This gutsy, international award-winning Capetonian teenager will give a motivational talk at the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) Disability Trade and Lifestyle Expo on Saturday, 8 September at 13:00. The expo takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre from Thursday, 6 September to Saturday, 8 September.

In 2011, Mycroft was awarded the International Children’s Peace Prize for her life and work as an ability activist. In April this year she was awarded the first ever medal for social activism by Nobel Peace Laureates at their annual Peace Summit in Chicago.

“What other people see as Chaeli’s disability, we, her family, see as something that makes her able to reach her dreams,” says Mycroft’s mother, Zelda Mycroft. Eight years ago Mycroft needed to buy a special motorised wheelchair. Her sister Erin, with family friends Tarry, Justine and Chelsea Terry, managed to raise R20 000 in just seven weeks. They sold cards containing artwork by Erin and Chaeli. They also sold signature Sunshine miniature pots. And that is how The Chaeli Campaign was born.

Mycroft is a Grade 12 learner at a mainstream high school and is busy completing her school education, without a facilitator. She writes all her own notes. Next year she will make history as the first person with a disability requiring a facilitator, to move into a residence at the University of Cape Town. She intends to study for a BA degree in social science, majoring in politics and philosophy.

“We are perfectly normal people, but with special needs,” says Mycroft. “Society needs to erase the stigma it associates with disability and normalise its perceptions through the inclusion of people with disabilities into everyday life. We don’t merely give out wheelchairs; we believe that we give people mobility and independence. We don’t just provide hearing aids; we open up a world full of sounds. We don’t simply supply laptop computers; we provide the canvas upon which children can freely express their thoughts and feelings. Our goal is to breathe hope into the lives of children with disabilities and their families, and find ways to increase their independence, improve their social status and education, and integrate them into their communities. My ultimate motto is; ‘Just remember to have fun in whatever you’re doing. If you’re not having fun, it’s pointless.’”

Visitors to the Acsa Disability Trade Expo and Conference will be treated to a jam-packed programme of activities, demonstrations, conference and exhibits. The expo offers numerous interactive events, a trade show and a two-day conference on 6 and 7 September, with the theme ‘Solutions for Delivery to People with Disabilities’. Other attractions include cookery demonstrations by the SA Chefs Association; arts and crafts activities and numerous sports demonstrations.

The expo showcases includes covers wheelchairs; adapted vehicles; assisted daily living equipment and services; communication aids and computers; easy reach devices; medical supplies; hand cycles; hearing aids; hospital furniture; mobility aids; occupational products; patient handling devices; physio equipment; products and aids for the deaf and blind; prosthetic artificial limbs; showering devices / building products; sports equipment; training institutions; walking sticks; wheelchairs; clothing and, much more.

For more information on exhibiting, visiting the show or attending the conference, contact event director, Bette McNaughton on 011 784 4279. Alternatively, email [email protected] or visit www.mcnaughtonevents.co.za.