The Nkosinathi Foundation for Blind and Partially Sighted People is part of the annual campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay that raises awareness around the plight of people living with disabilities.

The local chapter of the Association for the Physically Disabled and long-time backer SPAR Eastern Cape recognised that the initiative – now in its 14th year – is the perfect vehicle for highlighting the foundation’s work.

At each of the four activations in 2025 corporate participants are tasked to push and assist others strapped into wheelchairs while wearing “doctored” eyewear to simulate impaired vision.

“Unless they see a white cane people often won’t be able to tell someone is blind or partially-sighted,” Terry Hattingh, the non-profit’s senior manager for resources, said.

The Nkosinathi Foundation was established in 1948 to provide rehabilitation and adaptive skills services to the blind and support to those who had recently lost their sight.

The organisation acquired a building at the turn of the century in North End, Gqeberha, as it was deemed an appropriate location for the blind using public transport into the CBD.

Nkosinathi’s programmes cater to all ages and are run from these premises.

“We have an ECD (early childhood development) group for children between the ages of one and eight,” Hattingh explained.

Accompanied by their caregivers, they attend sessions aimed at teaching the adults how to stimulate the child through various exercises when at home.

Two in-house social workers also offer counselling to the organisation’s 1 409 clients, some of whom live in other parts of the province.

For example, Hattingh said, a five-year-old girl travelled with her mother from Port Alfred for weekly stimulation and learning sessions.

Another person, a man who lost his sight in his early-40s, makes the trip from Humansdorp.

“Even if we don’t meet with our clients regularly, we keep in contact. What you need as a blind or partially-sighted person at 30 might be different to what you need at 60,” she explained.

Furthermore, the non-profit’s orientation and mobility practitioners assist those who have recently gone blind. Among other essential tasks, they are shown how to make tea or coffee, find their way around their home and use a white cane.

A more recent addition is computer-training classes for adults to empower them with the skills required in modern work environments.

Hattingh said the Job Access With Speech (Jaws) software is used to read documents and send emails.

“It’s amazing.”

It enables learners to read the screen by way of text-to-speech or refreshable Braille output.

A sewing programme, which includes developing entrepreneurial skills and the writing of business plans, empowers clients and their parents to supplement their government grants.

“We are hoping to make it more marketable so we can sell our products,” Hattingh said.

The foundation works closely with APD on the project and, in some cases, the more skilled tailors are transferred to the latter’s work programme.

“We have a very good relationship with APD,” she said. “We help each other.”