Deaf does not mean incapable

Despite his difficult life as a deaf person, Thabiso Raikane who’s worked on overcoming the many hurdles now wants to be the voice of the voiceless in his community.

The 31-year-old actor, model and aspiring entrepreneur who hails from Mohlakeng spoke about boundaries that impede many like him in their daily lives.

I’m not rejoicing that I was born deaf, but I’m confident and I want lead a positive life as an example to others, because it’s one of my biggest dreams to show the deaf community that anything is possible,” Thabiso said.

He admitted that it took a lot for him to adapt as he had to accept being deaf first while growing up; especially being surrounded by a hearing world that hardly understood him.

“Even though I taught them how to sign they always forget the sign meanings.”

Another challenge is watching TV shows without subtitles. Ironically, Thabiso appeared in the eTV soapie Scandal last year in the role of a deaf person.

However, he said he always felt discriminated against when being overlooked for job opportunities simply because of his disability – something he believes many deaf people face and are discouraged by.

I want South Africans to understand that we in the deaf community are very capable of fulfilling significant roles in society and we should be given a fair chance like everyone else.”

He wished for the hearing community to start treating their deaf counterparts as their equals and not as people who are indisposed.

“There should be equal opportunities and support for everyone.

“Living with this disability is hard as it is, we can’t be denied opportunities because of these perceptions. We’d like to be accepted so that we could thrive like everyone else.

“The world can’t keep sidelining us, especially in media spaces. We deserve to be given our moment to shine,” Thabiso said.