Walk to unite sighted with unsighted
THE only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision, is a quote by American author Helen Keller.
Forty-four-year-old Monde Kheswa lives by this sentiment by not allowing his visual disability to define who he is.
Speaking at the launch of the Eye Can Walk campaign hosted by the KZN Blind and Deaf Society on Wednesday, Kheswa shared his story of how he became visually impaired.
Sign Language Interpreter, Thembeka Chili was present to translate for Kheswa who is Zulu speaking.
In 2000, he was going home from work when he was attacked and shot, which lead to his loss of vision.
“I was 25 years old when I lost my sight due to a gunshot. When I went to the hospital afterwards, the doctor told me that I wouldn’t be able to see again. I was so depressed at the thought of never being able to see.
“The only thing that helped me was meeting other people who were blind. When the social workers visited me at my home, they pointed me in the direction of the KZN Blind and Deaf Society.”
Kheswa said the society had helped him take back his independence. He cooks, cleans his home, does his own laundry and uses public transport:
“They trained me to use a white cane, to use Braille and how to count notes and coins.
“When I lived in town, I had my own tuckshop and I was selling things by myself. If I’m going to the store, then I will apply the techniques I’ve learnt.
“If I have a pot on the stove, I have to make use of my listening skills. Through the society, I have learnt how to be independent again.”
Married with three kids, Kheswa says although he is blind, there’s nothing he cannot do: “It was difficult in the beginning, but after I met people with the same disability I felt okay, and I felt that life could still go on.
To those going through a similar experience, Kheswa said people needed to reach out for help: “They need to know it’s not the end of the world. If you handle it on your own, you can feel excluded. It’s important to remember that it’s not the end of the road and life goes on.”
With regards to the Eye Can Walk campaign, the president of the KZN Blind and Deaf Society, Justice Zak Yacoob, said the idea of the walk was to unite people who had visual disabilities with people who did not.
“In the end, we want to create a situation where both types of people, through the Eye Can Walk campaign, are united with each other.
“The object of the event is to gain much-needed money for the services we perform, services that aim at benefiting both deaf people and the blind to provide a whole range of rehabilitation services.
“And, ultimately, the more people we have, the greater chance we have of more people supporting our cause.”
The campaign, which helps raise awareness of the blind, is set to take place on October 7 at Kings Park Stadium at 9am. It costs R60 for 4km and R80 for 8km.
The participants are encouraged to walk in pairs, with one participant to be blindfolded and the other leading. Entries can be completed through the KZN Blind and Deaf Society, or online.