LIVING WITH DISABILITY: BUSISIWE’S STORY

Busisiwe Nxumalo, born into a poor family, partially blind and without the use of her legs, is living proof that limits are only in our minds.

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Busisiwe Nxumalo was born 56 years ago in Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal. When she was seven months old, her father passed away, leaving her mother alone to care for her and her siblings. ‘My mother would carry me to school in the mornings. She would also take me long distances to the hospital,’ Busisiwe remembers. ‘School was hard for me. My family was poor, and I had no wheelchair as a child. So I had to crawl around on my hands and knees.’

According to the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization, around eight million South Africans are differently abled, 80% of whom are unemployed, with a lack of skills being the leading cause. Statistics like this bring home the fact that something as simple as climbing out of bed is, for some, a monumental task.

POSITIVE MINDSET
Busisiwe has overcome countless challenges in her life. Today, with the help of the KwaZulu-Natal Blind & Deaf Society, she is a skilful seamstress, proving that anything is possible when you have a positive mindset. ‘Just because I cannot see doesn’t mean I cannot sew,’ she says.

Through her doctor, Busisiwe learnt about the KwaZulu-Natal Blind & Deaf Society. At first, the idea of approaching the society was a daunting one. Because she struggled to get around, she spent most days at home and did not get the opportunity to meet or interact with many people. ‘I wasn’t sure how people would take me. I was very nervous,’ she says. But she pushed past her fears and reached out.



BRAVE ENOUGH TO TRY
Her circumstances at the time helped give her the courage to face her fears. She initially lived in a flat for the differently abled, but it burned down, and she was forced to move into a township. Unfortunately, townships are not designed to make life easy for the differently abled. Busisiwe reflects that when it rains, the roads turn to mud, making going uphill in a wheelchair an impossible task.

‘The township can be a hard place to live,’ she says. ‘People will come along and see that you suffering [sic], but they will only help you if you give them something in return.’ So Busisiwe went to the KwaZulu-Natal Blind & Deaf Society to meet with a social worker, Zama, who told her she couldn’t only rely on others to help her. She would be stuck until she learnt to also help herself.

WORK EMPOWERS
It took courage and determination to keep pushing forward. Busisiwe tried many things from beadwork to computer skills. She learnt Braille and sign language and finally sewing, to which she took to easily. Today she is part of a thriving community. Her work makes her feel strong and empowered, and she is earning a living doing something she loves.

‘NOT A DEATH PENALTY’
Busisiwe has a message she would like to impart to the world: ‘Being disabled is not a death penalty. There is life beyond it. So build up your confidence, dream big, and work hard.’ It’s a beautiful message, which applies not only to differently abled people but to everyone, from a truly inspiring woman who refused to let life get her down.