It’s the month for honouring the achievements of women – and women with disabilities. Lakeside, Muizenberg resident and Casual Day ambassador Lois Strachan has been selected as one of the extraordinary women with disabilities that will be honoured at the three-day Tributes Excellence Awards event to be held in Mangaung from 26 to 28 August 2015. She will receive the Tributes statuette in the Literature/Education Category, says Musa Zulu, creative director of Valhalla Arts, the organiser of these national awards.
Lois is a well-known personality on the speaking circuit and has written a series of children’s books, “The Adventures of Missy Mouse”, about a blind mouse who uses her other senses to engage with the world around her. Lois became blind at the age of 21, as a result of childhood onset diabetes. She used her love of music to help her cope with her blindness and is now an inspirational speaker, workshop facilitator and author.
She says: “When I became blind I realized I had a choice – I could go home and give up, be angry and depressed for the rest of my life, or I could go out there and see what life still had to offer me as a blind person.”
Lois uses her personal story to help audiences see their lives, and their challenges in a slightly different way, and show them they can use their strengths to guide them through their challenges to success. Passionate about raising awareness of the capabilities of persons living with a disability, Lois aims to demonstrate to organisations that employing someone who is differently-abled need not be either costly or difficult. Lois is an advocate for communication and leadership development, and has served as District Director of Toastmasters International, Southern Africa.
On being awarded a Tributes Excellence Award, Lois says, “It’s a real honour for me to have been recognised in this way. My hope is that I will be able to use this award to touch the lives of others living with a disability to empower them to achieve success.”
Her role as a Casual Day ambassador involves raising awareness of persons with disabilities and how the funds raised by Casual Day changes lives.
She will receive the Tributes statuette alongside fellow Casual Day ambassador, Jabulile Ngwenya, a screenwriter and journalist, who will be honoured in the Creative Arts Category.
Casual Day is on Friday 4 September and the community is asked to dress up in the theme Spring into Action for persons with disabilities. Sponsored by The Edcon Group, Casual Day is the flagship project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA).
Says Therina Wentzel, director of the NCPPDSA: “Women with disabilities have massive challenges for accessibility, education, transport and everything that most of us take for granted, so we congratulate these women for their achievements.”
Get your stickers from your local participating organisation;
Or Edgars, Jet, JetMart, Boardmans, CNA, Red Square and Legit;
Game and DionWired stores;
Shoprite and Checkers stores.
Author: Andrea Vinassa from Torchmedia.
More Info link: https://www.casualday.co.za
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CasualDay_SA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasualDaySA
Images: For high res version/s of One image/s please contact Torchmedia.
Claire van Zyl, Dawn Corin and Casual Day ambassador Lois Strachan with her service dog Eccles, with Fatima Martin and Casual Day ambassador Jabulile Ngwenya. Photo: Supplied
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