In two doses of good news from the Bona uBuntu Programme, the White Cane Day March united communities who walked in solidarity for visually impaired youth while a four-year-old gained his sight thanks to their help in getting him the most important surgery of his life!

Kwadwesi, South Africa (20 October 2024) — The streets of Kwadwesi teemed with enthusiasm and energy earlier this month as 263 learners, educators and community members banded together for the annual White Cane Day Youth March!

Hosted by the Bona uBuntu Programme, which teamed up with Khanynisa School for the Visually Impaired and Ilima Lombi—Kamva, the event brought together community members in the Eastern Cape to raise awareness about the challenges visually impaired individuals face and to promote a culture of accessibility and inclusion.

The Bona uBuntu Programme is an NGO that supports empowerment and education for visually impaired children in the Eastern Cape, while White Cane Day is observed globally and celebrates the independence of people who are blind or visually impaired. A big part of this independence comes from accessibility tools, hence its name—the white cane!

“This event is more than just a march; it’s a movement towards a future where visually impaired youth can thrive without limitations,” commented Robyn Fick, the Programme Coordinator at Bona uBuntu.

“We [walked] for their independence, for their right to access education, and for a community that embraces inclusivity.”

The day also featured musical performances from the Khanyisa School Choir, representatives from special schools, and mainstream schools in Kwadwesi, which were a true melting pot of solidarity.

In other uplifting news from the Bona uBuntu Programme, four-year-old ‘Ollie’ (not the child’s real name) has received cataract surgery that was needed to restore his sight after years of disappointment for his family due to a lack of resources.

Bona uBuntu helped the little one get an appointment with the ophthalmology department at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in East London within a week, and soon thereafter, he underwent the surgery that gave him his sight back!

Sources: Supplied; Bona uBuntu Programme 

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A new addition to Florida Library has helped turn a positive page on literacy accessibility in Johannesburg thanks to its new ‘Mini Blind Library’!

Florida, South Africa (10 September 2024) — A new addition to Florida Library has helped turn a positive page for literacy accessibility in Johannesburg by providing a means for the visually impaired community to enjoy the library’s informative riches.

In celebration of International Literacy Day celebrated on 8 September, Joburg Libraries announced that Florida Library had launched its very own ‘Mini Blind Library’ as made possible by the South African Library for the Blind (SALB) and Social Development.

SALB have helped transform the concept of a library in South Africa since 1919 when Josephine Wood met Miss Comber and a library based on braille volumes was ideated. Today, SALB provide free braille and audio books as well as training on the usage of these resources and device repairs for those who need them across our country.

An exciting addition to the Florida area, the initiative hopes to help the visually impaired and blind access information, as Joburg Libraries shares.

The Mini Blind Library offers a braille computer and document reader, which was unveiled to keen participants. Those in attendance were also informed on how to join the library to receive devices of their own, allowing them to listen to even more books from their own homes!

You can find out more about the SALB here. 

Sources: Joburg Libraries; SALB 

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The call for businesses to get involved in prioritising the health of their workforces is loud and blue ahead of World Diabetes Day. Here’s what the experts think businesses can do better:

Africa (09 November 2023) — According to the World Health Organisation, around 24 million adults are living with diabetes on our continent. This figure is projected to rise by 129% to 55 million by 2045, which is why this World Diabetes Day, the call is loud and blue for accessibility to care.

In fact, access to diabetes care is the theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day (14 November). Amongst other important elements, conversations around access collectively spotlight the millions of people who do not have support, care or education about their conditions, not least because of the costs involved.

To this, businesses and corporations are being pushed to get involved in taking care of their workers’ health.

“Corporates have a fundamental role to play here, not only in creating awareness but also ensuring employees with diabetes are supported on multiple organ systems and multiple aspects of a person’s life making it essential that the individual receives wholistic support, including psychological support,” says Dr Chris van Straten.

It is far from a one-size-fits-all diagnosis and impacts different people in different ways. As such, businesses are being told by experts to open themselves to a willingness of understanding toward the complicated nature of diabetes.

“Diabetes can impact an employee’s ability to engage in everyday activities, especially if they have developed complications. It is important to understand the needs of your employees with diabetes and ensure they are supported as much as possible,” adds Dr van Straten.

Considering that many full-time employees still spend the majority of their waking hours at work, workplace settings create a big opportunity for responsive action.

Education on nutrition for all employees, guidance on self-monitoring and providing access and flexibility for regular checkups are just some of the ways businesses can give their employees a helping hand.

“Diabetes is often called the ‘silent killer’ and businesses need to start prioritising the health, safety and wellbeing of their workforce beyond ticking the box activities. They need to enable conversations, dispel stigma and introduce tailored initiatives which everyone can benefit from. With the right education, skills, motivation, tools, and social support, organisations can make a fundamental impact not only to their bottom-line, but to their employees, their community and in the broader fight against diabetes,” Dr van Straten concludes.

Sources: Press Release

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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Dance has always been a way for people to unite. In the same breath, festivals are often limited in their accessibility. But, a feast of dance showcasing dancers of all abilities is changing the narrative one move at a time:

Durban, South Africa (01 November 2023) — For too long, festivals across the world’s dance floors have been synonymous with conventional abilities of movement. However, in South Africa, a new age of dance is upon us thanks to the festival where all abilities are welcome.

FLATFOOT ACCESS FESTIVAL, only in its second edition, is a space where dance, accessibility and unity all get their moment in the spotlight. Beyond this, it is a celebration of FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY’S 20-year history of training dancers and performers whose talents society can often overlook.

“The journey toward access and training for dancers living with both intellectual and physical disabilties lies at the heart of FLATFOOT, and this small ever-growing festival,” says the dance company’s Artistic Director Lliane Loots. 

“It is a wonderful moment of celebrating not just the incredible dancers, dance makers, and choreographers, but of the truly transformative power of dance to bind society together,” Lliane adds. 

The festival for all abilities encompasses performances, including those by the FLATFOOT Downie Dance Company in a new work called ‘Now that We are Here…’, as well as the FLATFOOT ACCESS PANTHERS and their work, ‘finding home’.

Additionally, dancers using wheelchairs will showcase a new work called ‘The Infinite Space Between Us’ where three dancers delve into the culture of connection.

There will also be workshops and special guests, including dancers from WACO’s DANCE MOVEMENT (a dance project created to give youth, artists, dancers and people with disabilities dance training and skills development) and Jürg Kock from Switzerland whose dance integrates disabled and non-disabled performers.

Jürg will offer a deeply personal performance from his ‘The Printer’s Tray’ and is set to be part of a no-charge panel discussion alongside Lliane and Jarryd Watson.

The realisation of the Stable Theatre and FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY, the festival promises an encouraging space for accessible dance that’ll light up the wheelchair-friendly Stable Theatre in Durban on 2 and 3 December, right on time for South Africa’s National Disability Rights Awareness Month (03 November – 03 December).

Sources: Supplied

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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Environmental Law just became more accessible in South Africa thanks to the Endangered Wildlife Trust! No legal degree required, their clever initiative has broken the law down both understandably and into 5 languages:

South Africa (05 October 2023) — Laws and policies tend to carry a similar irony: they impact all of us, and yet, only a marginal percentage of people can fully and completely understand what they really mean. In good news and in a bid to make one element of the law easier to digest, the non-profit Endangered Wildlife Trust has done something super for environmental law in South Africa by cracking down on accessibility.

Through their new LAWS website, EWT is making environmental law not only easier to access but simpler to understand—no law degree required.

Why ‘LAWS’? Besides the obvious, think of it as a clever acronym for where the environment matters: Land, Air, Water and all living Species.

The LAWS website is set to keep legal and environmentally curious South Africans in the loop with all things environmental law as well as up-to-date regulations. Better still, LAWS is available in 5 languages.

“Our website aims to provide current, reliable and easy-to-understand information on South Africa’s environmental law and policy in 5 languages. We believe it is only when South Africans know their environmental rights that they can be enforced for the benefit of current and future generations,” explained EWT.

The five languages of availability are:

• English
• Zulu
• isiXhosa
• Afrikaans
• Sesotho

A win for progress, access and environmental protectors anyone can visit LAWS here. 

Sources: Endangered Wildlife Trust

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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Because tourism should be for everyone! A new initiative will see braille tourism pave more access in Cape Town from street art tours to famous landmarks as led by SA’s first blind, qualified tour guide.

Cape Town, South Africa (19 July 2023) — Many factors make exploring a city, town or even home ground that much more special. Most of us might consider things like a good tour guide, smooth logistics and tours that won’t break the bank as winning elements. Maybe an included meal or two. However, for many travel dreamers accessibility is the ultimate determiner. Thanks to a recent big move toward braille tourism in Cape Town, inclusive travel is becoming more normalised!

‘Limitless Cape Town’ led by Cape Town Tourism is said to be a first-of-its-kind universal access movement. But what does access in this context really mean?

Access means getting to experience the tours that you’ve heard friends and family rave about for yourself. It means not having to sit something out just because it wasn’t designed for you, and it means getting to feel a space’s vibrance in the most personal way—tangibly.

The new initiative sees popular sights in the Mother City revamped with braille touchpoints, including street art murals and Cape Town’s yellow frames.

These touchpoints are paired with QR codes linked to audio content that describe the scenery in fantastic detail, from street art in Salt River to Signal Hill.

Better yet, the tours will be led by SA’s first qualified blind tour guide, Winston Fani.

“Fani uses an unprecedented technique of counting steps and lampposts to arrive at the appropriate artwork, combining this with his eloquent descriptions of the works and their creators to inspire guests,” shared Cape Town Tourism.

“I had a dream to prove to the world that being blind shouldn’t be an obstacle. I didn’t let my blindness prevent me from realising my vision of becoming a tourist guide and thanks to the immense support of my family and Cape Town Tourism, that dream has turned into a reality.”—Winston Fani.

Thanks to people like Winston, the opportunity now stands for more travel passionate yet visually impaired people to follow in his footsteps—something Cape Town tourism hopes to bolster through the Limitless Cape Town.

Sources: Love Cape Town/ Cape Town Tourism

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Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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