The Daily Vox
The Baumann House Early Childhood Development CentreÃÂ in Durban caters for blind and partially-sighted preschool children. SANDISIWE HLENGWA, aÃÂ teacher and coordinator at the school, spoke to Zimasa Matiwane about her work as a special-needs teacher.
Thereââ¬â¢s no difference between teaching blind and sighted children. I have been teaching here sinceà2011. Currently we have 13 leaners: five of them are fully sighted; eight are partially sighted oràblind. Early intervention is crucial; we take children from six months to six years.
We potty trainÃÂ the young ones, teach them how to walk, feed themselves – all the basics. TheÃÂ older children are trained to use a white cane to build confidence and to navigate independently.ÃÂ The overall goal is to instill independence, empowerment and self-love to each child so they can liveÃÂ a full, happy life with their disability.