Katlego redifines disability
“One of the challenges we have as a country is that we have all the nice policies passed in parliament which are aimed to protect us and to make our lives bearable, but they remain on paper."
KwaThema – KwaThema’s most vocal mover and shaker, Katlego Mkhonza, does not allow her special needs to clip her wings.
The 28-year-old was born with spastic cerebral parsley; she does not have function of her hands and is wheelchair bound.
All these challenges have not stopped her from chasing her dreams and becoming a leader in her community.
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She is an activist and founder of Living Able Foundation, an organisation that is a home to people living with special needs and fighting for their rights.
Katlego says she decided to start the foundation after completing her matric in 2011.
“Being at home I identified some of the challenges that people living with disabilities face on a daily basis.
“I found it hard to use public transport because the public transports are not designed to accommodate our chairs and other walking apparatus.
“Some of the public facilities do not cater for our physical needs even though the law states they should.
“One of the challenges we have as a country is that we have all the nice policies passed in parliament which are aimed to protect us and to make our lives bearable, but they remain on paper.
“Implementation is one of the challenges we face as nation,” she explains.\
Kelebogile says one of the main challenges she has faced thus far is attending job interviews.
“I have attended countless interviews where I fully qualified and aced the interview, but because of my lack of function of my hands I was told they could not accommodate me.
“This is regardless of the fact that I can type like any other able-bodied person, by using a mouth piece.
“I can also use my cellphone and type using my lips.
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“I can do anything without anyone’s help, but many potential employers overlook this,” she adds.
Katlego, through her organisation, will be hosting a dialogue on Valentine’s Day.
The event spearheaded by the foundation will be held across Ekurhuleni, but the main event will be at KwaThema Old Age Home through the office of the chief whip of the ANC in Ekurhuleni, Jongizizwe Dlabathi.
“We want to engage community leaders and people living with disabilities who will be given a platform to raise some of the challenges they face on daily basis and go as far as coming up with solutions.
“We want to be heard and be treated fairly, not be forced to dim our lights because we come across as different,” she concludes.
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