic right to move through their own city.
- Apartheid's Lingering Shadow: Exploring the deep-seated racial divides in disability welfare and how the legacy of segregated institutions continues to impact access to technology and education for black South Africans today.
- The "Grateful Receiver" Myth: Challenging the societal expectation that disabled people should simply be thankful for basic services rather than demanding their full constitutional rights.
- Intersections of Poverty: How the extra costs of disability, from specialised therapies to assistive devices, compound the exclusion faced by low-resource communities.
- Nothing About Us Without Us: Dr Trafford explains the human rights imperative behind her latest project, which uses a lived experience advisory panel of disabled youth to guide research.
- Accessibility in Action: The importance of translating complex research into easy-to-read formats and copyright-free children’s books to ensure knowledge is returned to the communities it comes from.
Key Resources & Highlights:
- The Dial-a-Ride Crisis: Understanding how municipal decisions on transport directly infringe on the right to equality and freedom of movement.
- Inclusive Research Models: Learn how the Wellcome Trust project is setting a new standard for ethical research by centering disabled voices.
- Dignity Beyond Labour: Why we must stop viewing disabled people solely through the lens of their ability to work and start prioritizing their right to leisure and emotional freedom.
Human Rights Month Series Details:
MFM 92.6 is dedicated to exploring the pillars of our democracy throughout March. Join us as we interview the experts and advocates proving that dignity, joy, and play are not gifts to be granted, but rights to be claimed.
Stream MFM 92.6: www.mfm.co.za
Follow us on Socials: @mfm926
#MFM926 #HumanRightsMonth #BillOfRights30 #DisabilityRights #StellenboschUniversity #MichelleBotha #ZaraTrafford #Inclusion #SocialJustice #Maties 🐿️
In this episode of our Human Rights Month: The Bill Of Rights At 30 series, Thoriso sits down with two visionary researchers from Stellenbosch University (SU) who are shifting the narrative on disability and rehabilitation. Dr Michelle Botha, a Senior Lecturer from the Division of Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, and Dr Zara Trafford, a Wellcome Trust Early-Career Fellow and Senior Researcher at SU's Institute for Life Course Health Research, join us to dismantle the "imperative to cope."
We move beyond legal jargon to discuss the real-world impact of accessible transport crises, the lingering racial divides in blindness welfare, and why lived experience must always lead the way in research.
What we cover in this episode:
- The Right to be Seen: Dr Botha discusses the Dial-a-Ride transport crisis in Cape Town and how budgetary cuts to accessible services deny disabled people the basic right to move through their own city.
- Apartheid's Lingering Shadow: Exploring the deep-seated racial divides in disability welfare and how the legacy of segregated institutions continues to impact access to technology and education for black South Africans today.
- The "Grateful Receiver" Myth: Challenging the societal expectation that disabled people should simply be thankful for basic services rather than demanding their full constitutional rights.
- Intersections of Poverty: How the extra costs of disability, from specialised therapies to assistive devices, compound the exclusion faced by low-resource communities.
- Nothing About Us Without Us: Dr Trafford explains the human rights imperative behind her latest project, which uses a lived experience advisory panel of disabled youth to guide research.
- Accessibility in Action: The importance of translating complex research into easy-to-read formats and copyright-free children’s books to ensure knowledge is returned to the communities it comes from.
Key Resources & Highlights:
- The Dial-a-Ride Crisis: Understanding how municipal decisions on transport directly infringe on the right to equality and freedom of movement.
- Inclusive Research Models: Learn how the Wellcome Trust project is setting a new standard for ethical research by centering disabled voices.
- Dignity Beyond Labour: Why we must stop viewing disabled people solely through the lens of their ability to work and start prioritizing their right to leisure and emotional freedom.
Human Rights Month Series Details:
MFM 92.6 is dedicated to exploring the pillars of our democracy throughout March. Join us as we interview the experts and advocates proving that dignity, joy, and play are not gifts to be granted, but rights to be claimed.
Stream MFM 92.6: www.mfm.co.za
Follow us on Socials: @mfm926
#MFM926 #HumanRightsMonth #BillOfRights30 #DisabilityRights #StellenboschUniversity #MichelleBotha #ZaraTrafford #Inclusion #SocialJustice #Maties 🐿️
