Disability Unit
Nyeleti Nkwinika, a second-year student, is deaf and uses the services of a sign language interpreter to assist her in classes. Accompanied by Pearl Mbolekwa, the Unit's permanent interpreter, she took the opportunity to appeal to Lawton-Misra for additional time with interpreters, asking for them to attend tutorials with her three times a week. Interpreters are a scarce and expensive resource in the Disability Unit. “We do have a full-time sign language interpreter, but of course she can only assist one student at a time. We have two more whom we employ on an hourly basis, which means that only three deaf students can be accommodated. Unfortunately when it comes to deaf students we have to cap the number of students we accept,” explains Lawton-Misra.
Awareness Day
For the past three years the Unit has organised a Disability Awareness Week as part of its contribution to spreading awareness of and sensitivity to disability at the University. “They make sure they get the senior executives involved for the week, such as getting the ViceChancellor in a wheelchair, or blindfolding the Deputy VC and asking him to conduct a meeting. It has been so successful in that it changes perceptions immediately through experience,” says Lawton-Misra. Khoza has seen his share of media attention recently, because of the dramatic sculpture he has been creating and in particular, his collection of ‘clothing’: shoes and trousers that are elongated, distorted even, and decorated with bright paint or disturbingly dark. In 2007 he was awarded Wits University's prestigious
October 2008
Surprise Khoza (Photo by Kate Thompson)
Martienssen Prize for art (jointly with Gabrielle Goliath). The Disability Unit's programme has been so successful that for Khoza his biggest challenge at Wits is the art of sculpture, rather than his disability. “I like sculpture,” he says, “because it really challenges my ability.”
WITSReview 29
