Creating inclusive workplaces starts with one essential step: seeing the barriers that sometimes go unnoticed.  During a recent on‑site disability awareness and sensitisation session at Sanlam, that is exactly what happened, and it happened in real time.

Erica, our Awareness & Sensitisation Manager led the session, which included practical demonstrations on navigating the environment the way persons with disabilities do every day.  What unfolded was a meaningful moment of learning for everyone in the room, including staff who had never before considered how everyday structures can quietly exclude.

One of the most powerful shifts came when someone on the security team, often the first point of contact for visitors, began participating after recognising how many barriers they themselves had never seen.  The session created space for honest reflection and highlighted gaps that, importantly, can now be addressed.

Among the realities observed:

Even entering the building had challenges: the designated entrance used revolving doors, and the alternative side‑access phone, meant to alert security to open the accessible door, was also non‑functional.

None of these obstacles were intentional. They were simply unseen, until the session made them visible.

And this is exactly why awareness programmes matter.

Sanlam’s willingness to open its space for this kind of practical walk‑through speaks to a genuine commitment to learning.  Barriers can be fixed.  Systems can be improved.  But only when organisations are prepared to look closely, ask questions, and invite the right partners into the room.

The session also demonstrated how small insights can spark big change: staff members were surprised, engaged, and eager to understand how to make their environment safer, more intuitive, and more welcoming for everyone, including colleagues and visitors with disabilities.

WCAPD continues to support workplaces across the Western Cape in strengthening accessibility, building confidence, and ensuring that inclusion is not a policy statement, but something that can be felt in the physical environment and in everyday practice.

If your organisation would like to schedule a similar session or explore disability inclusion more deeply, our team is ready to assist.  Contact us: awareness@wcapd.org.za .

Thank you, Sanlam, for spending the day with us!