\u2019n Kennisgewing op \u2019n kosbare vriendin en oud-kollega se WhatsApp status herinner my daaraan dat 3 November tot 3 Desember bewusmakingsmaand is vir die regte van gestremdes. Vir diesulkes het ek \u2019n sagte plek. <\/p>\n
Die boodskap lees dat die bewusmakingsveldtog gestremdes die geleentheid gee om die samelewing bewus te maak van hulle struikelblokke, en dat hulle \u2019n kwaliteit lewe kan leef. <\/p>\n
As iemand met hulpmiddels soos krukke, rolstoele en looprame oor die weg kom, is dit opsigtelik dat daar \u2019n inperking is. <\/p>\n
\u2019n Geamputeerde ledemaat dui vanselfsprekend op \u2019n gestremdheid. Ek onthou op laerskool was \u2019n dogtertjie saam in die klas wat polio gehad het, en sy het met \u201cysters\u201d aan haar bene geloop. Ek het haar vreeslik jammer gekry. Ons het beurte gemaak om die vriendelike dogtertjie se tas te dra.<\/p>\n
Self was ek al \u2019n jaar in \u2019n rolstoel en het nog maande daarna met beenstutte oor die weg gekom weens frakture na \u2019n ernstige motorongeluk. Dis toe dat ek die uitkyk van \u201cnormale\u201d mense onder o\u00eb geneem het. Dit was sowaar \u2019n werklikheid dat mense jou meestal nie ag nie, dink jy is dom en kan ook sommer nie hoor as hulle van jou praat nie. Net my bene was verbrokkel, maar my verstand, o\u00eb en ore het niks makeer nie!<\/p>\n
Ek het ook eerstehands beleef hoe uitdagend dit is om met \u2019n rolstoel toegang tot plekke te h\u00ea. My toestand het in so \u2019n mate verbeter dat ek selfs weer kan dans. Maar ander is nie so gelukkig nie. <\/p>\n
Oud-kollega Roslyn Baatjies se nek is gebreek na \u2019n taxi-ongeluk in 1990. Na elf maande in die Conradie Hospitaal en nog maande se rehabilitasie moes sy die \u201cregte lewe\u201d pak. Weens haar spastiese linkerkant, is die wind en deure di\u00e9 petite vrou se grootste uitdagings. Die wind waai haar maklik om, en sy sukkel om deure oop te maak. Die moedige joernalis vriendin leef steeds \u2019n kwaliteit lewe. <\/p>\n
\u201cOns vra net sensitiwiteit en bewustheid van wat anders is vir ons. Vra my gerus oor my andersheid eerder as my te ignoreer of te praat asof ek net moet inpas. Sluit my asseblief in en vra of ek hulp nodig het. Ons is in staat om enigiets te doen \u2013 net op \u2019n ander manier,\u201d is haar waardevolle raad aan mense wat ongemaklik of onbeholpe voel in hulle geselskap.<\/p>\n
Ek het al hier vertel van vriendin Heila wie se arm afgebyt is deur \u2019n boerboel. By \u2019n vakansiebestemming in Dubai is sy gereken as \u201ca person of determination\u201d en het gratis toegang gekry. Sy is raakgesien vir haar st\u00e9rkte, en nie haar sw\u00e1kheid nie. Daar is talle mense wat nie opsigtelik gestremd is nie, maar wat daagliks sukkel met gewrigs- en ander pyne, swak sig, disleksie, seer voete of heupe ens. Dit belowe ek jou: as jy iemand anders help, kom jy darem self ook bo, en jy sal goed voel oor jouself. Wees net bietjie meer oplettend en sensitief.<\/p>\n
Onthou net, oudword is nie \u2019n gestremdheid nie hoewel dit \u2019n gegewe is. Maar soos Celeste van der Walt in haar boek s\u00ea: oudw\u00e9\u00e9s is \u2019n keuse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2019n Kennisgewing op \u2019n kosbare vriendin se status herinner my daaraan dat dit bewusmakingsmaand is vir die regte van gestremdes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":45995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"5d8f0ac9-4a5e-4a5e-b6fe-a84b071c763d","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Veronica Fourie","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-45993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n