◆ THE VOICE OF THE PERSON WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY AND/OR THEIR PARENT WCFID STAFF Director Tessa Wood The Self-Advocate Group: Community Liaison Officer Desiree Douglas Born in 2001, and comprised of consumers (people with intellectual disability), Training Co-ordinator Aimee Isaacs the self-advocate group meets quarterly at the WCFID offices. The adults come Life Skills Trainer and Resource Developer Rebecca Johns from group homes; attend protective workshops; or are home-based individuals. Administrator Felicity Dreyer Project Administrator Sandy Butler Annually, the programme takes a journey focusing on human rights, with specific General Office Assistant Nompiwo Primrose Rhojie reference to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD). Understand Hope and Care, Khayelitsha Home of Hope, Tableview The group has become a place of friendship and support, with a Harvard Project on THE FORUM WISHES TO THANK THE Disability www.hpod.org Vukuhambe Day Care, Zweletemba Huis Horison, Stellenbosch strong social component. © 2008 The President and FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF Vukani, Khayelitsha Humberstone House, Plumstead Fellows of Harvard College. The voice of the child/parent: All rights reserved. THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT Wilge Special Care, Atlantis Hurdy Gurdy Homes Trust, Penhill FOR THEIR DEDICATED SERVICE: Yomelelani Centre, Phillipi Includid, Maitland In partnership with the Rural CSPID Team (therapeutic team, Fatima Shaboodien, Principal, De Heide Livewell Villages, Somerset West Dept. of Education), a sexual awareness workshop was held SCHOOLS Oasis House, Kenwyn Special Day Care Centre (Chairperson) Alpha School, Woodstock Oasis House, Ruyterwacht at Breede Valley APD, Worcester. Some 80 parents, carers, John Williams, Businessman (Treasurer) Alta du Toit School, Kuils River Rosedon House, Lansdowne teachers, programme implementers, occupational therapists Prof. Colleen Adnams, Vera Grover Professor Athlone School for the Blind, Athlone Sunfield Home, Wellington of Intellectual Disability, Dept. Psychiatry Beacon School, Mitchells Plain The Open Circle, Maitland Annual Report and social workers from 10 special care centres came together Bel Porto School, Lansdowne The Vine Community, Constantia and Mental Health,U.C.T., and Head of from as far as Tulbagh and Swellendam. Blouvlei Special School and Resource Centre, Retreat Zandvliet, Macassar The training focused on thinking about the sexual development Clinical Unit, Alexandra Hospital, WCG DoH Camphill School, Hermanus Chere Botha School, Bellville of children with severe to profound intellectual disability, and Ruth Alfreds, Retired Matron, Lentegeur HOSPITALS 2015-2016 Hospital Dorothea School, Stellenbosch Alexandra Psychiatric Hospital, Maitland Eden School, Worcester reporting sexual abuse of very vulnerable children. Kay Cikizwa, Social Worker, Alexandra Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital, Mitchells Plain Glenbridge Special School and Resource Centre, Nelspoort Hospital, Beaufort West Hospital Bergvliet A valuable reminder from a parent at the workshop: Rosemary De Waal, Social Worker Amathemba Special Need School, Tableview ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANISATIONS “We need to listen to our children and be patient when we listen. It might feel like they take so long to tell us something, because Zukie Diniso, Head of Dept, Bel Porto Lentegeur School, Mitchell’s Plain Autism Western Cape, Mowbray LSEN School Ligstraal Skool, Paarl - Oos Breede Valley A.P.D., Worcester of their disability, but we must be patient. Stop telling your child that you’re busy cooking or cleaning and take the time to listen. Molenbeek School, Maitland Cape Mental Health, Observatory Lindelwa Madikane, Principal, Vukani Special When I did this, and I really listened, I discovered that my child was telling me she had been sexually abused!” Nompumelelo School, Gugulethu Community Mental Health and Psychiatry, Bellville Care Centre Oasis School, Belhar CSPID North, Bellville Aletta Pearce, Retired Deputy Chief Education Ocean View School, Ocean View CSPID Rural, Riebeeck West Specialist for Special Schools Perpetua House, Monte Vista Down Syndrome Association, Bellville THE CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT Rusthof Special School and Resource Centre, Strand Tessa Wood, Director, WCFID, (ex officio) Down Syndrome Support Western Cape, Rondebosch Last year was a significant year for the Forum as 2015/16, with the dawning of a very positive phase of development. Robinhill Special School, Atlantis Ekupholeni Mental Health and Trauma Centre, Seal College, Tableview Ekupholeni Not only did we recognise the need to embrace change, we underwent a brand repositioning of all aspects of the Forum, FORUM MEMBERS 2015/2016 Vera School for Autistic Children, Crawford Fish Hoek, Kommetjie and Noordhoek which resulted in higher standards of excellence. The successful implementation of our strategic plans rested on the co- Welfare Association, Ocean View operation of staff and our membership. It continued to evolve and meet the objectives of a person-centred organisation INCLUSIVE PRE-SCHOOLS SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT Good Hope Psychological Services, Paarl Peter Pan, Maitland Academy for Adults with Autism, Lakeside Home from Home, Plumstead of great integrity and efficacy. Our Constitution compels consultation. To support the needs of people with intellectual Alta du Toit Nasorg, Bellville Huntington’s Association of South Africa, Observatory disability and those who provide services, consultation remained a necessity. SPECIAL EDUCATION AND CARE CENTRES Astra Centre, Gardens Inclusive Education South Africa, Wynberg Through our extensive capacity development programme, the focus was on sharing our knowledge, practise and ASD Sean Kelly, Worcester Brownies and Downies, Cape Town Iris House, Stikland expertise with our members and their organisations to develop their skills and competencies. Empowering through learning ACVV Trippeltoontjies, Robertson Care Career Connection, Elsenberg Livewell Villages, Somerset West Autism Connect Learning Centre, Mitchells Plain Drakenstein Centre, Groot Drakenstein National Institute for the Deaf, Worcester allowed for critical reflection that only advanced the rights of people with intellectual disability. The Forum continued Balula, Fisantekraal Eljada Kairos, Oudtshoorn Oasis Association, Claremont to take cognisance of the array of experiences and noted awareness of our members’ context and points of reference. Bizweni Centre for Disabled Children, Emmaus Protective Workshop, George Olifantsrivier Vereeniging, Vredendal Together, we optimised our collective impact on the support and services we provide. The Forum can certainly be proud of Somerset West Ncedeluntu Skills Development Training, Orion Organisation, Atlantis the role it played in encouraging good governance in the NPO sector by providing valuable training to assist organisations Caring and Sharing, Touwsrivier Nomzamo, Strand Paarl A.P.D., Paarl Cenida, Somerset West Oasis Protective Workshop, Claremont Prader Willie Syndrome SA, Brooklyn develop and meet compliance regulations. De Heide Special Care Centre, Lansdowne Oasis Protective Workshop, Elsies River S A Federation for Mental Health, Centurion In the context of the Forum, advocacy covered a broad range of activities from awareness raising, influencing legislation, Die Eiland Huis, St Helena Bay Orion Workshop, Atlantis Siyabonga, Vredenburg lobbying, information dissemination etc. taking place on various levels, aiming to minimise the causes of disadvantage and Elundini Special Care, DuNoon Training Workshop Unlimited (TWU), Athlone Senecio, Somerset West Emmanuel Day Care, Atlantis TWU, Mitchells Plain The Association for the Sensory Disabled, Worcester achieving social justice and equity. Erika Special Care, Mitchells Plain TWU, Nonceba, Khayelitsha W. Cape Cerebral Palsy Association, Rondebosch Disability research promoted an interdisciplinary approach and further asserted that disability is a human rights Friends Day Centre, Maitland TWU, Retreat Western Cape A.P.D., Milnerton issue demanding consideration in the training and teaching of members of our society. The launch of the new manual Gansbaai Outreach, Gansbaai The Village Work Centre, Claremont West Coast Disability Forum, Vredenburg Good Hope Day Care Centre, Mbekweni Work4You, Salt River W Cape Network on Disability, Salt River “Understanding Intellectual Disability” provided us with an overview of the various considerations to be borne in mind Heideveld Care Centre, Heideveld when viewing the crucial issues relating to children and adults with intellectual disability. Imizamo Yethu, Khayelitsha LICENSED HOMES/24 HR CARE FACILITIES INDIVIDUALS The task at hand is too great for any one of us to manage independently. Working together and mobilising, and fuelled Iqhayiya Care and Support, Khayelitsha ASD Sean Kelly, Worcester Toni Abrahams, Prof. Colleen Adnams, Ruth Alfreds, by a passion to attain a better life for all, we can and will continue to make a notable difference. I am proud to reflect that Joy Special Care, Mitchells Plain Bambo Children’s Home, Phillipi East Joan Appolis, Janice Behr, Catherine Blow, Lonwabo Special Care, Mfuleni Die Eiland Huis, St Helena Bay Adri Cloete, Santie Coetzee, Judy Cooke, the Forum has succeeded in accomplishing its set targets as we remained true to our core focus. Masincedane Centre, Nyanga Elim Home, Elim Frikkie Crous, Sannie Crous, Marinda de Villiers, Fatima Shaboodien, Chairperson, WCFID Nomaxabiso, Phillipi Iqhayiya, Khayelitsha Tarryn Dyers, Beverley