NO LIMITS

DURING this November’s Disability Rights Awareness Month, local celebrity DJ Rollstoel and disability advocates are turning up the volume for their call for access and inclusion. 

For many differently-abled Kapenaars, life is made all the more challenging by stigmas and how society excludes individuals from basic rights that the average person enjoys.

There are many different kinds of disabilities, often grouped into broad categories. 

These include physical disabilities (affecting mobility or motor function), sensory disabilities (such as visual and hearing impairments), intellectual and developmental disabilities, psychosocial or mental health conditions, and neurological or chronic health-related disabilities. 

On the frontline of the fight to gain access to education, employment and services just navigating life, is the Western Cape Network on Disability (WCND). 

Lilley Berrington, WCND Head of Stakeholder Engagement, says the group is a member-driven provincial network uniting organisations in the disability sector works to identify and address gaps in services for persons with disabilities, promote their rights and equal opportunities, and facilitate information-sharing and collaboration among service providers and advocacy organisations.

Berrington explained: “People with disabilities face persistent stigma rooted in outdated beliefs about dependence, pity, or incapacity. 

“Many are still seen as burdens rather than equal participants in society. This can show up as low expectations, exclusion from education and employment, or assumptions that disability equals illness or tragedy. 

“There’s also a stigma linked to appearance, speech, or assistive devices. And for those with invisible or psychosocial disabilities, disbelief and judgment are common. 

“Ultimately, stigma thrives when society focuses on impairment instead of accessibility, and when people with disabilities are spoken about, rather than spoken to in consultation.”

“Disabled people are as human as anyone else. We have many shared needs that nondisabled people also have, and the additional needs we have are not special. 

“They are simply different needs, in the same way that men and women may have differing needs depending on context. We are not subhuman, and we are not superhuman. We are just human. And disability rights are human rights.”

“We would like to highlight the principle of "Nothing About Us Without Us". 

“Decisions about disability (whether in policy, planning, service delivery, or community programmes) must include the voices of people with disabilities from the very beginning. 

“Too often, we are left out of the conversation or only consulted at the end, once decisions have already been made. 

“Disabled people are the true experts on disability inclusion, because we live it every day. 

“Inclusion is not charity, it’s collaboration.”

The Western Cape Association of and for Persons with Disabilities (WCAPD) is one of the leading voices for persons with disabilities in the Western Cape.

WCAPD chairperson Elmien Grobbelaar said a common stigma is that the disabled should be pitied.

She added: “People sometimes avoid interaction because they’re unsure what to say or do, which can lead to isolation. What’s needed is a shift from pity or charity to respect and equality, seeing people for their capabilities, not their limitations.

“The world wasn’t designed with persons with disabilities in mind. Most systems, infrastructure, and even attitudes were built around the idea of an “average” person, which leaves anyone outside that narrow definition facing barriers every day. 

“When spaces, services, and opportunities are designed for everyone from the outset, it doesn’t just benefit persons with disabilities, it benefits society as a whole.”

Living with cerebral palsy is Kyle Wyngaardt from Strandfontein who turned his disability into an ability and is better known as DJ Rollstoel.

Kyle was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the tender age of ten months old and makes use of a wheelchair to be mobile but that did not stop him from turning his passion into a profession. 

Today he is a full-time DJ who provides for his family and is one of the most sought-after entertainers in the Mother City.

He told the Daily Voice: “My life growing up as a child was 'normal'. Like any child I was made fun of in the beginning, bullied and excluded. 

“And being excluded still happens today but because of my schooling and counseling I've learned to accept it to be my ‘norm’. Being different just makes everything twice as challenging.

“I want the public to know that we all have abilities within our disabilities.”

Celebrating Disability Awareness Month, DJ Rollstoel will be hosting his own event titled Find your ability within your disability on 29 November at Mia Casa in Kuils River.

The dress code is Denim on Denim and tickets are available at R100 on Quicket and R120 at the door with DJ Rollstoel, DJ Ralton, Jermaine SA and Chad Chitter wrecking the decks.

Kyle added: “Find Your Ability Within Your Disability is more than an event, it’s a movement that celebrates strength, inclusion, and the unstoppable spirit of people living with disabilities. 

“Through music, fashion, and community, the event inspires everyone to embrace their unique abilities and break down barriers.”