The Disability and Reasonable Accommodation Toolkit was developed to assist companies in the mining and minerals sector with tools that will allow them to ensure concerted efforts are put in place to incorporate people with disabilities in the workplace. Since the establishment of the Mining Qualifications Authority in 1996, as a result of the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1996, and later established as a SETA in 2000 under the Skills Development Act of 1998, the MQA was required to ensure that based on the requirement of the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS), 4% of learners and employees in the sector should be people with disabilities.

The mining sector is one of the largest contributors in our economy however, it is also one of the sectors that experience accidents from time to time. The accidents that take place result in injuries, temporary and permanent disabilities and even fatalities. Employees that become disabled due to work injuries in the mines need to be incoporated into the workplace. Equally, employers are also encouraged to participate in skills development by including employed and unemployed learners with disabilities in all their training and development programmes. Although the underground environment may not be suitable for certain types of disabilities, there are opportunities that can be created within organisations to accommodate both new employees and learners with disabilities.

The toolkit will assist to: