Albinism rap sheet

✗ Don’t call a person “an albino” or “inkawu”. Language is changing and these days disability activists prefer not to define a person by their condition. So, say “a person living with albinism” instead. ✓ Albinism is genetic, which means it is passed on to you by your parents. However, while your parents may be carriers of the condition, they do not need to have it themselves. ✗ Albinism is NOT caused by anything the mother or father did. ✓ People with albinism usually have very light skin, hair and eyes, although in some people only the eyes are affected. ➤ The cancer organisation Cansa has published an extensive fact sheet on albinism. Search for it on www.cansa.org.za by looking for the “Fact Sheet” section.