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51 year old completes her matric, despite being blind

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“You’re never too old to learn!” So says feisty 51 year-old Sadia Daniels, who despite being visually impaired, overcame the odds to complete her Matric and receive a Bachelor’s pass. Daniels says this is more than achieving a qualification, to her it’s a triumph over the challenges that blindness presented to her when her sight failed in a classroom many years ago. Daniels not only obtained a bachelors pass but did very well in her languages and mathematics as she obtained a coding 6 in these learning areas.

“There are no words that can do justice to explain how I feel about this incredible achievement,” she says.

An emotional Daniels recounts the steps when she sat in a classroom many years ago realizing that she was not able to read from the board. She experienced many challenges as a result of her failing sight but doctors’ reports suggested otherwise. She sought numerous medical opinions and each time came up a blank wall when she was told there is no medical explanation for the symptoms she is experiencing.

A frustrated Daniels threw in the towel on her education and instead sought to find employment. She held administrative positions at various companies and recalls the many measures she had to put in place to retain her employment. This situation carried on for a few years until Daniels ran out of options to cope with her poor sight.

Eventually she found a specialist who was able to give a formal diagnosis and she was told that she was living with Stargardt’s disease. Her employer was astounded to learn about her condition and how she hid it so well out of fear that there was no medical explanation for it.

After Daniels was medically boarded, she enrolled at the League of Friends of the Blind’s independence development programme to acquire much needed skills. Daniels recalls how walking through the doors of LOFOB helped her get in touch with herself as for the first time she did not have to hide her condition. After successfully completing the programme, Daniels became a stay at home mom for 21 years. When her youngest child matriculated, Daniels was again tempted to pursue her long lost dream of completing her schooling.

It was then that she contacted LOFOB and learnt that the organisation offers support to mainstream education. Daniels then enrolled at the Khanyisa Learning Centre and registered to complete all her subjects at once. Daniels faithfully attended the after school programme offered at LOFOB where she received tuition in various subjects, training on low vision aids and has access to scribes and invigilators.

Daniels not only obtained a bachelors pass but did very well in her languages and mathematics as she obtained a coding 6 in these learning areas. Daniels now has a new lease on life and is excited about the future.

“The future of this country is dependent on an educated society and we are pleased that LOFOB can make this contribution in the development of future leaders,” says LOFOB executive director Armand Bam.
He further added that they were not only celebrating an achievement in education but also celebrating the courage of women with disabilities. VOC


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