Association for the Physically Disabled Eastern Cape

Kaycee catches up with GQ's well-known Alan Stapleton who is using retirement to make a difference!

Our mission is to create positive change in the lives of persons with disabilities, providing advancement in vocational skills and social development, reducing social and economic inequality, social exclusion and poverty, and providing a future inclusive for all by finding the ability within disability.

Established in 1940 as an NPO, APD Nelson Mandela Bay provides hope to disadvantaged persons with disabilities by focusing on creating positive and sustainable change in their lives. Our vision is that by continued development and growth of our organisation in the below core focus areas we can change the mindset of society and the stigmatism attached to disability.

Wheelchair Wednesday :

Wheelchair Wednesday is APD Nelson Mandela Bay’s largest Annual Fundraising Event. Participants undertake a series of challenges from a wheelchair with the incorporation of further disabilities within set tasks.

200 Wheelchairs are donated each year to disadvantaged beneficiaries. Please follow us on Facebook to find out more about this initiative!

OBJECTIVES : Empowerment of youth with disabilities. Creating employment and enterprise development opportunities. Development of disadvantaged communities via upliftment and sustainability

initiatives. Provide ongoing social support services to persons with disabilities.

STATISTICS :  84 Years in operation has seen APD Nelson Mandela Bay positively impact the lives of over 89, 000 persons with disabilities with an indirect impact reaching to millions of disadvantaged people.

85% of learners trained are permanently employed or have become established entrepreneurs.

2000 disadvantaged persons with disabilities receive Social Support Services annually.

200 Wheelchairs are donated annually to disadvantaged persons in need.

SERVICES : Youth Empowerment & Enterprise Development Learnerships

We offer accredited, skills and personal development training programs to unemployed, underprivileged youth aged 18-35 with disabilities. Our current programs are:

Employment & Entrepreneurial Opportunities

We identify and secure employment opportunities prior to commencing learnerships and training programs via industry partners and established relationships we have within a variety of market sectors. We develop opportunities for program graduates to develop, register and obtain sufficient funds to establish and maintain their own businesses.

Pictured below: Volunteers with some of the folk they assist in living more independent lives.

Social Work Services

APD NMB’s Social Work Department provides underprivileged community support to approximately 2000 families per annum and conduct regular Community Outreach projects within the most poverty-stricken communities of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. Our services include: Family Counselling, Disabled Parking Disc Applications, Disability Grant Assistance, Wheelchair & Assistive Device Assistance, Special Needs School Referrals, Rehabilitation Services, Disability Awareness Community Initiatives

Community Upliftment

Our Social work team proactively engages with disadvantaged communities, identifying and addressing current needs to support and uplift people severely affected by

poverty. Community-based initiatives include food parcels and soup kitchens, health and wellness support sessions and social intervention.

Adult Day Care Centre

We provide a safe, controlled and interactive environment to uplift and educate young adults with intellectual challenges, focus areas include:

Basic Literacy, Languages, Numeracy and Colours

Arts & Crafts (including beading, coaster making and painting)

Basic Life Skills (baking, gardening, shopping, caring for your home, personal

health and wellbeing)

Clothing & Branding Manufacturing Factory

APD Nelson Mandela Bay is the only NPO with a fully operational and competitive onsite Manufacturing Business, currently providing permanent employment for 50 underprivileged people 85% with disabilities. The factory is the workplace practical training environment for the Accredited Sewing Learnership.

We compete effectively on price, quality and service manufacturing: PPE workwear for the corporate sector, School clothing for 30 Schools,Specialised items for the Motor Industry,Retail Industry,Corporate Gifting,Branding Services (Sublimation, Embroidery, Silk-screening and DTF)

Advocacy Services for Persons with Disabilities

We continually promote the rights for persons with disabilities within the private and public sectors, we offer a range of services to address exclusion to ensure that we advocate for an inclusive society for all. Our services include:

Accessibility and Sensitisation training

Recruitment – Employment placement service

Fundraising Campaigns

We drive National and Local initiatives to raise funds to support persons with disabilities within disadvantaged communities

Our Current projects include :

Motherwell Hub : APD Nelson Mandela Bay is reaching out to local disadvantaged communities creating the first Disability Hub in Motherwell, the Hub will form a central point to meet the needs of persons with diabillities illimidating the need for travel and incurred expenses, the following services are offered: Social Work Services / Disabled Info Desk, Vegetable & Herb, Food Security Farming, Fruit & Vegetable

Market, Sewing Enterprise Development Projects, School Clothing Shop (Local Schools), Recycling Coupons, Wheelchair Repair Shop.
The hub not only provides much-needed services it also offers a place for people to come together in a social environment, reducing isolation of persons with disabilities.

Wheelchair Wednesday : Wheelchair Wednesday is APD Nelson Mandela Bay’s largest Annual Fundraising Event. Participants undertake a series of challenges from a wheelchair with the incorporation of further disabilities within set tasks. 200 Wheelchairs are donated each year to disadvantaged beneficiaries

A list of our needs : The primary need for our organisation is funds to maintain and implement ongoing development of the services we provide to persons with disabilities.
Current needs for APD onsite is structural and aesthetic repair of our dated premises which are in desperate need of repair and renovation.
Our primary need for our Motherwell project is for containers and construction expertise to create an operational premise. A water supply via a borehole and electricity supply. We also need land excavation and the resources to create sustainable farming areas.

Wheelchair Wednesday is planned to take on a new level of experience for 2025, we aim to take it to you the companies and public spaces and to the rural areas. We aim to expand our reach in raising awareness and uplifting persons with disabilities. Our primary need is operational funds for the campaign and for the import of wheelchairs that will be donated to disadvantaged persons who are in great need.
The primary needs for our organisation is funds to maintain and implement ongoing development of the services we provide to persons with disabilities.
Current needs for APD onsite is structural and aesthetic repair of our dated premises that is in desperate need of repair and renovation.
Our primary need for our Motherwell project is Containers and construction expertise to create an operational premise. A water supply via a borehole and electricity supply. We also need land excavation and the resouces to create sustainable farming areas.
Wheelchair Wednesday is planned to take on a new level of experience for 2025, we aim to take it to you the companies and public spaces and to the rural areas. We aim to expand our reach in raising awareness and uplifting persons with disabilities. Our primary need is operational funds for the campaign and for the import of wheelchairs that will be donated to disadvantaged persons who are in great need.

Contact person and their/Cell/Landline APD office – 041 484 54 26

·  Physical Address:
55 Paterson Road North End Port Elizabeth

·  Banking details for those who may wish to donate to your Bank: - Account Name: Standard Bank
- Account Number: 080195059
- Branch Code: 050017

- Account Type: Business Current Account - Reference: Algoa Cares