South African Children Learning about Disability: Media Review of SOUL Buddyz
By Barbara Kolucki (bakoluck@aol.com)
SOUL Buddyz is a very popular radio and television programme for South African children. It is designed to help children, pre-teens and adolescents, their parents and other caregivers, to deal with everyday problems. It has involved the target audience from the onset - asking children from around the country what their problems are, what they wanted information about and their specific requests regarding what they could do together to help solve some of these problems.
I have heard about this series for some time now and recently read that the program had great success with one particular feature about a child who is disabled. Following is a review of some of the "gems" in the package of sample programs and a resource guide I received.
One of the regular cast members is David Meyer who plays Jerome in the television series. He uses a wheelchair, is a great basketball player and simply one of the fabulous team of 9 kids. These kids range from poor to rich, black to white or brown and living in a variety of "home" situations. In the print material for children and parents, "Jerome" introduces the topic of disability.
Resource Guide
I absolutely love the print material. It is very user-friendly, interactive and like a popular magazine for older children. I received a copy of the resource guide for Grade 7 - I assume this means that there is a Guide for several Classes, but an overview brochure was not included in the package.
The guide states that SOUL Buddyz has been developed on an "outcomes-based" educational approach. This means that in addition to providing information and imparting knowledge, it also emphasizes the skills and values that they hope the students will learn. They also use an integrated approach to learning, meaning that today one is not just going to have, for example, a literacy lesson. They have integrated communication, literacy, language, life orientation, human and social sciences in their productions, activities and lessons - the way "real life" is.
In the Guide for grade 7, two Units cover "finding out about and dealing with disability". There are several suggestions made to the teacher in the Guide. For example:
"Organize a disability awareness day for all the learners at the school. Decide which messages you want to pass on about people with a disability and think of the best way of doing this. You could make posters, hold discussions and invite some people with disabilities to the school to talk.
You can assess learners on the information material they produce and the attitudes they show to people with disabilities. If this all sounds too ambitious, you can ask each learner to write a short essay entitled 'living with a disability'. This will give you a good idea of their knowledge and attitudes."
First Unit in Guide
The first Unit starts with a recap of a previous story where 'Jerome' is hit by a car. He now uses a wheelchair. He talks about how he feels being disabled and how he is treated by others. He is concerned because "people think that because I can't use my legs that my ears and brain have also stopped working". He is overlooked while in a queue waiting to get a juice, he is often treated as though he is "sick" and he feels as if he does not fit in anymore with his friends.
Students are asked to get into groups to discuss what it is liked to be ignored. They are given suggestions on how they can role-play this activity. After the session, the educator is asked to facilitate a discussion about hurt, fear and what we can learn - on all sides of the question.
Ashleigh, who has cerebral palsy, tells her story in her own words. She talks about what she likes, as a 15 year old. It is a delightful story that ends with the information that she can cook but as she says, "not that I would cook for my boyfriend - he must learn to cook for himself!"
Helen talks about living with albinism, especially being a black person who sometimes is called "a white person". Her attitude is great - she talks about old traditional beliefs and taboos in Africa about albinos, but respectfully notes that she does not agree with them. There are several activities listed for students after they read Helen's story.
Tony has Down Syndrome and is 13 years old. He loves to play cricket and soccer. Yes, other kids sometimes tease him and call him names. But he says "I can't think as fast as my brother Manny but I can run faster than him!" There are suggestions given for games and discussions about appreciating difference.
The final student in this unit has epilepsy. We learn what it is and what each of us can do if someone near us has a grand mal seizure. Then, at the end of this unit, students are told that they can choose to:
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Not to tell jokes about people who are disabled.
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Not stare at children with a disability
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Not treat children with a disability any different from the way they treat other children
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Not mock people who have epilepsy, albinism or an intellectual disability.
And....
That the best way to find out about disability is from a person who has a disability.
The Unit concludes with a section on the education policy in South Africa, information about mainstreaming and numerous resources and contacts regarding who can run awareness and educational workshops for and about people who are disabled. It is a great Unit!
Second Unit in Resource Guide
The second Unit covering disability is from the point of view of Jerome. He is ready to return to school after his car accident. He and his parents go to talk with the headmistress and are told that the school does not have the funds to make it accessible. Then she suggests that Jerome go to a school for kids who are disabled.
Following this introduction, students in the class are asked to discuss Jerome's feelings (he was angry), to figure out if he would be able to attend their school, and most importantly, if there is anything that the SOUL Buddyz could do to help.
The South African Bill of Rights prohibits discrimination against people with a disability. Students are asked to discuss if this law has been broken in Jerome's situation. They also research other forms of discrimination in communities and media. Then we are introduced to two other young individuals with disabilities.
Bibi is deaf and she discusses her full life, as well as how she appreciates when her brother-in-law helps her to understand movies. Duduzile is blind and lives with his mother who has no job or money. He has been in a school for blind children but after the holidays, the school transport does not return to pick him up - because they cannot afford to pay the school fees.
The Unit then turns to What you can do... and the suggestions range from educating others about disability, making storybooks for little ones about a child who is disabled, being part of a school or community access project, learning sign language - and whatever else the students think they can do.
The Educator's page lists a number of South African resources - one being Eco-Access, which helps make environmental places accessible to people with disabilities as well as conducting education programs with schools.
At the beginning of this Unit, it states that upon completion the students will be able:
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to identify ways to make environments more accessible to people with disabilities
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to make their school wheelchair accessible
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to work for the rights of children with disabilities
I believe that this prediction is accurate - and that the students will have learned this is a way that is enjoyable and participatory.
Now to the part of the package that I was not crazy about...
Television program
The SOUL Buddyz television series included one episode about a child who is blind. The SOUL Buddyz team of kids is asked to help one of their mentors to clean up the premises of a shop that he will open. One of the kids is cleaning and hears a knock through the wall. He gets spooked and calls his friends to come investigate with him. They climb through the window of the next door neighbor and find a kid about 10 - 12 years who is blind and seems to be confined to his apartment alone everyday. His mother works outside but is over-protective and worried that others will tease her son.
The SOUL Buddyz gang arrange with the blind youngster to take him out to play when his mother is at work. They all sneak out to the playground and take him on his first ride on a swing. His mother returns home, finds her son gone and is frantic. She races outside and finally sees her son with the others. She is sure that they are making fun of him and is shocked to find out that this is not the case. The SOUL Buddyz kids talk with her about letting her son be part of the community. Jerome, who uses a wheelchair, is the main advocate.
Yes the story is plausible, but it was not realistic. It is too over-simplified and to be honest, I would not support the depiction of any kids breaking into a home - regardless of the reason. It was the kind of story that really needed more than one episode. Having worked overseas for 20 years, I have met families who do not allow their children to be seen by the outside world. Some of the situations I have seen include children hidden away in conditions much less comfortable than the one this young child had. I have also been part of trying to change the minds and attitudes of these families - and their communities. It takes time. I love that the SOUL Buddyz kids took the initiative, were very kind and knew about the rights of people with disabilities. I would have preferred that this was a two-part series and this very serious issue was dealt with a little more realistically.
SOUL Buddyz is about many more topics as well as disability. And at least from the print material, they seem to be dealt with sensitively and age appropriately. Some topics include:
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Standing up to bullies
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Solving problems without violence
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Keeping safe on the roads
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Growing up can be fun (adolescent changes)
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Living with HIV/AIDS
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Finding out about sexual abuse
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Living safely
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Making rights part of our lives
Whether we are interested in teaching teens about disability or other important issues for pre-teens and adolescents - SOUL Buddyz can be a model for us all.
Contact information
Write to:
The SOUL Buddyz Team
P.O. Box 1290
Houghton, Johannesburg 2041
South Africa
Email: soulcity@soulcity.org.za
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