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Two hundred people living with disabilities in Nelson Mandela Bay have received brand-new wheelchairs thanks to the 15th annual SPAR Wheelchair Wednesday campaign.
This brings to 2 600 the total number of assistive devices donated through the initiative since its inception.
The campaign, run by the Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities (APD) in partnership with SPAR Eastern Cape, raises funds from corporate entities whose staff participate in activations at stores across the metro.
They are asked to perform tasks while sitting in a wheelchair, with one team member in the seat and the other doing the pushing.
Participants quickly come to understand that even something as simple as drawing money at an automated teller – day-to-day activities most take for granted – are extremely difficult for those who struggle with mobility.
APD representative Brian Bezuidenhout said the campaign’s mission was to create awareness and hopefully bring about change for people with disabilities.
“You can only do that when you start experiencing it yourself. We’re hoping to send out a message to people who don’t know anything about wheelchairs to be made aware of these challenges,” he said.
“We always want them to understand that things can actually be done in a wheelchair as long as the environment is tailored accordingly.”
Bezuidenhout was clear that Wheelchair Wednesday would not be a success without the support of SPAR EC and the private sector.
Corporates “came to the party every year”, he said.
Alan Stapleton, involved with Wheelchair Wednesday through SPAR EC’s 14-year support of the campaign, said tasks that took an able-bodied person a few seconds could take someone with a disability considerably longer.
“Your day becomes squashed into a lot less time. Your little challenges can become big challenges,” he said.
Stapleton thanked APD and corporates for giving beneficiaries hope.
Gifting them wheelchairs enabled them to move around freely and help out more at home. Some could hopefully also make their way back into the workplace, he said.
Attending the recent activation at KWIKSPAR on First in Walmer were corporate teams from Edge Finance, PKF, Multifleet Solutions, Gentech, Indlela Mental Health, Adient, Macsteel, Forvia and Woodlands Dairy.
Adient’s Chivage Bester, who teamed up with colleague Desigan Veerapathran, said it was special to be involved in the initiative.
“You get to experience a moment in the life of a person who actually has a disability,” he said.
“It shows you how they struggle from day to day. People don’t realise the amount of effort it takes to go shopping or to the ATM.”
Indlela’s Zoleka Manga said awareness campaigns such as this one were important because people living with disabilities were sometimes discriminated against and lived in isolation.
“By involving them it makes them feel valued in our society,” she said.
In her work she encounters many clients with disabilities and their mental struggles are sometimes plain to see.
She pointed out that someone left without the use of their limbs after being involved in a car accident, for instance, often found it difficult to adjust to their new reality.
“But we remind them that as much as life has changed for them they can do something for themselves.”
As has been the case for the past few years, Wheelchair Wednesday has also included the Nkosinathi Foundation for Blind and Partially Sighted People.
Wheelchair pushers are either blindfolded or made to wear special glasses that deliberately impair their vision so they can also get an idea of what people who have problems with their sight experience.
Nkosinathi reputation consultant Loyiso Seyise said this exercise was not only aimed at creating awareness but helped people understand that tasks could be completed when equipped with a cane, for example.
“They (participants) feel so scared when they are blindfolded but they quickly learn to overcome that fear by using assistive devices,” he said.
KWIKSPAR on First manager Justin Hackart said it was beneficial for retailers to see where wheelchair users struggled as they could then make the necessary adjustments in-store and on the premises.
SPAR EC sponsorship controller Honey Koba said Wheelchair Wednesday was about more than experiencing the challenges of navigating the world in a wheelchair.
“It is about building understanding, challenging perceptions and creating a more inclusive society where accessibility, dignity and opportunity are available to everyone.”