{"id":6577,"date":"2022-09-28T14:50:02","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T12:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disabilityconnect.co.za\/?p=6577"},"modified":"2022-09-28T14:50:02","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T12:50:02","slug":"watch-blind-teen-motivating-others-to-see-beyond-disability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/28\/watch-blind-teen-motivating-others-to-see-beyond-disability\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: Blind teen motivating others to see beyond disability"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jessica Pita is studying towards a teaching qualification at the University of Pretoria<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ntombikayise Sibeko \u2013 Benoni City Times<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite having lost her vision at the age of 11, Jessica Pita of Alphen Park has continued to achieve her goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 19-year-old, who is classified as legally blind, lives to share her courageous journey with people about how she overcomes day-to-day struggles as a blind person through motivational speaking (Mission with a Vision brand), online platforms and a podcast called Flying Blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having grown up as a healthy normal young girl, life took a dramatic turn on May 13, 2014, when she developed a brain tumour that caused swelling on her optic nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome of the symptoms that I had were intense headaches and blackouts in my vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter many consultations and MRI\u2019s scans we were told that I had to undergo an 11-hour operation or I had six to 12 months to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy parents decided to proceed with the operation but due to the swelling of optic nerve done by the tumour, I lost my vision after the operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time she said she was too young to understand but when she eventually did, she knew she had to adjust to her new normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"470\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Jess2_25667-e1663049521268-780x470-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Jess2_25667-e1663049521268-780x470-1.jpg 780w, https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Jess2_25667-e1663049521268-780x470-1-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Jess2_25667-e1663049521268-780x470-1-768x463.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her mom, Paula, recalls her desperate plea to the specialist, asking whether she could exchange eyes with her daughter. The specialist said this was impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a mother, I felt heartbroken because Jessica\u2019s new life was just beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThings were hard at first because she wanted to continue studying at a mainstream school with her friends and we didn\u2019t know how we would make things work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI went with her to school from the third term in Grade Five and completed the rest of her junior school career with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would copy work from the board into her books, as she could not see the work written on the boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe then purchased desktop magnifiers, which assisted her to be able to read and write in her books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe also adjusted her writing books to books printed with darker lines. She was more dependent on audio than visual,\u201d said Paula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"520\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Jessica2_84532-520x390-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Jessica2_84532-520x390-1.jpg 520w, https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Jessica2_84532-520x390-1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">St Dominic\u2019s accommodated Jessica by installing Tv screens linked to smart boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jessica also had to apply for accommodations and concessions through the IEB for the writing of tests and exams and to get extra time as reading her work took longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She would write her tests and exams in separate venues as she would have these verbally read to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jessica\u2019s answers and those of her scribe were voice recorded in the presence of an invigilator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Benoni teen believes a lot more awareness is needed in schools to educate learners about disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome of my peers were not properly informed of how serious my condition was and I lost many friends because of my impairment. It felt like a burden at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cClassmates commented that I was cheating because I had a scribe and that it was unfair that I was given extra time during assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was accused of lying about my disability as I had trained myself to memorise the layout of the school to gain mobility and independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am one to not let things get to me, so I didn\u2019t take notice of what they said,\u201d Jessica explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the years, Jessica has experienced the different ways able and disable people are treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf a person has a disability they should be treated like everyone else,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Studying towards a teaching qualification at the University of Pretoria, Jessica has done talks at Apricot Tree Centre as well as Crossroads Christian Academy with more schools lined up in weeks to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said the support she receives from her mother, father and brothers, Daniel and Claudio, has pushed her to carry on doing whatever she sets her mind to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jessica can enjoy horse riding, singing, drums and outdoor activities like Go ape on her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her message to others is: \u201cGet to know someone before making assumptions about their capabilities.\u201d To invite Jessica to present a motivational talk at your school, event or function connect with her on Instagram or TikTok @x_flyingblind_x or email <a href=\"mailto:flying1blind@gmail.com\">flying1blind@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Blind teen offers words of encouragement\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jsS1Vjmd5U0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jessica Pita is studying towards a teaching qualification at the University of Pretoria Ntombikayise Sibeko \u2013 Benoni City Times Despite having lost her vision at the age of 11, Jessica Pita of Alphen Park has continued to achieve her goals. The 19-year-old, who is classified as legally blind, lives to share her courageous journey with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,37],"tags":[39,41,403],"class_list":["post-6577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-disability-spotlight","category-focus","tag-disability","tag-disability-connect","tag-jessica-pita"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}