CHANGEMAKER | From struggling at school to empowering people with disabilities

Thapelo Tshabalala, author and co-founder of Tshwane Disability Empowerment Projects, shares his personal journey of overcoming struggles in school to empowering people with disabilities. Dysgraphia, a neurological condition affecting his writing ability, made school a challenging experience for Tshabalala, who was repeatedly discouraged by teachers and family.

Despite these obstacles, Tshabalala graduated with a master's degree in 2022 from Tshwane University of Technology, focusing his research on accessible adventure tourism experiences for individuals with disabilities.

His experiences led him to become more involved in disability advocacy, publishing a book titled "Epitome of Disability: Challenging Barriers in Education and Beyond". In 2023, he co-founded Tshwane Disability Empowerment Projects, a center that provides skills-building programs to 45 people with disabilities aged 18-45 in Stinkwater, Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria. The center offers activities like sewing, agriculture, baking, and sports, with a mobile vegetable garden that supplies fresh produce for the kitchen.

Funded by the Department of Social Development, the center currently employs four staff members, with funding allocated for 20 people with disabilities. However, Tshabalala expresses that the center struggles to maintain its practical programs due to inadequate funding. The need for materials, volunteer facilitators, and equipment hinders the center's ability to develop its agriculture and baking programs, leaving participants without the necessary skills for financial independence.