Former Miss Deaf South Africa and professional ballet dancer Simoné Botha has been appointed as a Casual Day ambassador. The Milnerton-based powerhouse is also a motivational speaker and serves as a member of the executive committee of both the Association for Hearing Loss and Accessibility Development (AHLAD) and Women’s Achievement Network for Disability (WAND).
Says project leader Celeste Vinassa: “This is a very big year for Simoné, and we are privileged to have her on board as a Casual Day ambassador. We are making this announcement just before Human Rights Day on 21 March because we need to focus on the rights of persons with disabilities. She will be touring the country with the South African National Dance Trust as a member of the cast of A Spartacus of Africa. You will be able to see her dance in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Simoné was born profoundly deaf, but her parents decided – when she was 22 months old – that she would receive a cochlear implant, allowing her to learn to speak and communicate with the hearing world. A cochlear implant is an electronic hearing device which is surgically implanted. Unlike a hearing aid, a cochlear implant does not amplify sounds, but stimulates the auditory nerve, so sounds heard through the implant do not sound the same as they are heard through normal hearing.
Simoné’s parents encouraged her to follow her dreams and she decided early on that she wanted to pursue a career as a ballet dancer or actress. “Many people tried to discourage me by saying I would never make it as a dancer, but the more they tried to discourage me, the more determined I became to prove them wrong,” she says.
Says Vinassa: “Our ambassadors are persons with disabilities or people who have dedicated themselves to fighting for the rights of persons with disabilities, but they are also high achievers who speak from experience and knowledge about disability. It’s called ‘self-advocacy’. They are all people who have overcome great adversity, and are now ready to help Casual Day with its evolution.”
“Simone strives to break down stereotypes about the hearing impaired. Hearing impairment as an invisible disability, is often misunderstood. Throughout her life she has worked incredibly hard at honing her dance skills and also found the time to be of service to fellow deaf persons, eventually being chosen to represent them as Miss Deaf SA. She completed community projects with Caring Hands, the Be An Angel network, Lions Club Tableview, the Petra Institute for Childrens’ Ministry and Hear2day.”
She also graduated with distinction with a Performance Certificate in Dance from UCT. She has performed with Cape Town City Ballet, iKapa Dance Theatre and international dance companies and choreographers such as Company Chameleon, Steps Ensemble, Gilbert Douglas, Adele Blank, Ebrahaim Medell, Maxwell Xolani, Jay Pather, Lulu Sala, Elvis Sibeko, Paul Johnson and is often seen gracing the stage with world class opera singer, Aviva Pelham.
Continues Vinassa: “She is both very talented and has a fierce determination to make her mark in mainstream society. Our theme this year is Spring into Action, which can be interpreted literally, allowing people to celebrate the first week of Spring, but it can also be interpreted as an call to action for communities to promote greater inclusion of persons with disabilities. People like Simoné help the world see that persons with disabilities can achieve and contribute to society if nurtured and given opportunity.”
Sponsored by The Edcon Group, Casual Day is the flagship project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA), which raised R28 million for persons with disabilities last year. Casual Day is on Friday 4 September – the target for 2015 is R30 million.
