SayPro 2025 Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) Speech

By Dipuo Mildred Mamabolo, Deputy Royal Committee Treasurer, SayPro

Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, partners, and advocates,

It is both a privilege and a profound responsibility to address you today on Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025.

As the Deputy Treasurer of the SayPro Royal Committee, I am entrusted not only with overseeing financial integrity, but with ensuring that our investments align with our values—especially our unwavering commitment to equity, dignity, and accessibility for all.

We cannot speak of accessibility without speaking of resources. And we cannot speak of true inclusion unless we ensure that budgets reflect the needs of every person—regardless of ability.

Accessibility must be more than a line item. It must be a strategy, a priority, and a moral imperative—backed by action, supported by funding, and safeguarded by accountability.

Over the past year, the Royal Committee—in close partnership with SayPro leadership—has taken significant steps to embed accessibility into our financial planning and resource allocation. Among these steps:

• We advocated for dedicated funding streams to support assistive technologies, accessible communications, and inclusive program design across all SayPro platforms.
• We worked to ensure that community feedback, especially from persons with disabilities, informs our budgeting decisions—because those most affected must help shape how resources are used.
• And we strengthened our financial reporting mechanisms to track not only how much we spend on accessibility, but how much impact that investment is making.

We believe that a just budget is an inclusive budget. One that does not ask “What can we afford to do?”—but rather “What can we no longer afford to ignore?”

As we look toward the future, I’m honored to share three key commitments from the Royal Committee’s financial stewardship:

1. Institutionalizing Accessible Budgeting
   We will formalize accessibility considerations in every stage of SayPro’s financial planning cycle—from needs assessments to funding approvals—so that inclusion is planned, not patched.
2. Transparent Funding for Accessibility Projects
   We will continue to publish clear, public reports on how SayPro allocates funds toward accessibility initiatives. Because transparency is the foundation of trust, and trust is essential to equity.
3. Support for Grassroots and Local Solutions
   We will champion the allocation of funds to community-led accessibility efforts, especially those in underserved regions, where small investments can create life-changing impact.

Friends and colleagues, accessibility is not charity—it is justice. It is not a cost—it is a commitment to building a world where everyone has the tools to live, learn, contribute, and lead.

And as stewards of resources, we carry the duty to ensure that no one is left behind because of a budget decision. We must ensure that every coin spent is a reflection of our care, our ethics, and our vision for a better world.

On this GAAD 2025, let us reaffirm that our values are only as strong as the actions we fund. Let us be wise not only in how we manage money—but in how we use it to serve humanity.

Thank you. And may we continue to invest in a future that includes us all.