Speaker hosts breakfast in commemoration of International Day for Persons with Disabilities

Speaker Sharna Fernandez, hosted a breakfast in commemoration of International Day for Persons with Disabilities at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament on 3 December.

Earlier this year the Western Cape recently sent a group of young people to represent the province at the annual Nelson Mandela Children’s Parliament, held in Bloemfontein. A notable change to proceedings this year was that, for the first time, a speaker with a disability was elected for the Children’s Parliament. Additionally the Western Cape Children’s Ambassador has a disability. Both these exemplary young people are deaf and are learners at the De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester.

The breakfast was attended by the two deaf learners, Jean-Claude Smit, Speaker of the Children’s Parliament, and Aviwe Jemane, Western Cape Child Ambassador, the Principal of De La Bat School for the Deaf, Phillip Cook, staff of the school, Members of the Provincial Parliament as well as staff from the Department of the Premier.