Judge Zak Yacoob is Visually Impaired

The South African National Council for the Blind applauds the announcement of Judge Zak Yacoob as Acting Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa. Judge Yacoob served as Chairperson of Council from 2001 to 2009.

Judge Yacoob has been a long standing supporter, advocating for the rights and full inclusion of persons with disabilities. His life and his own disabilities have not hindered his progress to the upper echelons of the legal fraternity. The SA National Council for the Blind welcomes his appointment because we believe in empowering visually impaired people to do what they dare to dream and his achievements have been built upon a foundation of justice, hard work and determination to succeed. These are qualities espoused by many visually impaired people who sadly do not get the chance they deserve to show how they can shine.

We hope that this appointment opens the eyes of all South Africans in showing just how much success and independence visually impaired people can achieve with a little help and guidance, the right access to education, accessible skills development facilities and assistive devices.

On behalf of all the visually impaired South Africans that we, together with our member organisations serve, we wish Judge Yacoob all the best in his new appointment and we are confident that he will prove himself capable of his office.

Article taken from True Love Magazine, November 2011 page 160

By Tokiso Molefe

Kedibone Maila lost her eyesight when she was 16 She tells Tokiso Molefe how she continued living.

It’s ironic that my name is Kedibone (I saw and experienced) when that’s the very thing taken away from me.

One Sunday in 2005 I remember waking up excited to greet the day. My father was a preacher and I loved helping him set up our church in KwaNdebele, in Mpumalanga. Watching people stream in, ready to receive the Holy Word, was my favourite. My last memory of that day was my father preaching. All I remember next was waking up in pitch darkness.

I was told I’d never see again and I no longer saw the point of living.

I was in Grade 11. One day my whole life lay ahead of me, with dreams of becoming Miss SA, and the next all hope was gone. And no one could explain it. For five days I lay in my room crying, opening and closing my eyes, even pinching them. I was desperate to see. My father thought I was insane because I wouldn’t stop crying. People wondered if I was cursed.

My parents didn’t rush to get me to hospital because they thought I’d be fine. I eventually went to three different hospitals before being told I had a brain tumour and needed surgery. Only then did the severe headaches over the past seven months begin to make sense.

The thought of having my head cut open by doctors really terrified me, but the doctors assured me and my family there was a good chance that my sight would return after the operation. A month later I was still in ICU and still unable to see.

Another operation followed to remove blood on my brain; I imagined the doctors wiping the blood off my blocked vessels and my vision returning. But still no sight. Finally, I was told I’d never see again and I no longer saw the point of living.

I left hospital in September and my dad enrolled me at the Filadelfia School for the disabled, in Pretoria. It was there that I learnt Braille, to help blind people read. I hated every day of my life and couldn’t understand this new language – I simply couldn’t accept that I was blind. But, somehow, I passed both my Grades 11 and 12 at the Filadelfia School.

During this time I did nothing to help myself. I would sit in my room, and if I needed to do anything, like walk to class, I’d wait for assistance. I hated being dependent on people but I was not motivated to live any other way – until I went to the South African Council of the Blind in 2009. Here my miracle occurred. I slowly began to regain my independence; I learnt how to cook, clean, walk independently and take taxis. My motivation also came from being around other blind people. I was not alone, or a freak.

It’s taken me three years to accept my fate, during which time I’ve done computer and call centre courses. Now that I’m empowered and my confidence is back, I want to rewrite my matric exams, and improve my maths results. I also plan to continue studying music at the South African State Theatre, in Pretoria, when I can sort out the necessary finances. I’ve had to adjust my dreams, but I’m not a victim anymore.

I miss seeing the stars and the moon, but I hold on to the memories of them. There was a time that I actually blamed my name, Kedibone, for my fate. But at least I can say I saw. Some people have never had sight in their lives.

I’ve finally accepted that life doesn’t always work out the way we plan it, but that is no reason to give up.

For blind people, education is a vital tool for independent living. That’s why we place such special focus on education, by supporting 22 primary and secondary schools for blind learners, as well as five Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres. We’ve also formed strong working relationships with Disability Support Units at tertiary institutions. In May 2011, we hosted an Education Workshop for all stakeholders involved in educating blind people, focusing on the new national curriculum which is proposed for implementation in 2012.

At a recent workshop, the National Department of Basic Education (DBE) placed emphasis on Inclusive Education as the national way forward. We will assist the DBE in implementing this vital policy to ensure blind learners get the maximum benefit out of it.

We also conduct annual training on the Unified Braille Code (UBC) to make educational development available to each learner with a visual impairment – the young, the old and everyone in between! Thank you for helping us reach out to every one of these learners.

Did you know that some babies are born with cataracts, or a clouding of the eye’s lens? This is called congenital cataracts – and all three of the Oosthuizen boys, from Pretoria, were born with this condition. Fortunately, because their mother was also born with it, doctors picked it up early, and the boys had surgery when they were only two months old.

Without such early intervention, congenital cataracts cause “lazy eye”, a condition which can lead to other problems such as involuntary eye movements, crossed eyes and an inability to fix one’s gaze upon objects. Such problems can profoundly impact learning ability, personality and even appearance, which ultimately affects a child’s entire life.

When they were 10 months old, the boys received lens implants. But because their eyes are still growing, the lenses can’t work optimally, and the boys have to wear tinted multi-focal glasses to assist their vision. You can imagine the cost of buying all three boys specialised glasses every year. That’s why Mrs Oosthuizen contacted us. She knew she couldn’t put a price to her sons’ vision, even though she couldn’t afford the cost of the spectacles.

Thanks to the support of sponsors like you, we were able to open the doors of our specialised services to assist this energetic family. At our low vision clinic, the boys and their mother were properly screened and evaluated by a low vision specialist and optometrist. We discovered Mrs Oosthuizen was still using a scratched, 20-year-old magnifier she was given when she was at school!

We’ll do everything in our power to assist these intelligent boys to reach their full potential. They all attend Prinshof School for visually impaired children and lead full and busy lives. The two elder boys, Dune (13) and Vaughn (11), want to become computer programmers when they finish school, while Beaux (9) is enjoying life too much to think so far ahead. A full, bright future awaits these young boys because you’ve helped create specialised services at Council that they can rely on.

We were recently contacted by Fakkel School, a high school in Sasolburg serving children with moderate intellectual impairments from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Fakkel School’s teachers realised that some of their learners not only had intellectual difficulties, but also couldn’t see very well.

The school’s occupational therapist arranged eye tests for the children. These tests were generously sponsored by the church and local residents. It was discovered that two of the 14-year-olds, Julia Tsokotsane and Katleho Mosibi, had eye conditions which left them with low vision that could not be helped with glasses alone. Julia and Katleho were referred to us for evaluation and after consultations with our low vision therapist, they received low vision aids like glasses, magnifiers and telescopes.

We were happy to be able to supply these aids to them at a largely reduced price, thanks to the donations we’ve received from friends like you. The school also chipped in and Julia and Katleho are very excited about the things they can now see with their wonderful new aids.

It just goes to show that small things make a huge difference in the lives of visually impaired people! Thank you for caring enough to help teenagers like Julia and Katleho.