World Hearing Day: Living without sound, Bongiwe’s story

BONGIWE Coka (65) visits the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society every week, where she works as a seamstress. She is one of several community members employed by the society which has created jobs to supplement their Blind, partially sighted, Deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind clients’ merger disability grants.

While the Society offers a safe haven to those with hearing and visual impairment, beyond its walls, Coka must navigate a world governed by sound and speech. As World Hearing Day is commemorated on March 3, Coka shared her story with the Berea Mail, through interpreter Thembeka Chili.

In the hustle and bustle of a bus stop, Coka catches a taxi in silence.

“It’s lonely, but I’m used to it, because I grew up like this. When I take a taxi, they know me, I will tap when I want to jump off at the bus stop,” she said.

ALSO READ: ‘Get involved,’ calls Talk Sign campaign

Coka faces more challenges as she runs every-day errands like grocery shopping.

“Day-to-day activities like going to the shop can be difficult. If I want to ask a shop assistant for something, I will have to explain that I am deaf first and then point to what I want,” said Coka.

Approaching a shop assistant in an aisle to ask for help is something the hearing community takes for granted, but this is no small task for Coka.

“At month-end, the shops are full and it’s very hard to find someone to help me if I can’t find what I’m looking for. Sometimes I end up leaving the item behind and buying it another day,” she said.

These struggles can also lead to misunderstandings.

“People don’t understand us, even though we try to communicate. Nobody wants to meet us halfway by learning some sign language,” she said.

For Coka, it is difficult to be heard in a world full of noises she can’t hear.

“When someone is assisting me and a hearing person approaches, they will immediately become the focus. Often the person who is helping me will forget I am there,” she said.

ALSO READ: Sewing the fabric of the Blind and Deaf Society

Coka who hails from Umlazi is totally deaf. She lost her hearing at the age of five.

“I was born hearing. Then I got very sick and lost my hearing,” recalled Coka, “It was difficult, but I had to live with it. It’s my life, it’s who I am, I can’t run away from it.”

She learned sign language as a child and schooled at Vuleka School for the Deaf in Zululand. Today she relies on sign language and lip-reading to communicate.

“With Covid-19 and the wearing of masks, it is very difficult, because I need to see people’s lips to understand what they are saying,” said Coka.

“I mostly rely on lip-reading in my day-to-day life,” she concluded.

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