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Centre for Augmentative & Alternative Communication

Six youths with severe communication difficulties (representing 5 provinces) and their personal assistants will participated in a training program focused on leadership, independent living and preparation to enter the labour market.
They are:

Daniel Ngcobo:

Daniel Ngcobo: 21 years old, from rural KwaZulu-Natal. After his schooling career, he is sitting at home in his village, sometimes helping with typing and making birthday cards for friends and family. He loves to socialize, but few of the people in his community can understand what he tries to communicate. His dream is to become an advocate for disability, sharing his insights and making a difference in his own community. He started this training program in 2005 and continued in 2006.


France Mgenge

France Mgenge: 19 years old, from KwaZulu-Natal. He is in final year of schooling at the Open Air school, Durban. He is severely disabled and uses a head pointer to access a keyboard to communicate as well as to write for academic purposes. He started this training program in 2005 and continued in 2006.


Lebogang Sehako

Lebogang Sehako: 24 years old, from Kuruman, finished grade 12 and now wants to enrol at the Tshwane University of Technology for Business Economics in 2007. He was born with athetoid cerebral-palsy, that renders him severely physically disabled. His dream is to open his own restaurant back at home in Kuruman. This program is focused on assisting him to prepare for his further studies. He started this training program in 2005 and continued in 2006.


Martin Pistorius

Martin Pistorius: 30 years old, from Pretoria, finished his Advanced Certificate in Education with specialisation in inclusion of learners with severe disabilities at the University of Pretoria cum laude in 2006. He is confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak. He is currently employed at the CAAC and the CSIR as a disability consultant. He is continuing his education in Website development and is already involved in leadership activities in the field of disability. His dream is to live independently. He started this training program in 2005 and finished his training in 2006.


Pat Monareng

Pat Monareng: 41 years old, from Bushbuck Ridge, Mpumalanga. He was previously employed by the Military. However a brainstem stroke which rendered him wheelchair bound and unable to speak resulted in him no longer being employed. He needs to develop a more sophisticated communication system to enable him to get back into the employment sector. He started his training in 2006 and will continue in 2007.


Luvuyo Tyulu

Luvuyo Tyulu: 20 years old, from Cape Town, was born with athetoid cerebral-palsy. He finished school but has major communication problems. He is back at school to improve his literacy levels and participated in the program for the first time in 2006