I Can inspire

In July 2009 I met Ali Smeeton and her son Jamie at Atholton Primary. Ali and Tim Smeeton decided to educate 10-year-old Jamie at a mainstream school – known as inclusive education – so that he would learn age appropriate behaviour and social skills despite the challenges he faces as a Down’s syndrome child.

Ali is a great believer in synchronicity and the power of God in “paving the way” in their lives. “If Jamie hadn’t come into our lives, we wouldn’t be where we are, as individuals, as family and as a community,” said Ali. Right now they are in a very special place.

In the picture: Jedd and Joanne Coetzee.

From the time Jamie was born Ali sourced information to assist her child to reach his full potential. Ali is a qualified job coach and in 2005 co-founded a non-profit organisation called Employ Ability, focusing on employment of adults with intellectual disabilities.

Last year Tim’s employer sponsored Ali, Jamie and his then facilitator, Julia Medina, to attend a therapy programme at the International Centre for the Enhancement of Learning Potential in Jerusalem, Israel. They returned determined to set up similar centres in Durban to provide support for the inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream schools.

“I Can was born from this vision, which is now both an adult development academy as well as a children’s therapy centre. Adult development academies have since been established in Durban, Joburg and Cape Town, and the first children’s therapy centre opened its doors in Durban in January 2011.

Abilities

“At I Can we emphasise the abilities rather than the disabilities,” explained Ali. The Children’s Therapy Centre consists of an occupational therapist, speech therapist and teachers, who involve all parties – the school, parents, teachers and facilitators.

“We encourage a holistic approach to working with the child, so that the development extends beyond therapy sessions and into the day-to-day life of the child” continued Ali.

The centre currently accommodates 16 children, from as young as two, and therapy is structured to work across a range of cognitive disabilities, including Down’s Syndrome, autism, Williams Syndrome and cerebral palsy.

On the adult side, experience has taught them that a person with a disability has an enormous capacity to learn, implement and retain the skills of a given job when presented with the opportunity to learn on-site, with support.
The nationally recognised, vocationally directed qualification, run through a learnership programme offered at the Adult Academy, stretches from 12 to 18 months.

Integration

The work of I Can and the Production Management Institute of Southern Africa (PMI) was recognised at a recent Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry dinner, in which PMI scooped two of the four top awards for Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment relating to their disability project.

“A community with a positive outlook on the integration of persons with disabilities is the greatest support we could ask for,” said Ali. “On a practical level we’re constantly looking for employment and experiential working opportunities for our adult learners. On the children’s side, there is an overwhelming need for therapy sponsorships for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

The vision does not end there. “Our ambition is to start up a college for 12-16-year-olds to fill the gap between the children’s therapy centre and the adult’s academy. The key is not to lose the developmental momentum of each individual as they progress from one phase in their lives to the next.”

The short time I spent at I Can was incredibly humbling. I watched with awe as workers gently instilled discipline, listening skills and learning skills through games and interactive tasks with the children. I was inspired by the eagerness of the adults to learn and their willingness to embrace a career in the future.

But most of all I salute Ali and Tim Smeeton for embracing the challenges of raising Jamie and seizing the opportunities he has presented to them.

Useful info: Contact Alison Smeeton at I Can, Special Needs Centre, at 084 605 0821 or www.ican-sa.co.za

FACT FILE

• Government has set a target that 4% of the workforce should be represented by people with a disability.
• Disabled people have the greatest unemployment rates in South Africa.
• Children with Down’s Syndrome account for about one in 650 births.
• While enabling legislation strongly supports the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities into mainstream schooling, very few schools have the resources or the will to make this a reality.
• Access to meaningful and sustainable therapy for children with disabilities is virtually non existent in disadvantaged communities.