The DU currently works with a number of outside disability organisations working in the field of welfare, services and self-help. However, there is a need to expand this outreach, particularly to special and mainstream schools. The DU, at UCT, is ahead of other tertiary institutions in the region in the provision of Disability Equity. However, it is important to keep abreast of, and to link with others working both regionally and nationally. With limited resources the DU has not been able to do more than simply to respond, in an ad-hoc manner, to queries and requests for advice from other higher educational institutions in South Africa.
Greater coordination is needed.
There have been enormous stresses and limits to having only one senior post i.e. that of the Director. A Deputy to this post is way overdue. Furthermore, the post of the senior secretary has had to be established with benefits. Planning should be implemented to budget for the establishment of the secretarial post in 1999. Under the present conditions the Reading Programme is not coping with the coordination of the needs of blind students and certainly cannot cater for one more blind student without a change in the staffing profile.