A woman with speech impairment hopes to use her voice to empower others
A woman with lots to say hopes to encourage the community to treat others like her, with physical or mental disabilities, with kindness and compassion.
Thirty-two-year-old Carla van Nieuwenhuizen is a warm-hearted and cheerful young woman. She is also physically disabled due to a bout of fits when she was just six months old.
“I got brain damage due to a lack of oxygen during one of my seizures,” explained Van Nieuwenhuizen, through her alternative communication program called Grid 2. She added that a part of her disability is in the form of speech impairment, making it very difficult to talk normally.
“People think I am stupid because I cannot communicate [by saying the words],” she added.
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Beyond her daily communication, she also uses her alternative communication program to help bridge the gap between those who speak normally and people like her. During Covid, Van Nieuwenhuizen had a near-death experience, she explained and had to be in ICU for quite some time.
“The nurses didn’t understand what I was saying and so I was thirsty or hungry or even in pain without being able to communicate that to them,” she elaborated. Where most would be discouraged and resign themselves to their fate, Van Nieuwenhuizen and her family came up with ways in which she could communicate with her nurses through grid-like boards with different words and pictures that she could point out.
“We ended up building quite a few friendships and I hope the experience will help other disabled patients in the future.”
She attended a course called Fofa, a Tswana word that means fly high, at the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the University of Pretoria two years ago which helped her learn how to use Grid 2. She has since become a mentor for other students taking the course and wrote her first poem, Mirror Mirror, after completing the course.
“I have a wonderful caregiver, Virginia Patosi, who helps me during the day and has been with me for 10 years now,” she added, grinning as the program voiced her words. She also attends Pathways Centre for disabled children and has been at the facility for seven years.
“I remember a while back I wanted to learn more about make-up, and Blush Academy invited me to attend a make-up training course. I am excited to say that I run their Facebook page, and sell Tupperware and Justine as an extra income,” she exclaimed.
She loves music and is Bobby van Jaarsveld’s biggest fan. She enjoys listening to music and going to church.
“I live an exciting and challenging life. I am a motivational speaker and enjoy sharing my story to help make a difference in the world,” she added.
She enjoys writing poems and reflections inspired by her past experiences in the hope of raising awareness and connecting with readers. Her disability does not define her and she aspires to live her life to the fullest and hopes to inspire kindness and compassion in those around her.
