Luigia Nicholas
Casual celebrated annually on the first Friday in September (September 1 in 2023), is a national fundraising campaign for the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities, an organisation that assists disabled people.
It is one of the biggest days South Africans focus on and raise awareness of disabilities.
My first experience with Casual Day was in primary school, where we would pay R5 for a Casual Day sticker and were permitted to wear casual clothes to school. We weren’t always told what the fundraiser was for, but just that it was for children with disabilities.
As a child, it was always a fun experience not to wear school clothes.
As I got older, the meaning of Casual Day and the term “disability” changed, especially after being diagnosed with my disability. This also changed my view about disability and inclusion in general and I think from then on, I became an advocate for inclusion.
During my school days, I never saw myself as having a disability or being “different”; I just learnt to adapt to my environment. I was always told that I had bad eyesight, but I never felt that it was a disability as it was never explained to me as a disability.
I never felt “othered” at school because my school and teachers adapted my learning materials to accommodate my needs and my doctors and parents felt that I was coping well at a mainstream school and therefore didn’t need to go to a special needs school.
This inclusive environment also gave me the opportunity to speak to other classmates and teachers about the type of assistance I needed, but also offered them ideas on how they could use their teaching materials to accommodate me. It also allowed me to have a voice if I was feeling excluded and to advocate for change.
I do think it is important for schools to speak about disability as not everyone’s schooling environment is as adaptable as mine was, and not all children are as understanding as most of my classmates were.
I only realised how excluded people with disabilities feel when I started university and lived away from home, my family and friends. I became even more aware of this when I got my guide dog.
Before receiving my guide dog, most people did not know I was blind until I told them. They would assume that I was ignoring them or I needed to get my eyes tested. Once I received my guide dog, people’s attitudes towards me changed and I started to feel as if I didn’t belong or that some places were not for me.
Once I overcame this emotion of feeling “othered”, I realised that if I want to be treated like I belong and as an equal, I needed to start speaking up for myself and educating people about my disability, my guide dog and, more importantly, how to include people with disabilities in all spheres of society.
These experiences kick-started my leadership journey and led me to the position I am in today and motivated me to advocate more for inclusion and educate others around disability issues.
Given my experience during my school days and later at university, I do wish that schools would educate learners more on what a disability is, what Casual Day is, and how it impacts people with disabilities.
More importantly, I wish schools can show them the wonderful work that people with disabilities and organisations do in our society.
What we hear about disabilities and the stigmas and biases around disabilities make it difficult for people with disabilities to actively participate in society and therefore most people feel excluded from society. Education is the key to this problem and if we speak more openly and freely about disability, more people might feel included.
Casual Day is more than just buying a sticker for people with disabilities; it allows you the platform to be heard and for others to listen. The day is also an opportunity for society to learn about organisations in their areas that focus on disability inclusion work or assist people with disabilities.
We know that people function differently, not everyone thinks the same and that not all disabilities function and look the same. A disability is not always something that you are born with, it can happen overnight, or you could experience a life-changing event that leads to your disability.
However, we need to be proactive in including people with disabilities in our spaces and not always wait for someone to say something because they feel excluded.
Nicholas is Co-ordinator: Marketing and Training at the Disability Unit in the Centre for Student Counselling and Development at Stellenbosch University.
Cape Times