Who we are
A youth-led organisation founded from lived experience, headquartered in Pretoria and registered as an NPC. 320 members, 40 fully active volunteers.
Youth-led · NPC Registered · Pretoria
Empowering Youth Through Disability Awareness, Inclusion and Action
Building a generation that understands, supports and advocates for disability inclusion across South Africa and beyond.
5000+
Young People Impacted
320
Members
40
Active Volunteers
National
Expansion Underway
What we do
We run disability awareness programmes in schools, camps and communities, and put young disabled voices on public platforms and in the media.
Why it matters
1 in 5 South African youth live with some form of disability, yet remain underserved in education, digital access and representation.
Seabelo Mabitsela, Founder & Director, and his brother Khaya Mabitsela, lived experience advocate.
The people behind the movement
It started with a brother.
Youth Disability Talk Out did not begin in a boardroom. It began with Seabelo Mabitsela watching his brother Khaya navigate a country that was not built for him — inaccessible classrooms, devices and connectivity out of reach, and a media landscape where disability stories almost never appear.
That is the lesson the organisation is built on: exclusion is rarely deliberate, but it is always designed. And anything that was designed can be redesigned — by the young people it affects most.
Exclusion is rarely deliberate, but it is always designed.
Our mission
Inclusion has to be taught, resourced and led by young people themselves.
Youth Disability Talk Out works at the intersection of awareness, inclusion and empowerment. We were founded from lived experience — not external interpretation — and every programme we run is designed, facilitated and evaluated by young people who understand what exclusion actually costs.
Our three-phase schools programme moves learners from empathy to understanding to action, while our advocacy work makes sure disability stories reach audiences that would otherwise never encounter them.
Awareness
Education programmes that change how schools and communities see disability.
Inclusion
Removing access barriers — physical, digital and social — for disabled youth.
Empowerment
Equipping young people with the tools and platforms to lead their own narrative.
Representation
Putting lived experience on radio, television and youth-led digital platforms.
Impact to date
Measurable reach across schools and communities.
5000+
Young People Impacted
Directly through programmes
320
Members
40 fully active volunteers
15+
Schools Engaged
Across awareness programmes
10+
Media Features
Radio, television and online press
Featured across regional and national platforms
- BCR FM
- Soweto TV
- Thobela FM
- Pheli FM
- SABC News · Trendz Live
- UNISA Radio
Our vision
Pretoria → Provincial → National → Global
A deliberate expansion pathway. Each stage is only unlocked once the previous one is stable, staffed and measurably delivering.
Stage 01
Pretoria City Network
A dense, well-supported network of school partnerships, volunteers and community hubs anchored in our home city.
Current stage
Stage 02
Provincial Growth
Chapters across Gauteng and neighbouring provinces, run by trained youth leaders using the same programme framework.
Stage 03
National Expansion
Programme delivery in every province, backed by accessible digital infrastructure and consistent impact reporting.
Stage 04
Future Global Network
Cross-border delivery — already piloted through our international school programme — connecting youth-led inclusion movements worldwide.
Featured case study
Star College Pretoria Science Expo & Awareness Day
A full-day disability awareness and inclusion programme with learners from Grades 4–12, combining storytelling, creativity and inclusive technology.
- Grades 4–12 engaged in a single coordinated programme day
- Learners publicly presented their own inclusion messages
- Follow-up interest from educators for recurring sessions
Partners & supporters
The people and organisations who make the work possible.
Youth Disability Talk Out NPC is an independent South African non-profit company. Partners and supporters are listed alphabetically and acknowledged equally; none holds a governance role in the organisation. Technology support is provided through collaboration with external partners and contributors.
Gauteng Legislature
The Gauteng Legislature supports Youth Disability Talk Out through public engagement platforms that amplify youth voices on disability inclusion.
Mia Mamiya Trading & Projects
Mia Mamiya Trading & Projects supports Youth Disability Talk Out with logistics and operational assistance for programme days and community activations.
Olunje Foundation
Olunje Foundation supports Youth Disability Talk Out through community outreach collaboration that extends disability awareness work into more neighbourhoods.
RKDO
RKDO supports Youth Disability Talk Out through community mobilisation and on-the-ground support at youth, school and community activations.
Supa Kicks
Supa Kicks supports Youth Disability Talk Out through in-kind contributions and community activations that help programme days reach more young people.
TEAM AF
TEAM AF is a South African technology and digital innovation studio that has provided support within the digital technology development area with Youth Disability Talk Out.
Trey Co Productions
Trey Co Productions supports Youth Disability Talk Out with media production and storytelling that documents programme days and community activations.
Make inclusion happen where you are.
Volunteer at programmes, start a chapter in your city, partner with us, or bring the programme to your school.