Our Constitution has laid out a set of socioeconomic rights that guarantees all South Africans a life lived in dignity and places an obligation on the state to ensure the progressive realisation of these socioeconomic rights. Chapter 10 of the Constitution prescribes the value system that must underwrite public service delivery, inclusive of equal access and participatory governance. These socioeconomic rights in our Constitution are justifiable and can be claimed by all South Africans inclusive of the rights of persons with disabilities. It is important to remember that within the apartheid system hierarchy, persons with disabilities had no rights, no entitlements and no recourse; this was compounded by race, gender, class and type of impairment. As persons with disabilities, we thank the ANC government that during these 25 years of democracy it started dismantling historic prejudice and disability discrimination ... [Applause.] as some groups affirmed than others. The ANC government has made steady progress towards the realisation of the rights of people with disabilities particularly in the following areas;