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03 September 2021 | Story Martie Miranda | Photo Anja Aucamp
The University of the Free State (UFS) Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) in the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) can relate to, celebrates its 20 years of existence. Pictured here is Martie Miranda who heads up CUADS.

Opinion article by Martie Miranda, Assistant Director: UFS Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS).

The Casual Day 2021 theme is ‘Courage + Kindness’, which is surely a theme that the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) in the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) at the University of the Free State can relate to, while celebrating its 20 years of existence.  


Though we feel inhibited by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to reflect and realise how far we have come as a centre and as a UFS community in our efforts to ensure that we embrace and welcome students with disabilities at our institution.

As the current Head of CUADS, I also had the privilege of celebrating the 10th year of existence of CUADS in 2011, while being the first permanently appointed Sign Language interpreter at the UFS in 2009. I have since learned that it takes courage to persevere.  This is not only applicable to how resilient our students with disabilities are when facing everyday challenges that their environment poses to them (including physical, social, and attitudinal barriers), but also in the work we do as the centre.  

A CUADS staff member requires courage to make a difference, also in facing challenges (including systemic, procedural, and attitudinal barriers) when wanting to level the playing field for our students with disabilities.  It is finding an opportunity to change the way we do things as an institution and look for possibilities to eliminate exclusionary practices and to integrate students with disabilities as part of our UFS community. Therefore, courage also means being agile and responsive to the needs of our students with disabilities. Here we have also witnessed how fellow students had courage to challenge their discomfort and become allies for students with disabilities. More recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed how students with disabilities generated self-agency through their capacity to act independently and negotiate their own access needs.


Disability and universal access advocacy

Since 2011, some functions that resorted under CUADS have been integrated with the rightful departments, i.e., alternative exam arrangements with the Exam Division, Sign Language interpretation with Interpreter Services, and tutor assistance with the A_Step Programme in the Centre for Teaching and Learning; the UFS managed to secure First Car sponsorship of two vehicles to assist with accessible transport between the South Campus and the Bloemfontein Campus; established CUADS offices on the South Campus and the Qwaqwa Campus, with CUADS coordinators appointed; formalised Orientation and Mobility training for students with visual impairments to enable independent movement around our three campuses, and commenced with the tactile paving project on the Bloemfontein Campus; and held two successful biennial CUADS formals.  

Specific highlights are definitely the name change in 2015 from the Unit for Students with Disabilities to CUADS and the adoption of universal access as an approach to include students with disabilities; and becoming part of the UFS transformation agenda through the UFS Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP).  

Since the inception of ITP mental health conditions that was added as a category of students supported by CUADS, Disability Sport has been part of the Integrated Sport Strategy under the auspices of KovsieSport; disability and universal access advocacy is integrated with the ITP Advocacy, Awareness and Analysis Strategy; and universal access considerations are included in the UFS Estates Technical Manual for infrastructure projects.  Last but not least, this year the UFS Council approved our policy on Universal Access and Disability Support for students with disabilities.  These achievements could definitely not derive from a single person, but rather a collective, by being courageous in achieving our desired UFS community.  

An inclusive environment for all

Kindness is experienced when the talents, abilities, and potential of students with disabilities are recognised.  It is exhibited through behaviours of friendliness, generosity, and being considerate towards our students with disabilities.  Here, I would like to specifically thank the CUADS staff for their determination in sharing what they know our students with disabilities are capable of and believing in their potential. I celebrate your courage and also salute you for your kindness towards our students, because it is a humanising commitment. We also have gratitude towards students who presented kindness by assisting our students with disabilities with human support, i.e. tutoring, amanuensis, mobility, etc.

Since 2011, we have also recorded an average of forty graduates with disabilities per year.  Every graduation is special, but more so when students with disabilities (from diverse backgrounds) walk across the stage – one is reminded of their courage, how difficult it was to get to that moment. To our CUADS alumni and students, we salute you, we embrace what we learn from you, and your kindness when disclosing the difficulties that you have experienced assists in paving the way for students yet to come.

To the rest of the UFS community, let us be brave, because confidence makes it much easier to show compassion for others, the willingness to adapt to ways that are inclusive of all, including our students with disabilities.

News Archive

UFS breakthrough on SRC
2005-06-10

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) today unanimously approved the establishment of a Central Student Representative Council (CSRC)  to ensure the democratic participation of students at its three campuses in the governance of the university.

In a major breakthrough and transformation step for student governance, the Central SRC will include representatives of the main campus in Bloemfontein, the Vista campus and the Qwaqwa campus of the UFS.

The establishment of the Central SRC follows the incorporation of the Qwaqwa campus into the UFS in January 2003 and the incorporation of the Vista campus in Bloemfontein into the UFS in January 2004.

According to Dr Ezekiel Moraka, Vice-Rector: Student Affairs, today’s decision of Council is the result of a lengthy, negotiated agreement between the three campuses. Independent experts facilitated part of the process.

With the establishment of a Central SRC, the UFS has adopted a federal student governance model whereby the CSRC is the highest representative student body on matters of common concern for all students.

However, the three campuses of the UFS will retain autonomous SRC structures for each campus with powers and responsibilities for matters affecting the particular campus.

This arrangement will be reviewed after a year to make allowance for the phasing out of students at the Vista campus, as was agreed in the negotiations preceding the incorporation of that campus into the UFS.

The central SRC will have a maximum of 12 members made up of members of the campus SRCs, including the presidents of these three SRCs. In total, the main campus will have 5 representatives, the Qwaqwa campus will have 4 representatives and the Vista campus will have 3 representatives.

From these 12 members a central SRC president will be chosen on a quarterly basis to represent the general student body at Executive Management, Senate and Council.

In another key decision and significant step forward affecting student governance, the Council also approved amendments the constitution of the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the main campus.  These amendments were the results of deliberations of student organizations, the SRC and the Student Parliament of the UFS main campus.

The amendments to the constitution of the main campus SRC determines that nine of the 18 SRC members must be elected by means of proportional representation and nine on the basis of an individual, first-past-the-post election.

This decision comes in the wake of calls by certain student organizations on main campus for proportional representation to be included as a means of electing student representatives.

The following portfolios of the main campus SRC will be contested by individual candidates on the basis of first past the post:

  • president
  • secretary
  • academic affairs
  • legal and constitutional affairs
  • student development
  • arts and culture
  • men’s internal liaison
  • ladies internal liaison
  • media, marketing and liaison

The following nine portfolios will be contested by affiliated organizations on a proportional representation basis.

  • two vice-presidents
  • treasurerdialogue and associations
  • transformation
  • campus affairs and recreation
  • sport
  • international affairs
  • community service

It also is a breakthrough to have all constitutional changes processed and approved at the June meeting of the Council, with all relevant student organizations having been part of the process and accepting the outcome of the process.

According to the chairperson of the UFS Council, Judge Faan Hancke, today’s unanimous decisions on student governance are an indication of how all UFS stakeholders represented in Council are committed to finding win-win solutions in the interest of the university.

“Once again the UFS has reached another milestone in its transformation and has shown the rest of the country that we are pioneers in the field of reaching intelligent solutions to complex situations,” Judge Hancke said.

According to Dr Moraka, the central SRC constitution will come into effect from the start of the second semester this year.

 MEDIA RELEASE

Issued by: Lacea Loader
    Media Representative
    Tel:  (051) 401-2584
    Cell:  083 645 2454
     E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za

10 June 2005
 

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