Shakila is a woman of courage

SHAKILA Maharaj epitomises the title of a woman of courage.

Shakila, who is one of the speakers at the Union of Jewish Women’s Women of Courage Seminar on 25 November, overcame the odds to become a successful businesswoman.

Shakila was born sighted, but when she was eight years old she fell down a flight of stairs at her home in Pietermaritzburg, which lead to damage of the optical nerve.

She also injured her knee, which lead to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which travelled up and attacked her eyes, leading to a rare condition called Stills Disease, which was deemed incurable at the time. She was left partially sighted.

Shakila’s family moved to live with her sister in Ireland, but after a year, her parents moved home to South Africa, leaving her to live in Ireland with her sister.

She attended a mainstream school, and as she was the only Indian pupil, she always felt important. She was accepted, even though her friends knew she had a serious condition.

“I recall the challenge of waking up in the morning and my sight was more foggy, which got thicker. I started to experience night blindness and colours got dimmer, but I just adjusted and carried on,” she said.

When she felt it was becoming too dangerous for her to travel or walk to school she decided to stop going to school, and said she was educated through BBC channels.

“When my friends finished high school and started moving on to university, it hit me that I was getting left behind. I had been taught to read braille with the sight I still had and I also got white cane training. I decided to apply to do one subject to see how I did. I hired a tutor to help me, and I passed with an A, I couldn’t get over it! I called my dad in South Africa and told him I wanted to return and go back to school, which I did,” she said.

Shakila attended a school for the blind in Pietermaritzburg, and was placed in Standard 7, and passed her exams with ease. After the Easter break she was moved into a Standard 8 class, and after successfully passing the June exams, she was put into a matric class. At the end of the year, she passed with two As and three Bs.

She applied to study a BA at UDW and completed her degree, following which she completed her honours degree in psychology.

“I then applied to complete my masters degree in the USA and enjoyed an amazing time at Columbia University. I had to find my way around and gained my independence while I was there, living my life to the fullest,” she said.

She married her husband, Naresh, and returned to South Africa, but then moved to Ireland where she ran a fashion boutique with her sister. Now completely blind, she learnt to select items through the feel and texture of the fabric.

She returned to South Africa after Nelson Mandela was released, and gave birth to a son and became a full time housewife for two years.

This lifestyle didn’t suit this motivated woman, who approached the IEC, and was hired to train election monitors. She met the head of HR for Spoornet, and asked for an internship, and after having no luck, she says she squatted outside his door for three months before he took her on as the head of learning and performance.

“This is where I started the drive for business to understand people with disability in the workplace. In 2004 I left to start my own consulting company, but my clients focused on disability and I thought I would go the route of disability management services. I am now semi-retired, but my new focus is on making visual media accessible for the blind. I attended training in the US and am the only person in SA who is involved in this. Mnet now have an audio describe option. I will spend the next few years focusing on this, as blind people live in a visual world, not a void or darkness,” she said.

The Women in Courage seminar takes place at the Durban Jewish Centre, KE Masinga (Old Fort Road), Durban.

Tickets are R150 which includes a delicious tea. To book your seat, contact Sylvia on 076 042 2549.