Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory." - Ghandi

Before 1994, people with disabilities had little access to higher education and only a small number registered as students at universities and technikons.

After 1994, important legislation and policies followed that underlined equity and non-discrimination with respect to people with disabilities in higher education. Among these were the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), Integrated National Disability Strategy (1997), Education White Paper 3 (1997), Education White Paper 6 (2001), and the National Plan for Higher Education (2001).

At CPUT, a temporary Disability Forum was established during 2007. With the support of  the University and external donors, a budget was drawn up for 2008 and the procurement of hard- and software started.

The following are some of the highlights between 2008-2011:

1 August 2008: Dr Nina du Toit is appointed as Head of the Disability Unit. During the following months, networking takes place with departments at CPUT, other universities, as well as external stakeholders.

24 October 2008: The main Disability Unit has been refurbished and is launched on the Bellville Campus.

September 2008: An Institutional Disability Advisory Forum is established to support the initiatives of the Disability Unit.

1 January 2009: Two administrative assistants are appointed  – one on the Bellville campus and the other on the District Six campus. Technological support is provided by an IT specialist on a part-time basis. Support services to students with disabilities is

September 2009: The Disability Unit is launched on the Cape Town campus, with  the same support services and assistive technology as on the Bellville campus.

November 2009: Hardware and specialised software programmes are made available to students with disabilities on the satellite campuses, These facilities are located in the respective libraries.

November 2009: A universal access and universal design scoping exercise on some of the buildings on the Bellville, Cape Town, Mowbray and Granger Bay campuses, is initiated by the Disability Unit, with the help of external consultants

March 2011: A part-time Direct Student Support Assistant is appointed to assist and support and  train students and staff on the software and assistive devices. All campuses are visited on a regular basis by the assistant and by the Head of the Unit.

July 2011: In partnership with an external stakeholder, Business for Good, the Unit starts offering a short course on The Recruitment and Retention of Employees with Disabilities.

The establishment of the Disability Unit marks the start of a long-term process of improving the University’s support to students and staff with disabilities, as well as staff working with students with disabilities.

The Disability Unit uses the following as marketing tools and to promote disability awareness:

• Orientation programmes for first year students.
• Sport activities and information sessions to promote inclusion of students with disabilities in the wider university community.
• Brochures and pamphlets.
• Articles in Newsflash.
• Disability awareness weeks, which include cultural activities, talks by motivational speakers and specialists on disability issues, etc.
• Casual Day: An informal annual event to promote disability awareness.
• Presentation of an exhibition stall on Open Day.
• Information sessions to prospective students at schools (and to people with disabilities in the community) on disability issues and the support services offered by CPUT.
• Development of networks and partnerships with external stakeholders, for example, short courses on recruitment and retaining of employees with disabilities.
• Support of outreach activities, for example concerts, that involve students with disabilities in the community.

Name	Designation	Contact details
Dr Amanda Ismail	Head of Department All Campuses	+27 21 460 3975 District Six Campus +27 21 959 6964 Bellville Campus This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mrs Dellicia de Vos	Administrator District Six Campus	+27 21 460 9071 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mr Maduvha Malivhoho	Real-Time Data Capturer District Six Campus	+27 21 460 3056 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mr Kevin Petersen	SA Sign Language Interpreter Mowbray Campus	+27 21 680 1562 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ms Pumeza Magogotya	Admin Assistant Bellville & Wellington Campuses	+27 21 953 8447 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ms Lillian Fortuin	Administrator Bellville & Wellington Campuses	+27 21 953 8438 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Legislation, the DU adheres to the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and your information remains confidential. We do ask for consent to share some of the information in order for you to receive the best possible service from the University.

Applying for Reasonable Accommodation

Reasonable Accommodation for students with disabilities is a Human Right enshrined in our Constitution and which CPUT embraces whole heartedly. Usually students apply for their exam concessions during the registration period but some are a bit hesitant to do so as they fear stigmatisation. Please do not be afraid. The process is really pain-free and is in your very best interest as it prevents you from becoming an at-risk student. We do require Medical documentation stating your disability, or a psychiatric report which will have guidelines detailing the kind of academic special needs support you require. To complete the application form, please click here to complete the form.

Support Services Assessment

The DU team schedules an assessment meeting with the student who applied for support services. The assessment is an in-person or online session where we meet with the student and discuss what their needs, what assistance they have had previously as well as discussing their own innovative ways to overcome challenges. We discuss options or alternatives or new technological advances that they have not encountered yet, but that may be a solution to assist them academically. For many students this meeting is an eye opener to so many possibilities that they did not know was available to them. You can scan the QR code to access the online application form:

DU Labs

The DU Labs on the District 6 and Bellville campuses are equipped with specialised software and hardware which students with disabilities can use without having to look a space in a normal lab. The labs are also used for exam purposes and serves as a separate venue for students who use the speech or magnification software, as well as for students with other sensory challenges who require a separate and quiet environment.

Exam Support

For exam purposes, the student must advise the unit as soon as they receive their exam time-table so that their space is booked ahead of time and arrangements are made with the exam offices for the exam questionnaires to be delivered to the DU. This is very important as other students are also accommodated for various reasons. The DU staff is able to provide a very limited scribe service for students during their first year at CPUT but are encouraged to become independent and use alternative methods, i.e. the software to train them for exams and the workplace.

Orientation

The DU offers a welcome and orientation session to all our first year students. We do try to make it a fun-filled but informative session... and as you are all new, you are also introduced to each other – which for many may be the first and last time you see each other. We want all our students to feel part of the greater CPUT, and to know that you are not alone on your journey, that there are many others, who just like you, are going through many of the same issues as you. If you missed an orientation session but are interested in attending a session, then please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Training Sessions

The DU offers training sessions on assistive and software to students before we lend devices in the Resource Centre. This is compulsory training to ensure that you are comfortable using the products. To book a session or a follow-up session, then please contact the DU on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Did you pass/fail?

Let us know. We have an Achiever’s Wall where we display the legacies of our students who overcame their challenges and have graduated. If you have failed, don’t be disheartened but please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can assess your needs and determine how to assist you. It may be a simple thing such as needing extra time during the exams.

Language Capturer

Our Language Capturer assists hearing impaired and Deaf students by going to class with them and transcribing the lecture in real time or from a recording if more than one student requires her services. The service can be extended to any student, based on assessment and review on assistance needed.

Resource Centre

The Resource Centre was initiated in 2014 and has a short-term loan programme that’s helped many students who were unable to purchase assistive devices when they started at CPUT. For example, students on the NSFAS Bursary receive their funding very late in the year but then the DU can step in and is able to loan first year students devices that they need in order to study. Assistive devices on loan are hand magnifiers for visually impaired students, laptops, specialised software i.e. text to speech software, mind map software, speech to text software, digital recorders and FM systems which is a device that works with a hearing aid to enable hard of hearing students to listen to a lecturer in a busy classroom.

Liaising with Departments and Lecturers

We are your voice when you are unable to express yourself or have not applied for reasonable accommodation at the beginning of the year. Many lecturers do refer students to our unit for assistance because CPUT is a caring community and they are genuinely concerned about students who are not doing well. The DU offers information and disability awareness training sessions to staff and students.

This is where we attempt to answer most of your questions about what we do and how you go about applying at CPUT if you are a person with a disability.

We realise that every person is unique, and have different needs so if your question or concern is not answered on this page, then please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Disability Unit (DU) has two admin offices, one on the District 6 campus (Cape Town), in the Admin Building, and the other one on the Bellville campus, in the IT Centre.

The Team however, assists and supports students across all faculties and on all the CPUT campuses.

Office hours

The DU offices and the labs are open Mon - Fri from 08:00 -16:00

Our labs might be closed at certain times during the exam periods when students are writing exams in the DU and our staff are invigilating.

Applying at CPUT

• Kindly check the minimum requirements to see whether you qualify to study for the course of your choice – this is very important. Do not skip this step!
• Please approach the DU first for assistance should you have difficulty with your application process at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – then we also know about you.
• If you do not meet the minimum requirements, the DU can advise you on how to improve your rating by attending a TVET College to do a bridging course to improve your matric results.
• You also have to select your first choice of study 1^st and then a second and third choice – in courses that interest you, provided that you meet the minimum requirements for those other options. The second and third choice courses are in case you do not qualify for your first choice.
• You must also indicate if you require student accommodation. This is very important because space is limited. This will ensure that reasonable accommodation, e.g. if you are in a wheelchair, then the living accommodations need to have the necessary adaptations for you to be independent and can be secured for you ahead of time, and this will make your whole CPUT experience easier.
• Please apply for the NSFAS Disability bursary, on the NSFAS website nsfas.org.za as soon as you have a valid student number from the institution.
• Please do not wait until you have been accepted as it will be too late by then.

Registering for your course

The DU team will assess your needs and requirements on how the we can assist you academically.

• Registration is an online process unless otherwise indicated by the faculty
• Use your student number and Student Online System (SOS) pin to register
• Follow the prompts
• If you encounter any problems regarding applying for reasonable accommodation, e.g. extra time for exams during this process, please contact the DU at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Welcome and orientation

The DU staff offers a welcome and orientation session for all first year students. This happens during the first term and is compulsory as we enjoy meeting our new students and introducing them to each other and explaining the benefits of our services and what we have to offer.

Getting around

The campuses are large facilities with numerous buildings (departments/faculties) which are reached by parking bays, pathways, ramps, stairs, and lifts.

Navigation on campuses

• There are street calming measures in place i.e. pedestrian crossings, and speed humps as well as a posted speed limit on campuses to ensure the safety of our students who may have mobility issues.
• Many of the buildings have lifts and staircases, but should you encounter difficulties in reaching your classes, then please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• There are ramps for wheelchairs at most entrances for easy access.
• CPUT has a bus shuttle service between campuses and between residences and campuses.

"Personal development is your springboard to personal excellence. Ongoing, continuous, non-stop personal development literally assures you that there is no limit to what you can accomplish." - Brian Tracy

Support to Staff Members working with Students with Disabilities

Provision of information and support with regard to:

• Disability issues in general. 
• Adaptive curricula.
• Adaptive study materials.
• Adaptive teaching methods.
• Adaptive assessment methods.
• Assistive technology.

Training sessions on the specialised software programmes available at the Disability Unit. This enables staff members to understand the purpose and use of the software, in order to provide specialised support, where necessary.

Support to Staff Members with Disabilities

• Support of staff members who are blind by providing important documentation in Braille and/or online format.
• Collaboration with the Human Resources, Facilities and Maintenance Departments on reasonable accommodation, mobility and access issues on campus that affect staff.
• Information on the use of assistive technology.
• Liaison with other internal and external support services, where necessary.
• Fulfill advisory role in the recruitment and retention of staff with disabilities in the institution.
• Advocacy for and information about equity and non-discrimination in the workplace.