Woensdag, 13 Desember 2017
NEWS
Kids wave goodbye to their limitations NIELEN DE KLERK
on the board with the child, another surfing coach was at the back weighing the board down to ensure stability, the NSRI provided or a few precious hours, two children stability before the wave and ‘caught the with special needs felt the sway of the board’ as it came in. Surfer dog Leia was waves beneath their boards during there for moral support and also to help their first surfing experience. keep the front of the board down,” Van der The children, Tessa Schäfer and Chris- Linde says. tian Klopper, were selected as the first two Francois van Eeden, a member of the participants of the Iris House Children’s Gordon’s Bay NSRI, says he didn’t know Hospice’s new adaptive surfing pro- what to expect on the day. gramme. “I cannot describe the pure unfiltered exEarlier this year, at the organisation’s De citement in Tessa’s eyes when she met the Vere Acuma Ball, an anonymous donor team and headed off into the water. funded R25 000 for the programme, with “Tessa rode wave after wave and alwhich the organisation bought their own though she cannot communicate with adapted wetsuits, stand-up paddleboards words, her face and body language showed (SUPs), surfboards and life jackets. exactly how she felt. Tessa has Swan syndrome (syndrome “Watching people come together to do without a name) and Christian has border- something so special for these adorable line autism disorder. He doesn’t speak or children makes your heart swell with pride make eye contact. and instantly restores one’s faith in human“It really felt like Christmas to us,” ity,” he says. Christian’s and Tessa’s sibTessa’s mother, Deonette Schäfer, says. lings and friends were also treated on the “It was an amazing day filled with so day and received a free surf lesson from the many special people who made this possi- Bartleman brothers. ble – a day of (safe) fun in the sun that our The Iris House team will meet later in Defamily will never forget.” She says they will cember to discuss their next surfing sescherish the day forever. sions. They want to increase the size of the Giving the two children their first surfing experience required organisation of groups to around four children. They’re note. hoping that around 50 of their children will Sue van der Linde, founder of Iris House, get to share the experience before the end says the day started when Tessa and Chris- of summer. tian were taken to the Strand where a large Van der Linde says they chose surfing begroup of volunteers were ready to help. cause they believe in “improving the qualiThe Gordon’s Bay NSRI, ER24, Strand ty of life of our children by enabling them Lifesaving Club and Bartleman Surf School to experience and enjoy what usually only all assisted on the day. abled people can”. “Surfing instructor Albert Millard was She says surfing provides many benefits. “For children with cerebral palsy, the weightlessness provided by the water assists with muscle relaxation, and it also builds confidence in autistic children and promotes social interaction, which is always a problem with autism.” They chose Tessa and Christian for this specific trial session because they don’t frequently have seizures, and the organisers wanted to try out a larger Tessa Schäfer is supported by Albert Millard (in yellow) and and a smaller child on the surfer dog, Leia. PHOTO: IRINA MINK adapted boards.
@nielendk
F
Keeping his eye on the prize A blind switchboard operator from Delft has reason to smile after breaking down numerous barriers and graduating with multiple distinctions. Ornette Danse (32) is set to graduate today, 13 December, with a diploma in Public Management from CPUT’s Bellville campus. He is expected to obtain at least 10 distinctions, CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley says. After matriculating, Danse’s greatest ambition was to work at the South African Police Service (SAPS) as a switchboard operator. The blind father of three was so determined to realise this that he worked as a switchboard operator at a police station for free for an entire year. His hard work eventually paid off when he was recruited into the SAPS’ busy 10111 call centre. Fast forward a decade and Danse has used that same determination to
Ornette Danse
propel himself through the three-year, parttime diploma in Public Management. In 2016 two of his children needed serious surgeries and the family even moved from Eerste River to Delft to make the commute easier for Danse, who mostly attended night classes at CPUT. “Being a call centre agent is a good job, but I didn’t see myself doing that in the future and I wanted to better my education so that I can be a better father and husband and ultimately earn a better salary. I love current affairs and politics, and Public Management was a way of using the skills I already have with my interest in news,” he says. Danse says he was received with open arms and accommodated by fellow students, lecturers, the CPUT Disability Unit and even his employers, who all went out of their way to make him comfortable. This included, he says, “things like a security guard helping me to the bathroom, getting my notes saved in Word and not PDF format, and my employers also arranged transport for me at night and made overtime arrangements for me”. “I knew I couldn’t fail even one subject because they believed in me and you often hear people complain that blind people just expect things for nothing. If I get promoted one day, I want to earn it.” Apart from his freshly printed diploma, Danse also speaks six languages – English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho and Tswana – a skill he picked up during his time at the Athlone School for the Blind and during his upbringing in the Free State.
TYGERBURGER Brackenfell 19