comms@included.org.za – Page 3 – Inclusive Education South Africa

30May 2018 by comms@included.org.za

Emily’s Story – “I am able, but different”

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My name is Emily Zawe and I have type 2 Osteogenisis Imperfecta (brittle bones disease). To date, I have had 47 fractures and 10 surgeries. Growing up with Osteogenisis Imperfecta has been a difficult task to achieve but I’ve made it this far as strong as ever and this is my story….. so far. I was diagnosed with Osteogenisis Imperfecta when I was 18 months old. My family and I were forced to relocate to South Africa for better treatment which I receive from Steve Biko Hospital. At age 3 I started attending school at Balo and Friends Crèche. As a pre-scholar barely out of the toddler ages it was pretty rough. I was not allowed to run jump or climb jungle gyms because of the fear of falling and…

16May 2018 by comms@included.org.za

A MOTHERS STORY: EMILY ZAWE – UNBREAKABLE SPIRIT!

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Today we have the privilege of sharing a story from a mothers heart. Her trials, her triumphs, her strengths and her challenges. We met Tamara Zawe a few months ago through our Information and Communication programme and what was most memorable about the conversation is that our programme officer ended up feeling more inspired after having spoken to Zamara! We trust that as we have just finished celebrating mothers day this past week, that you would be inspired as this story touches on various challenges and thoughts that countless mothers encounter in our country when standing in the gap for their children with diverse needs. Emily Zawe is a young lady aged 15 years old born in Zimbabwe on the 30th of January 2003, diagnosed at about eighteen months with…

15Mar 2018 by comms@included.org.za

Lend children with disabilities a hand

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When President Cyril Ramaphosa presented his first State of the Nation address in Parliament on February 16, he called up the memory of the recently deceased music legend Hugh Masekela and invited South Africans to “lend a hand”. Social media was alive with requests for the president to #SendMe, in response to this moving call. Unfortunately, children with disabilities, their parents and disability rights activists have not received Ramaphosa’s promises with equal optimism. We have become numb to winning slogans and passing references to children with disabilities’ plight in political speeches. We have also learnt through bitter experience that no slogan or symbolic gesture can replace the systematic overhaul of the basic education system that is required to ensure an inclusive education for all children. To continue reading the article as…

15Mar 2018 by comms@included.org.za

GENEVA – ABILITY ACTIVISTS TELL UN COMMITTEE ABOUT CRISIS IN EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

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Today, five members of the Right to Education for Children with Disabilities Alliance (R2ECWD) took our fight for access to quality education for all children all the way to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities in Geneva. Though inclusive education is a right “ultimately, segregation remains the prevailing attitude towards education for children with disabilities” in South Africa, we told the Committee. Leading R2ECWD’s submission, Robyn Beere the Director of Inclusive Education South Africa emphasised the urgency and depth of the crisis in inclusive education in South Africa: “Systemic transformation of the general education system has not been achieved and urgent attention must be given to the drastic improvement of quality education in all schools children with disabilities currently attend. Children with disabilities, particularly in rural…

20Sep 2017 by comms@included.org.za

MORE ON TRANSITIONS – “HE REALLY STRUGGLED TO SETTLE IN”

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“With the spotlight being on literacy this month, we realise that for many children, and their caregivers, this can be an extremely difficult time especially when literacy is a struggle and challenge. We, therefore, continue to share some of our past articles as a means of giving guidance and advice when it comes to supporting children who, because of their barriers to learning, struggle with reading and writing. This week’s article was written by retired teacher and IESA facilitator, Leatitia Brummer.” In our June (2013) newsletter, we discussed the fears and adventures of ‘crying Robyn’, and others who struggled with the transition to big school. However, many big boys and girls cannot cry but find the transition from Foundation phase to Intermediate and Senior phases equally difficult and even more…

14Sep 2017 by comms@included.org.za

IESA AGM 2017

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This past August we hosted our Annual General Meeting in the form of an Inclusive Education Mini-Symposium. Six of our IESA staff facilitated sessions with regards to Inclusive Education in South Africa and its impact in Schools, ECD Centres and the country. We received an overwhelming response and hope to host more events like this in the future!

14Sep 2017 by comms@included.org.za

Making Differentiation Work

Latest Projects

Our Schools Facilitator, Elsie Bulawa, has been working in Canzibe Primary School, and presenting workshops with regards to Curriculum differentiation. This past week, Grade Three pupils, were working on differentiated lessons as the teachers were enthusiastically putting what was taught into practice. We enjoy walking the journey alongside our educators, and stakeholders and celebrate the milestones as they come.

14Sep 2017 by comms@included.org.za

Sharing Our Stories

Latest Projects

We continue to partner with other organisations in order to raise awareness of the exclusion that often exists. Currently, we are partnering with Open Up in a venture to share the stories of parents and their efforts to include their children in our education system. This past week one of our parents were interviewed Khayelitsha and we are proud to see that parents are empowered and given an opportunity to be heard.

14Sep 2017 by comms@included.org.za

“I Don’t Want to go to School”

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Making transitions easier: Leatitia Brummer Despite the teacher’s attempts to console her, Robyn has been crying bitterly since her mother left her at school. The rest of the Grade 1 class does not quite understand her behaviour. Some are laughing and one child is chanting “cry baby”. This makes Robyn cry even louder. The teacher explains to us that Robyn has been crying since the beginning of the year. Even after the crying has stopped she keeps asking when her mother will fetch her. According to the teacher some children are so anxious that it is extremely difficult to get them interested in the activities at school. This prevents them from learning and also distracts the attention of the rest of the class. The principal of Northlake Preparatory School says:…

07Sep 2017 by comms@included.org.za

How do you Prepare a Child for a new schooling Environment?

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In the light of applications being given in and most parents having heard back from schools, parents of first-time school-goers will be thinking through preparing their children not only for school but the actual school environment. This is especially difficult if there is a barrier to learning. We therefore take this opportunity to share one of our past articles written by Angela Hutchison, a family counsellor. There’s a big difference between being school-ready and being ready for school. School-readiness covers whether a child has the capabilities to work within the environment we choose for that child, which says little about the child’s inherent capabilities, and a lot about whether he can mould himself sufficiently enough to work within a chosen environment. This is not to say the environment is bad, but more adaptation happens from the child’s side than the environment’s But being…