Lizzie Vogel is a beacon of hope for many
“I have a passion for these people, and this is a passion that God has created for me.”
POLOKWANE – “The reason I am here is absolutely thanks to the work of God, because at first I was hesitant to teach the intellectually impaired.”
These are the words of Lizzie Vogel who is said to have a heart of gold and is a beacon of hope for the intellectually impaired.
The 49-year-old has been with the New Horizon School for 24 years and ever since then has garnered many titles in her quest to help the intellectually impaired grow in the world of sport.
She has been with the South African Sport Association for the Intellectually Impaired (SASAII) since 1996. In 2007 she was chosen as president of SASAII.
She is the International Finance Officer for Down Syndrome Swimming, the International Vice President for the Down Syndrome Athletics Association and the International Development Officer for Down Syndrome Sport.
She first taught mainly mathematics in Gauteng but when she moved to Polokwane she was asked to join New Horizon. “The principal didn’t actually ask, I was just told that they would see me the next day so I was fairly stressed,” she said laughingly.
She admitted that her doubts of teaching the intellectually impaired were totally put to rest and since then she has never looked back.
To explain how the intellectually impaired learn, she said that those who are able to learn can take anything from one to five years to learn at the same rate as a normal child would learn in one year.
“If I teach them something and they actually take it in, is the most satisfying part of the job for me.”
Vogel said that most of the intellectually impaired have a great sense of humour, and there is also nothing that really bothers them.
“They always go on with their life and move forward, they don’t care about the worries of today, because they know that tomorrow is another day, and that always gives me the strength to continue,” she said.
Vogel offers advice for people with an intellectually impaired person in their family. “You will definitely need support from others, because if you go through it alone, you will struggle. It is also important to not be ashamed of them, and to not be afraid to ask for help.”
She also asked for the public to come and support their athletes as they are just as important as the famous athletes we see every day. “I dream of a day where we are given a warm welcome from supporters as our athletes enter airports to compete internationally,” she concluded.
