Edition #28 Message From the Chairman St Dunstan's Chairman, Mr Dave Mitchell It has been a busy year as we’ve all picked up from the isolation and quietness during the COVID-19 disruptions, and continued to pull through the limitations imposed on us all by Eskom. St Dunstan’s is proud to have worked through the challenges and even happier to help celebrate the many achievements some of which you will read about in the following pages. As a Board we would like to thank Gareth and his team for their remarkable work in supporting our beneficiaries in a fair and equitable way, and for keeping abreast of all the varied happenings amongst our community. We sadly say goodbye to Yaw Peprah and thank him for his financial wisdom that supported our endeavours over the past 4 years. We wish him well as he settles in his new home in the Netherlands. Soon 2023 will be with us – a new beginning with exciting opportunities for us all. I would like to take this opportunity to wish each member of the St Dunstan’s community and their wider families a restful and joyful festive season. Warm wishes Dave Mitchell OMASA Conference Sharon Goosen demonstrating the white cane The first OMASA Mini-Conference, which was originally aimed at being a team-builder, took place between the 11TH – the 13TH of November 2022 at Innovation for the Blind, Worcester. An effort to meet and get to know the Orientation and Mobility practitioners that we liaise with weekly. I am grateful that this effort eventually materialised into a Mini-Conference. I am fortunate to receive the necessary support from my employee, Innovation for the Blind, and I have often wondered if other practitioners are as fortunate as me in that sense. I am grateful that the planning between myself and the OMASA management produced successful results. I would like to compliment Wendy and Gugu on their exceptional contribution. We spoke daily and their indispensable input was instrumental to the success of the event. It was important to have Orientation and Mobility Practitioners as part of the programme to share their knowledge and expertise with delegates in the same field. The history of orientation and Mobility Training The programme was insightful, compelling, and superbly executed and included the following: Friday Evening, 11 November 2022 The conference commenced with a short welcoming programme. Stephne Botha, Innovation for the Blind CEO, welcomed all the delegates present and proposed a toast to all who made an impact in the field of Orientation and Mobility. Jeremy Opperman spoke about the history St Dunstan’s and Moira Higgerty received a certificate in recognition of her dedication to the field of Orientation and Mobility. Delegates were then invited to enjoy a social braai, with the opportunity to network and put a face to the different voices. Saturday, 12 November 2022 The history of the white cane was presented by Sharon Goosen. Omphemetse Mangwekea from SANCB reflected on how far Orientation and Mobility work has come and where we currently stand. Wilemien Kleijn spoke about O&M Qualifications and the way forward Moira Higgerty discussed the legal framework, the registration with the OT board, the process, and the implications for all the qualified O and M`s after registration Accommodation of learners with visual impairments in the classroom, the best practice and briefly touch on the Department of Basic Education regarding policies and the available support was discussed by Clare Hubbard The panel had the opportunity to discuss: Advocacy for patients How to be effective How to manage gatekeepers to services, change and support Proposed solutions Tracey Joubert did a presentation on Starting early with Orientation and Mobility - good foundations for the very young and developing purposeful movement. Nape Mashiane, Mpilwenhle Banda and Florence Mampuru discussed the specific orientation and mobility challenges. Two Innovation for the Blind Orientation and Mobility clients, Terelga Bald and Dr Johan Pretorius, shared how training impacted their lives Sunday, 13 November 2022 The following were discussed by Wendy Histed, Dr Johan Pretorius, and Deena Moodley respectively: Ten cases from a city practice and all the possibilities, Deaf blindness and the unique needs of deafblind persons and Different Technologies to enhance mobility. Esme v/d Westhuizen, from the mayor`s office, handed out gift bags to the delegates This conference would have been impossible without the generous support of the following sponsors: OMASA INNOVATION FOR THE BLIND ST. DUNSTAN'S SENSORY SOLUTIONS PRESENTERS BREEDE VALLEY MUNICIPALITY DAVID BOTHA Thank you to all the delegates and participants for attending the first-ever Orientation and Mobility Mini-Conference. Your contribution towards the dignity and empowerment of persons with visual and additional disabilities is indispensable. Thank you for making a difference. Regards, Sharon Goosen Remembrance Day 2022 Remembrance Day is observed every year on the 11th November, or the nearest Sunday . This year the ceremony took place at the Civic Centre in Cape Town on 13 November. The annual event across South Africa is in honour of those who lost their lives in various conflicts across the globe. The service commenced in front of the Cenotaph, on Adderley Street, Cape Town, with many people from across the Cape in attendance. FLTR: Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town Alderman Geordin Hill-Lewis, SGT Zuko Mtwana and W/O Simphiwe Gqwathi Civilian guests wore formal attire with military personnel in uniform. Guests had an opportunity to place wreaths on the steps leading up to the Cenotaph. The Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Alderman Geordin Hill-Lewis, was the guest speaker for the day. The service itself took on various forms from guests and spectators standing to observe silence for 2 minutes after which the executive Mayor rang the bell 11 times symbolising the end of conflicts and honoured all fallen heroes and heroines. The last post, was played by the Nelson Mandela pipe band, followed by two cannon shots. The Church service started with the scripture reading headed by Chaplain Van der Ross from Navy and Sheikh Ebrahim from SAMS following The Executive Mayor delivered his speech followed by a laying of a wreath on behalf of the city. After all the formalities all in attendance were invited for refreshment. Be Cyber smart - Passwords and pins We use passwords for everything these days, from internet banking to Netflix. But how strong is your password? This table gives some food for thought How easy is your password to crack? What Makes a Good Password? • A good password should be at least 8 characters long, with at least one capital letter, one number, and one special character (“@”, or “%”, etc.) • Must not include common or easy to guess words like your name, user id or your pets names and definitely not QWERTY Want to find out more? • Take a look at this short video about Perfecting Passwords - courtesy of Proofpoint • Read the attached article • Check out the ICS CyberSecurity page on the Intranet Holiday Safety Tips “Safety first,” goes the old adage, but how many of us have accidentally left the stove on, or left a window open, or forgotten to lock the door on the way out? Enjoy your holidays with peace of mind Let’s face it: We humans are a distracted lot. This is no more evident than around the holidays – with the parties for hosting and the marshmallows for toasting and … well, you know the rest. In this most wonderful time of the year, it’s easy to forget one very important step: Keeping your home safe. To that end, we’ve compiled a few key holiday safety tips to ensure a safer holiday season, whether you’re staying home this year or traveling elsewhere. Because as much as we know the holidays can be stressful, we also know that dealing with an accident, burglary, or some other calamity in the middle of it all can be downright devastating. If you’re traveling, be careful who you tell. We’re surely not the first to tell you not to post your travel plans on social media. But seriously, don’t! We strongly advise against publicizing details about your holiday travel, especially where you’re going and how long you’ll be gone – with the exception of that friend or neighbor you trust and who has agreed to look after your place while you’re gone. Which brings us to our next tip. Entrust a friend or neighbor to look after your place while you’re gone. A trusted friend can really prove useful when you’re out of town. When a big snowstorm hit one year while we were back east visiting family, we asked the teenage son of our trusted next-door neighbor to shovel our walkway and driveway for us (with pay, of course). Not only does this clear space for us when we return, it also sends a message to a potential intruder that someone is home. We call that a win-win. Once you’ve established that relationship, it’s up to you whether you want to give them a house key, or the code for your smart lock or alarm keypad. If you don’t have a security system, consider getting one. Security systems have been giving us an ongoing gift as long as we’ve been homeowners: Peace of mind. It’s why we recommend that homeowners invest in a good home security system. To get started, we always steer folks toward our best home security systems list, as you really can’t go wrong with those options. Protection aside, the convenience of modern systems, with cameras and sensors and remote monitoring and two-way audio and the like, allow us to enjoy our time away without worrying we’ll miss something. A full-service system like SimpliSafe might really suit you; check out our hands-on SimpliSafe review to find out more. Likewise, we truly appreciate having the option of using our system’s two-way audio to spook anyone who doesn’t belong there … and we can’t forget the visual deterrence, too. Did you know that about 60% of in a study indicated that the presence of some alarm or security equipment would cause them to abort their plan and seek another target? And now, the homebound revelers: Don’t Get Too Ambitious in the Kitchen Between 2012 and cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires, and the second leading cause of home fire deaths. And not surprisingly, the risk heightened considerably around Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you remember nothing else, remember this: Never keep food unattended while you’re cooking. This goes for any cooking, but especially for a big, traditional meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Going further, here are some quick tips to make sure all your merrymaking isn’t thwarted by potential thieves: Other Holiday Safety Tips: Automate your smart lighting and set timers Keep a car parked in the driveway so it looks like someone’s home Bring potted plants inside Pick up any mail or newspapers around your mailbox Make sure all decorations you’re planning to hang outside are approved for outdoor use (extension cords, too!) As homeowners, we don’t embark on any vacation without taking these essential steps to protect our property. The holidays are chaotic enough without a break-in, a fire, or something worse. Stay protected, and enjoy the season. Source: Safe Home Congratulations Manfred Manfred Ruiendo Mani Ruiendo obtained his N5 qualification in Film and Television Production at Revolution Media Academy. His plans for the future includes starting his own video and photography studio. Well Done Mani, we are very proud of you. Farewell Yaw It didn’t take much to convince him to become part of the organisation. After a brief conversation and a quick history lesson on the who’s and what’s of St Dunstan’s, we welcomed Yaw Peprah into the role of Director. Yaw Peprah From the get-go Yaw enquired about ways in which he could contribute and “pay it forward”. With an eye for financial detail and an inquisitive mind Yaw managed to help steer the St Dunstan’s ship through the turbulent waters called Covid. We wanted to take a moment to express our appreciation for the wonderful, meticulous work that Yaw contributed while with St Dunstan’s as a Director. We are sad to see you go; however, we know full well that no matter where or what you are doing it will be done with great vigour and energy. Goodluck Yaw and may your time in the Netherlands be both filled with fun and positivity. By Gareth Morgan Long Cane Rally 2023 A Long Cane Rally Tshirt from a previous event It has been a few years since we gathered for the Long Cane Rally. We will finally see each other again in March 2023. More information will be communicated to you shortly. For more information about our event, please email the office at info@stdunstans.org.za. To stay up to date with current news and new developments click here. Office Closure Our offices will be closed for the holiday season from 16 December 2022 and will open again on 9 January 2023 .   The staff and directors of St Dunstan’s wish everyone a happy and safe festive period. Should you need to contact us in an emergency please call 021 531 2028.