Astounding Chaeli Mycroft at ACSA Disability Expo

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep. 5, 2012 - Her astounding story began when she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy before her first birthday and with a degenerative neuropathy at the age of six.

This gutsy, international award-winning Capetonian teenager will give a motivational talk at the Airports Company South Africa Disability Trade and Lifestyle Expo on Saturday 8 September at 13:00. The expo takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 6 to 8 September 2012.

In 2011, Chaeli was awarded the International Children’s Peace Prize for her life and work as an ability activist. In April this year she was awarded the first ever medal for social activism by Nobel Peace Laureates at their annual Peace Summit in Chicago.

Reaching Dreams
“What other people see as Chaeli’s disability, we, her family, see as something that makes her able to reach her dreams,” says Chaeli’s mother, Zelda Mycroft. Eight years ago Chaeli needed to buy a special motorised wheelchair. Her sister Erin, with family friends Tarry, Justine and Chelsea Terry, managed to raise R20 000 in just seven weeks. They sold cards containing artwork by Erin and Chaeli. They also sold signature Sunshine miniature pots. And that is how The Chaeli Campaign was born.

Chaeli is a Grade 12 learner at a mainstream high school and is busy completing her school education, without a facilitator. Chaeli writes all her own notes. Next year she will make history as the first person with a disability requiring a facilitator, to move into a residence at the University of Cape Town. She intends to study for a BA degree in social science, majoring in politics and philosophy.

Normalising Perceptions of Disability
Chaeli is a dynamic and vocal advocate for the unconditional moral inclusion of people with disabilities into mainstream society and this is one of the aims of the Chaeli Campaign.

“We are perfectly normal people, but with special needs,” says Chaeli. “Society needs to erase the stigma it associates with disability and normalise its perceptions through the inclusion of people with disabilities into everyday life.

“We don’t merely give out wheelchairs; we believe that we give people mobility and independence. We don’t just provide hearing aids; we open up a world full of sounds. We don’t simply supply laptop computers; we provide the canvas upon which children can freely express their thoughts and feelings. Our goal is to breathe hope into the lives of children with disabilities and their families, and find ways to increase their independence, improve their social status and education, and integrate them into their communities. My ultimate motto is; ‘Just remember to have fun in whatever you’re doing. If you’re not having fun, it’s pointless.’”

More To See and Do at the ACSA Disability Expo
Visitors to the ACSA Disability Trade Expo and Conference will be treated to a jam-packed programme of activities, demonstrations, conference and exhibits. The expo offers numerous interactive events, a trade show and a two-day conference on 6 and 7 September, with the theme ‘Solutions for Delivery to People with Disabilities’. Other attractions include cookery demonstrations by the SA Chefs Association; arts and crafts activities and numerous sports demonstrations.

The expo showcases includes covers wheelchairs; adapted vehicles; assisted daily living equipment and services; communication aids and computers; easy reach devices; medical supplies; hand cycles; hearing aids; hospital furniture; mobility aids; occupational products; patient handling devices; physio equipment; products and aids for the deaf and blind; prosthetic artificial limbs; showering devices / building products; sports equipment; training institutions; walking sticks; wheelchairs; clothing and, much more!

For more information on exhibiting at or visiting the show or attending the conference, contact:

Bette McNaughton - Event Director. Tel (+27) 11 784 4279. E-mail: bettemc@fairconsultants.com. www.mcnaughtonevents.co.za

ENDS



Issued by:       CVLC
Date Issued:       4 September 2012
Contact Persons:    Catherine Larkin
Telephone:       (011) 789-7327 / 083 300 0331
Fax:          (011) 787-7865
E-mail:       catherine@cvlc.co.za
Postal Address:    P O Box 44945, Linden, 2104, South Africa

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/11966946/1