Launched in 2012, the campaign is based on the concept of able-bodied people spending time in a wheelchair to create awareness and raise funds for the Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities (APD).
The campaign runs for five consecutive Wednesdays and sees participants from diverse backgrounds spending four hours in a wheelchair to try and fully understand the challenges that people with physical disabilities face.
“The SPAR Wheelchair Wednesday initiative will once again challenge the mindset of the decision-makers within society and help to bring about an unprecedented paradigm shift in the way persons with disabilities are treated,” said Brian Bezuidenhout, APD Executive Director.
“It is with much gratitude that we acknowledge the financial assistance of SPAR and their continued assistance in sustaining the project,” added Bezuidenhout.
Five years on, SPAR South Africa’s Wheelchair Wednesday campaign has ensured that to date a total of 500 Wheelchairs were handed over to people in need and in excess of R1.9m raised for people living with disabilities. This focus on disabled people is much needed as there are over 100,000 people living in the Nelson Mandela Bay area with disabilities alone.
For more information, pictures and videos, visit the Wheelchair Wednesday Facebook page.