A speech therapist, Casey Lawrence, is looking for people to speak to for a new online series that aims to dismantle the prejudices and stigma surrounding people with disabilities.
Originally from Durban, Ms Lawrence, now living in Edgemead, came to Cape Town to complete her BSc in speech and language pathology at UCT medical school and graduated in 2015. She has filled multiple roles in her field, working in both the public and private sectors and at mainstream and special-needs schools, such as the Dominican School for the Deaf in Wittebome and St Joseph’s School in Montana.
Disabilities come in all shapes and sizes, says Ms Lawrence, some you can see, some you can’t see.
“The intent for the series is to interview the whole family – the parents, the siblings and the child or adult with the disability. I would like to interview families for the rest of us to see how they navigate the world around them, and for children with disabilities to have their voices heard.”
“It is no good for me as a speech therapist, speaking for or advocating for the child with disability. Let them speak for themselves, let’s tap in and get a look into their lives, into their minds. And for them to say, ‘I’m a person too, and I also have a life, and my future is also bright.’”
Getting families to interview, Ms Lawrence says, hasn’t been easy: “People are either afraid, overprotective or they just don’t want to be in the spotlight when it comes to disability. It’s still quite heavily stigmatised and stereotyped in our country.”
During her career, Ms Lawrence says she has come across some parents who are in denial about their child’s disability diagnosis: “Then when a child turns 5 years old and they enter the schooling system, into Grade R, the parents invariably meet me, a speech therapist. I say to them, ‘You know I am a bit concerned… Have you been to a paediatrician?’ They always say no, they don’t think there is something wrong with their child.”
As a mother of a toddler herself, Ms Lawrence says she can relate: disability is not the picture you paint for yourself when you’re planning to have a family.
“I had those cases when I worked in the mainstream,“ she says. ”Mainstream is not all sunshine and roses: there are issues, there are special kids, and that is why you have a school-based support team out there to get them into a proper learning environment better suited for them.“
In the video series, Ms Lawrence hopes to share what she has come to love about her vocation.
“You really get to see the world through their eyes. They are just lovely little people, and, as teachers, therapists, principals, and class assistants, we go into a school and we really try to prepare the next generation for the future. We witness some children who cannot access the curriculum, who are unable to sit in a classroom and learn the way other children learn. To be part of the team that is going to advocate for that little person and give them the education that they truly deserve is what made me fall in love with them.”
If you or a family member are interested in speaking to Casey Lawrence and would like to know more, contact her on WhatsApp at 062 093 6875.
