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South African Trip
“I packed my suitcases, polished my wheelchair, And flew to South Africa,
alone!”
By Judy Hoit
On Saturday, January 31st, 1998 I left the
Cedar Rapids, Iowa airport for a trip of a lifetime. With suitcases packed,
and my wheelchair polished, I left on my first international flight. And I
went alone.
I planned this trip so that I could meet
Irene Joubert, a lady I had been corresponding with for over a year. Irene
lives in Pretoria, South Africa, and is disabled from a car accident. Her
accident occurred while she was driving and a kudu buck jumped from behind
some bushes and landed on the top of her car. And I am disabled from polio.
From Cedar Rapids, I flew to St. Louis,
Missouri, and then to New York. My travel agent helped me fill out requests
for an aisle seat close to the bathroom and indicated I would need
assistance on and off the plane. South African Airways had a special form to
fill out regarding medical assistance. And of course, I needed to get a
passport and vaccinations for the trip.
My flight from New York to Johannesburg,
South Africa was 16 hours long and a total of 9,083 miles one way. We did
land half way, on the island of Sal, but only to refuel. Hardly anyone got
off the plane.
South African Airway flight attendants were
the best. On my first trip to the bathroom a very British male flight
attendant asked “where may I touch you!” In my own mind I thought I didn’t
want touched – I just wanted to go to the bathroom.
I found the airline bathroom to be very
small, no room for anything but me. At least one good thing is that there is
no room to fall down.
Once landing in Johannesburg, I was met by
a South African Airways airport medical services representative. They were
waiting for me at the plane. (Irene had alerted them to my arrival). This
lady representative escorted me through customs, helped find my luggage, and
would not let go of me until I was safely in Irene’s car.
Irene is able to drive a car. She uses a
transfer board to get from her chair into the car, and out again. Her car
has an apparatus that fits on top of her car that she attaches her
wheelchair to. The wheelchair folds up when attached, and then raises to the
roof of the car. When she arrives at her destination, she simply reverses
the process.
Irene and I share so many experiences and
thoughts about being disabled. We found similar issues and concerns.
Transportation is a major problem in South Africa. No accessible public
transportation for people disabled. Buses are not equipped with lifts. A
person would have to have money for a cab, or have friends, or relatives to
transport. Therefore employment is difficult, unless they are able to work
from their homes.
Ramps are an issue. Never enough and usually
ones that are built are too steep. Bathrooms are never quite workable, but
they try. Parking is designated by signs, but abused, just like in the
United States.
On February 5th I visited the Filadelfia
School for children with disabilities in Soshanguve, South Africa. The
Filadelfia School is a residential school with 410 students from all over
South Africa.
The disabilities range form physical, to
blind and deaf. While there, I presented the Headmaster with a certificate
from the Governor of Iowa, and a copy of my autobiography, “My World Has
Access Now.” My book was placed in their library.
Two choirs sang to me that day. One choir was
strictly students physically disabled, and the other choir was students who
were blind. I sat in the center of the auditorium and listened to their
African songs with tears in my eyes. It was hard for me to believe that I
was sitting in the middle of South Africa being sung to. It was one of the
most touching moments of my trip.
While in Pretoria I spoke to a group of
paraplegics who came to Irene’s house one evening for lasagna and to hear me
talk about life in the United States. I joined Irene one other night and
talked to a spinal cord injury symposium at a local hospital.
Irene, two of her attendants, and I went to
Kruger National Park Game Reserve for three days and three nights. We stayed
in cottage number 226 which was totally accessible. This cottage was very
spacious; it had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen-living room
combination. And it was even air conditioned. The temperature was between 90
and 95 degrees, but not real humid. We were up early every morning and in
the car at 6 a.m. driving through the park and looking for animals. And
animals we saw! Elephants, hippos, giraffes, impalas, monkeys, and baboons
to name a few. I took many pictures from “the car”! Irene pointed out that
everyone is equal in the game reserve, as no one is able to get out of their
cars and walk around.
I met the nicest and most congenial people in
South Africa, and I was treated graciously by my host. The country is
beautiful and full of natural resources. While there I even saw corn and
bean fields. (Made this Iowa farm person feel more at home). Some places
were very rural and underdeveloped, and other places very modern with cell
phones.
I found being disabled a problem only when
others made it so. My worst experience was arriving back in New York and
being left on the sidewalk to wait for a bus by a JFK staff person. He said
his job was done, and then asked for a tip. I said “no”. Then he left. An
elderly couple, who were also waiting, helped me. When the bus did arrive,
the driver had to detach a rusty ramp from the dash of the bus to get me in.
No hydraulic lift. In the terminal there was no accessible bathroom where I
was waiting, and when I asked for assistance, the staff person shrugged her
shoulders and walked away. I did write to the airlines and I did receive a
letter of apology. Which is nice, but it didn’t get me to the bathroom that
day. I did write to the mayor of New York, and was told the JFK staff are
not allowed to ask for a tip, plus another apology.
This was a trip of a life time and
lasted only two weeks. I learned a lot, made many new friends, and came home
with memories that will last until I go back. And I will go again. Irene is
already looking forward to my next visit, and planning new places for us to
visit in South Africa.
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