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17 May 2024 | Story Edzani Nephalela | Photo Charl Devenish
Louzanne Coetzee
During the Faculty of Education ceremony, Louzanne Coetzee, a blind UFS alumna and speaker, shared her remarkable journey. From her days as a high school learner to becoming a student, she highlighted her challenges and how she overcame them.

The April graduations at the University of the Free State (UFS) were a remarkable celebration of diversity and inclusivity, with 44 graduates with learning difficulties, visual, mobility, or hearing impairments honoured for their achievements.

Despite facing unique challenges throughout their academic journeys, these resilient students triumphed over adversity to earn their degrees, inspiring their peers and educators alike – all with the assistance of the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) within the Division of Student Affairs.

Words of advice from the recent graduates

Nkosingiphile Nyanale, who is blind, recently graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. He emphasised the importance of mutual understanding between students and educators as a way of helping students with disabilities to overcome the extra hurdles they face. “One of the most challenging parts of my journey was reaching a common understanding with some facilitators on how I could be reasonably accommodated in class,” Nyanale said. “Some lecturers would deny themselves the opportunity to understand the challenges of students with visual impairments and viewed my requests as a way of seeking an easy pass. So, peers and lecturers understanding various impairments helped shape my journey.

Sthembiso Dlamini, a BSc Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics graduate who lives with dysgraphia, a condition that creates challenges related to handwriting, spelling, and organising thoughts on paper, said, “In my third year, I struggled to focus during high-stress exams. I willingly sacrificed much of my leisure time to tackle this obstacle head-on. I committed myself to honing my learning methods and enhancing my time-management abilities.” 

Relebohile Moloi, a nursing graduate, thanked CUADS for its help, and said greater awareness of the centre and its services could help more students. “They should assess students regularly for impairments, because sometimes people don’t know they have an impairment. CUADS should visit each faculty to give information on who they are and what they offer.”

The speaker

Louzanne Coetzee, a blind UFS alumna, shared her story during the last graduation session of the season on 20 April. “After matriculating at the Pioneer School in Worcester [Western Cape], where it was a protected environment, I did not know what to expect from the UFS. However, the UFS gave me a conducive environment by allowing my guide dog, Isabel, into the residences. I was the first person to be allowed such.” [Listen to her full speech here.]

Inclusive environment

Martie Miranda, Deputy Director at CUADS, said she’s proud of the graduates, as they embody the UFS’s dedication to an inclusive environment that caters to all its students, in line with the university’s Vision 130, which aims to foster academic excellence in a diverse and equitable environment. “In celebrating our graduates, we honour not just their achievements but the enduring commitment of CUADS staff and the university to foster an inclusive environment where every student's journey is valued and supported."

News Archive

UFS hosts simulation workshop
2012-12-03

Photo: Renè-Jean van der Berg
3 December 2012

The University of the Free State’s School of Nursing, in partnership with the Drexel University’s College of Nursing & Health Profession in Philadelphia in the USA, are hosting a simulation workshop at the Bloemfontein Campus from Monday 26 November – Friday 30 November 2012. The presenters include Prof. Leland Rockstraw, Dr Linda Wilson, Ms Carol Okupniak and Mr John Cornele. These knowledgeable simulation experts run a successful simulation facility for  health-care profession students. Prof. Leland Rockstraw and Dr Linda Wilson have recently published a book on simulation; Ms Carol Okupniak writes a regular column in a journal, Clinical Simulation in Nursing and Mr John Cornele is well known in the USA for presenting exciting workshops on medical moulage. Moulage refers to “medical make-up”

Drexel University has offered this very popular workshop in simulation repeatedly since August 2010 at the Philadelphia Campus. This week’s workshop is the 1st international event and the first simulation training in South Africa. Funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies made it possible for the School of Nursing at the University of the Free State to host the workshop. Participants are educators from different health-care professions from higher educational institutions from most of the provinces in South Africa and from Botswana. The workshop will cover a comprehensive theoretical background of simulation in health professions, best practices and provide an opportunity for hands-on experience in human patient simulation (HPS) and standardized patient (SP). This will be a first for South Africa. Participants will gain insight in learning strategies to promote a clinically safe learning environment and promote adult experiential learning behaviours. 

During this workshop, participants will make use of the new high-fidelity technology in the Authentic Learning facility at the UFS’ School of Nursing.

According to Prof. Yvonne Botma from the UFS School of Nursing, this workshop will equip the health-care profession’s educators with skills to assist their students in linking theory and practice. Simulation will enable students in health care to provide safe patient care with confidence.
 

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