Cape Town - A Cape Town school for pupils with disabilities got into the spirit of the upcoming Casual Day when they staged a special concert with organisers of the annual fundraising drive hoping to top the R30 million in 2015.
Casual Day ambassadors visited the Filia School in Goodwood on Tuesday to support the school’s music band and to raise awareness about supporting persons with disabilities ahead of Casual Day on September 4.
The 18-member Filia School Band band, dressed in their cool mint green “Spring into Action” Casual Day t-shirts, played a variety of songs from well known artists including Miriam Makeba and Alicia Keys.
Playing with precision and passion, what made their rendition of the songs even more remarkable was that the learners were intellectually and physically challenged. Some were only able to play with one hand, keeping their eye on their music teacher, Sheila Davids, and the school’s bus driver and brass band instructor, Osman Dreyer.
Filia is home to 192 pupils with different kinds of disabilities, ranging from cerebral palsy, autism, Down’s Syndrome, and hearing impairment among others. Initially founded by the Western Cape Cerebral Palsy Association 35 years ago as a place of learning for intellectually challenged children with cerebral palsy, school, Principal Mandy Mortlock told ANA, that the school “has in recent years become more inclusive of children with other forms of disabilities”.
Filia School now falls under the auspices of the Western Cape Education Department as a resource centre for inclusive education.
A young 14-year-old drummer who has cerebral palsy, and who identified himself as Thobani, told the African News Agency (ANA) that he loved playing the drums. “It feels very good to be here, I enjoy it,” he said.
He said it felt amazing to know that he was able to show his community that he could do something despite the challenges he encountered in his life everyday.
The school caters for the 6-18 age group and teaches language, maths and life skills across the foundation phase, intermediate phase and senior phase.
“We teach them everything they need to learn to function in life,” said Mortlock. Mortlock, who taught at the school for several years before becoming the principal, said every day the pupils taught her something new which made being at the school such a joy.
Dreyer, who has been the school’s bus driver and a trumpet player for 25 years, said he established the brass band three years ago.
“In the beginning, it was tough as you need a great deal of patience to work with the children as they take some time to learn how to play – it is not overnight, and they can play a small part of a song as their brains work differently to yours or mine,” he said. “I enjoy teaching them and it is wonderful to be able to prove that persons with disabilities can do anything.”
Casual Day ambassador Lois Strachan, who became blind at the age of 21 due to Type 1 diabetes, said: “It is exciting to be part of the Casual Day programme that does so much good to help people. Listening to the children in the band brought home to me how important the work Casual Day is doing is in raising awareness about disability.”
Casual Day is the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa’s flagship project, and all funds raised go towards organisations supporting persons with disabilities. In 2014, Casual Day raised R28 million, and was aiming to raise R30 million this year. There are five different types of stickers for this year’s Casual Day, at R10 each. Stickers can be bought from Edgars, CNA, Jet, Boardmans, Legit, Game, Dion Wired, Shoprite and Checkers stores or at ABSA.
ANA