Giving those with disabilities a chance
A SMALL school in Maitland is making big changes in the lives of children and adults living with disabilities.
Friends Day Centre is based at Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Maitland and since 1959 has been providing care and learning opportunities for those not able to care for themselves.
Centre manager Johann Opperman said they provided “a warm and stable learning environment” that allowed pupils and families to find support.
“When the learners arrive in the morning, there is such excitement and joy… I love to see their faces as they get off one of our buses from all over Cape Town.”
Opperman said the centre needed funds to be able to continue doing their work.
“We are appealing to the public for support in keeping the centre going… Learners are transported in specialised vehicles and I also worry about their safety on our rickety old buses.”
Opperman said vehicle maintenance costs had become a burden and they were looking at ways to update their fleet.
The centre caters for 120 pupils between the ages of 2 and 41, all with severe to profound mental and physical disabilities, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida and epilepsy.
Opperman and his team of 40 attend to all the needs of the pupils.
“We know each child is unique, we don’t try to fit them into a box,” said Opperman. “That means our physios, occupational and speech therapists can unlock solutions that bring results.”
Staff implement interventions and therapies designed to enhance pupils’ quality of life and encourage independence, and to give them a chance to live a normal life, he said.
The centre provides parents with the peace of mind that their child with special needs is being cared for during the work day.
Jenny Erskine, a parent and board member, shared her excitement when her son reached a milestone.
“I will never forget how I felt when my son Kyle was able to go from drinking out of a bottle to using a cup. It may not sound like a milestone, but when you are a special needs parent, something like this is huge.”
Kyle is also moving away from being in a wheelchair and can now stand with assistance.
“Being an NPO, we rely on school fees and fund-raising to keep afloat. We do not receive government funding and are finding it increasingly challenging to provide an exceptional level of care and support.”
The children who attend Friends Day Centre are not able to cope in schools for the disabled, such as Vista Nova. Often by the time they enrol they have been turned away by school after school.
Anyone willing to help Friends Day Centre can send an SMS to 49226 at a cost of R20.