Ayesha Toyer | 2nd Year BA Humanities | A passionate, zealous and positive individual despite the challenges her disability brings.
Q:Do you have a specific quote or phrase which really inspires you?
A: Yes, I do, I got it from the Quran, which is the religious text that I follow being a Muslim womxn. It reads, “After every difficulty comes ease.”
Q: Speaking of difficulty, how is it dealing with the life- changing situation which took place seven years ago?
A: I think it is important that I give context first before answering the question. I am really open about these things. I was not born disabled. On the 26th of November 2011, I was involved in life- changing accident on the M3 highway in Constantia. It was my father, mother and myself who were in the car and as my dad took the turn to join the highway, a drunk driver sped up his vehicle resulting in him knocking our car from behind and causing the car to role. This happened on a Saturday afternoon.
I was sleeping on the backseat. Initially my vertebras were injured but after a bystander (who was under the impression that an explosion had occurred) pulled me out of the vehicle he injured me further because the shards of my vertebrae severed my cord and my cord is my central nervous system. This resulted in the paralysis of my legs. To this day the damage is permanent. This was a lifestyle change, a mental shift, an attitude shift. My world was flipped upside down but not necessarily in a negative way. I always tell myself that the accident did not happen to me but rather it happened for me in the sense that I am much more grateful for the smaller things: The fact that I am able to wake up every day, study, be around people and experience life.
I always say that I am abled differently. It takes slightly longer to do things but they still get done. High school was a struggle for me, the accident happened in grade eight which resulted in me only attending school twice a week. The school I was in was not wheel chair friendly which resulted in me transferring to a special needs school. I was in a school that really catered to me and improved my schooling career. People have such an ignorant view when they think of a special needs school. We do the same things that the other schools do. I was accepted into Stellenbosch wholly because I achieved a 78% aggregate at the end of matric. I then proceeded to take a gap year, which I spent in India for three months and received homeopathic treatments. I learnt a lot when I was there. The level of poverty and despair made me even more grateful for what I currently have. My experience is not even a drop in the ocean when compared to life there in India. The humility and selflessness of the people there really impacted the way I see things.
Being disabled has really humbled me.
Q: So I have heard that you dabble in Slam Poetry, tell me about that?
A: I have a great affinity and love for poetry. It is the best way that I can express myself fully. I have submitted my poetry to a few sites. In high school I did drama and I have just always loved being a part of anything cultural. In Metanoia last year there were a lot of cultural events which gave me the opportunity to display my poetry. I have been given many opportunities to flourish and strengthen the person that I am.
Q: What does womxn empowerment mean to you? More so in the context of Stellenbosch.
A: I have always been raised in a community were womxn were seen as equal and independent, so initially I never really understood the concept. But coming to Stellenbosch I was really shocked to learn about the issues that womxn face. As a disabled womxn of colour in Stellenbosch, I do feel like there is great prejudice. Not outwardly shown but rather through the looks which I receive from people at times, makes me feel unwanted. I have been shown great support from the womxn around me and male counter parts. Mostly womxn who have made me feel as if my struggles are not my own.
Even though I was the only disabled person in Metanoia last year, I never felt like an able bodied womxn could not feel my struggle or understand what I am going through. There has always been support given to me. I was part of the womxn empowerment committee which orchestrated the slut walk. This was done to really educate people that gone are the days or the era where womxn were second and not shown the same respect and compassion that we deserve. Our biological features should not be the cornerstone to what separates what she/ he can or cannot do. A statement which resonates with me is, “we cannot all move forward with half of us behind.” We cannot claim to be moving forward when we have minorities groups remaining in the same positions without any improvements.
Q: How would you describe accessibility in Stellenbosch?
A: Last year was quite a year for me. I was under the impression that Stellenbosch was wheelchair friendly, due to it being more accessible than other Universities. There is only one residence, being Metanoia, in Stellenbosch which is about 80% accessible. The infrastructure in many Universities are only built to cater to able bodied individuals. This results in the exclusion and limitations of disabled bodies. There are so many disabled individuals who would love to go to university but unfortunately the infrastructure does not allow. When it comes to examinations I have had many encounters where I could not write in my venue due to inaccessibility. Thus, at times I have to write in a separate classroom which I feel is another form of exclusion. It is really disheartening. Living in Metanoia has really helped in terms of accessibility due to there being lifts and having a room which is large enough for me to get around. The only downside is fire drills because the elevators are shut down which prohibits me from being able to move around. I always wonder where was managements consideration when it came to the infrastructure of Stellenbosch University. The upside is that my lecturers are very understanding, at times when I am sick or unable able to make it to class on time, they are able to understand why. There is a little bit of progress being made, an example would be the reconstruction of the road between the arts building and Wilcocks which is now more accessible and safer when moving from venue to venue.
Q: Lastly, tell me a few of your goals?
A: Well I would like to finish my degree in three years and study further. There are not many platforms available which allow disabled individuals to speak about and share their stories. I really want to do motivational talks, which I had already started doing at various High schools. I want to be able to create the necessary platforms for disabled individuals to really connect, communicate and share their stories. One of my biggest goals is to have a Tedx talk. I am all about grabbing opportunities as they arise. The world is your oyster.