Hyundai Automotive South Africa reaffirmed its commitment towards embedding disability inclusion into its operations, through continuous disability-related employee training, improving dealership layouts and vehicle modifications.
The aim is to foster a culture that recognises disability as part of human diversity rather than a limitation. “Mobility is not just about getting from one point to another, rather, about access and dignity,” said Stanley Anderson, CEO of Hyundai Automotive South Africa.
“Our commitment is to ensure our vehicles and dealerships are adequately prepared to support the needs of all customers, including those with disabilities. More importantly, we want to empower our customer-facing employees with deeper understanding of disability, dismantle misconceptions. By so doing, we will ensure that customers with disabilities feel welcomed, respected and supported when visiting any Hyundai dealership.”
It has also implemented a range of practical measures to ensure its dealerships are physically accessible and welcoming to persons with disabilities. This includes improving dealership layouts for ease of movement, ensuring wheelchair-friendly access points.
The company works closely with a range of specialised suppliers who modify some of its vehicles to suit the mobility needs of persons with disabilities. “These partnerships ensure that more South Africans can access safe, reliable and custom-adapted mobility solutions suited to their lifestyles and independence,” stated Christine Masinga, Human Resources Director at Hyundai Automotive South Africa.
The national disability prevalence rate in South Africa is estimated at around 7.5%. Despite national government targets for 2% representation of persons with disabilities in workplaces, recent reports indicate that they comprise less than 1% of the total employees across both government and private companies.
According to the Department of Employment and Labour, eight out of ten disabled persons are unemployed nationally, which is significantly higher than the general unemployment rate.
Firecracker
In 2015, Ran Neu-Ner and Gil Oved sold their business, The Creative Counsel for an estimated R1 billion. The Creative Counsel is the largest advertising agency in South Africa employing more than a thousand permanent staff and tens of thousands of temporary staff every year. The Creative Counsel launched an incubator to support transformation within the industry. Start-ups in media, marketing, digital and mobile industries will receive support and mentorship from the agency\’s management team. In 2017, Ran Neu-Ner pledged R50 million to assist young entrepreneurs develop and grow their businesses. Gil Oved went on to become one of the \”dragons\’ on the South African edition of Dragons\’ Den, as well as one of the \”sharks\’ on M-Net\’s Shark Tank. In 2016, Both entrepreneurs won the EY Southern Africa World Entrepreneur Award for 2016 in the Exceptional category.