Local learners taught to see disability differently

Legally blind motivational speaker Jessica Pita paid a visit to Edenglen Primary School where she spoke to learners about changing how they perceive those with disabilities.

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On September 29 the 19-year-old addressed Grade Four, Five, Six and Seven learners sharing her journey and discussing a variety of topics in the hopes of creating awareness.

Jessica, a Benoni resident, lost her sight after it was discovered that a brain tumour, she was diagnosed with at the age of 11, caused swelling and pressure on the optic nerves.

Although she underwent surgery to remove the tumour the optic nerves were damaged.

“To this day there is no way to rectify the nerves.”

Having lost her sight Jessica’s life changed, however, she was determined not to let her disability slow her down and continued her academic career in the mainstream education system.

“A disability doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative thing. There are so many things people don’t see about disabilities.

“I have redefined the word disability to mean a unique thing about you, that you can use to your advantage to create a better advantage about yourself.”

With the assistance of specialised equipment, technology and scribes Jessica continued her school as close to normal as she could.

She explained to the Edenglen learners that because of the assistance she received she was accused, by peers, of cheating and faking being blind.

Jessica said before her diagnosis she was a sporty child who enjoyed swimming, water polo, tennis, softball, diving and hockey.

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Similarly, she loved reading.

However, after she lost her sight Jessica couldn’t participate in those sports.

“Although it was pretty rough, I turned my passion to music.”

Jessica now does horse riding and plays the drums, bass, acoustic- and electric guitars and Ukulele. She also performs at the Emperors Palace’s Barnyard Theatre.

“People think I am insane, but I am doing what I love.”

Jessica said the talk at Edenglen Primary went well.

“It felt incredible to stand on stage in front of all the children with the hope of inspiring them.

“The school made me feel welcome and the talk was made fun with all the interaction.”

She explained that she started motivational speaking in mid-2022.

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The defining moment which led her to start motivational speaking occurred after she had moments of realization created by her school.

“I started to realise how misunderstood and unknown the topic of disabilities was to people.”

“I wanted to share my story in hopes that my experiences would not only inspire and motivate people but also educate the public on disability awareness,“ said Jessica.

Throughout her life, Jessica had to overcome numerous obstacles.

“Some of these have been things we take for granted like getting a license and a car, which is one of the bigger milestones of achievements in life but also the people I had to let go of.

“The pain-staking truth for some of these lost connections was that it occurred because of indifference or ignorance towards my disability.”

Jessica said over the years she has discovered her music talent and nurtured it.

“I have discovered that I am a pretty good show jumper considering that I can’t see where I’m leading the horse to jump.”

Jessica said overall she gets a large amount of feedback about her talks, with people messaging or emailing her directly, which gives her great joy.

“It’s an absolute honour to be able to help people on a more personal level.”

Currently, Jessica is studying foundation phase teaching at the University of Pretoria but hopes to transfer to psychology or nutrition next year.

She also recently launched her website www.flyingblindsa.com

Email flying1blind@gmail.com for more information.

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