The Fanie du Toit Story

Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience of progressive hearing loss and later total deafness with you. It has been an integral part of my life for more than four decades. I would like to share my thoughts on a lived experience of exclusion, but also on the wonderful opportunities within an inaccessible environment.

However, I had to learn to understand my own limitations and the accompanying disability. The concept of “disability” is clearly set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as in the South African White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, SA legislation, codes, and disability policies.

The way you accept your significant limitations, and how you experience disability imposed by society, can be decisive in developing your full potential and making a meaningful contribution to society.

What is an impairment?

It is a perceived or real characteristic in a person’s body or functioning that can lead to a loss of activity or limited participation in society. In my case, it is a sensory limitation due to acoustic trauma.

What is a disability?

Disability is an evolving concept imposed by society when persons with physical, psychosocial, intellectual, neurological, and/or sensory impairments are denied access to full participation in all aspects of life, and when society does not recognise the rights and specific needs of individuals with impairments.

Who are persons with disabilities?

Persons with disabilities include those who have perceived or real limitations which, as a result of various attitudinal, communication, physical, and informational barriers, prevent them from participating fully and effectively in society on an equal basis with others.

 “Discrimination against persons who have impairments is one of the worst social stigmas that society has not been able to overcome.” -Fanie du Toit

An important aspect that I had to clarify for myself was under what circumstances a person with an impairment can be considered a person with a disability. The Employment Equity Act, the Social Assistance Act, the Income Tax Act, the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and related frameworks provide clear definitions in this regard. The South African Technical Assistance Guidelines on the Employment of Persons with Disabilities are also clear on the three basic criteria that must be met to be considered a person with a disability:

First, a person must have a limitation.

Second, the limitation must be long-term or recurring.

Third, the impairment must be significantly limiting.

A limitation is considered significantly limiting if its nature, duration, or consequences significantly restrict a person’s ability to perform essential functions of a position.

Discrimination against persons who have hearing loss remains one of the worst social stigmas that society has not been able to overcome. As a result of exclusion, I struggled with feelings of loneliness. I also struggled to maintain myself in the wider community, especially among those who did not experience communication limitations like mine.

The Deaf community, on the other hand, was largely inaccessible to me because I could not and would not use sign language as my primary method of communication. I am proud of my mother tongue, Afrikaans, and my culture, and I did not feel the need to adopt a new language and culture. I also did not view language and cultural barriers as a disability issue. What I needed was to be able to be myself and receive equal opportunities. Hearing aids, speechreading, captions, note-takers, and lip-speakers became my lifeline.

I had to learn to live with my hearing loss daily and develop strategies to cope with the disability that society had imposed on me.

On a personal note, I would like to share my challenges over the past 40 years. I had to adapt to my circumstances while learning to face the disability imposed on me every day.

A turning point came when I read a story about a mother’s experience after giving birth to a child with a disability. It offered a powerful new perspective on the impact of disability. Looking back today, I realise that this was a turning point in my life. It allowed me to reflect, re-plan, and place new dreams on the table. It helped me to see purpose—even when finding yourself in a “different place.”

Click here Visit to Holland

I also came to understand how my functional limitations and accompanying disability affected my family. A poem written by one of my children revealed how my deafness was experienced within the family.

Read the Poem

A major victory came after years of waiting, when I experienced firsthand how medical science and technology changed my life. Receiving bilateral cochlear implants in August 2011 was life changing.

See my Switch-on moment!

It is normal to question your purpose in life. However, even in your darkest moments, you can rise above your challenges and become who you are meant to be.

Let’s take on the future—no matter how many times we fall. Keep moving forward and continue chasing your dreams.

Watch my full story: “I Have a Dream: The Fanie du Toit Story”