MOBILISING THE MINDS & BODIES OF CHILDREN
WITH DISABILITIES:
OUR DIFFERENTLY-ABLED GEMS
Assistive Devices: wheelchairs - hearing aids - computers - walking and standing frames
Physiotherapy - occupational therapy - communication facilitation
Inclusive education
Social leadership
Advocacy
The Chaeli Campaign was founded on 6 August 2004 by five girls between the ages of 6 and 12. Chaeli Mycroft, her sister (Erin) and lifelong friends, the Terry sisters (Tarryn, Justine and Chelsea) started The Chaeli Campaign to raise R20 000 for Chaeli's motorised wheelchair. They managed to do this in 7 weeks by selling cards with Erin & Chaeli's artwork on them and Sunshine Pots (DIY miniature pot plants).
Although Chaeli is the face of The Chaeli Campaign the spirit on which this organisation is based is the teamwork that exists amongst our five founding members. Our mission now is to mobilise the minds and bodies of children with disabilities and to normalise society through advocacy and education programmes and events.
We run six different programmes including providing custom-made assistive devices, therapies (physiotherapy, occupational therapy and communication facilitation) and also support special needs children in mainstream schools. The thread that runs through all our programmes and events is the importance of inclusion and diversity in society, based on this definition of disability:
Physical/intellectual impairment is self-evident and can be dealt with. Disability is created by the way in which society responds to the impairment.
Disability is, therefore, a behaviour and an attitude and although we are direclty involved in impacting the lives of differently-abled children and their families, an equally important task is to invite able-bodied society to a greater awareness of the essential role that people with disabilities have to play in communities - teaching lessons that only they can teach.
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