Who Is Alan Downey?
Meet Alan Downey
Hi. My name is Alan Downey, I was born in Germiston in Gauteng in 1973.
When I was 5, our family of four moved to East London in the Eastern Cape.
My brother and I had a very active childhood growing up in East London.
I went to Selborne College. While at school, I enjoyed art, drawing and sport, participating in swimming, athletics, cross country, rugby and golf.
After matriculating I completed my one year military service – and then started an apprenticeship in Panel Beating.
During my 3rd year as an apprentice, on the 20th of November 1994, I broke my neck in a diving accident.
While at the beach with some friends, I dived into a river and hit a sand bank. My friends had to pull me out .
I couldn’t move and my head was submerged under the water.
I was sent to Conradie Spinal Unit in Cape Town for an operation, and 5 months rehabilitation. I was classified as a c5 quadriplegic, which meant that I had had no feeling from the chest down and only limited use of my arms.
During this time, and upon returning home to East London. I had a lot of support from family and friends. My parents were amazing and not only looked after me, but also supported and encouraged me in everything I did.
How Did This Accident Change Your Life?
My whole life was turned upside down, I had lost my job and independence and couldn’t take care of myself, so had to rely on my parents for everything. I also could no longer take part in the sports and activities that I loved doing, which had become so important to me.
I sometimes asked myself “Why Me?” or think to myself “What If I Hadn’t Dived Into the River That Day?” or “If Only I Had an Undo Button, Like On My Computer!”
While in hospital, I was told by a friend, “The quicker you accept your disability, the quicker you can get on with your life.”
After realizing that I had to accept my situation before I could move on, I started focusing on what I could do, rather than what I could not.
I started drawing and painting again which was a great form of therapy, later I got introduced to computers by a good friend who was also in a wheelchair, and I started doing Graphic Design & Printing which led to me eventually getting involved in web design after moving to Cape Town.
Some people are offended when I tell them that “The quicker you accept your disability, the quicker you can get on with your life”, they think that I am telling them to give up, this is not the case. Some persons who can’t walk for example can lead a more fulfilling life than many people who can. My accident and injury pushed me onto a path to a life of different opportunities and experiences, if I had only focused on recovering from my injury, I would have lost out on all the positives that my injury has brought. I had a lot of health problems and negatives since being injured, but when I think back at them, many of them have led to very positive outcomes.
Shortly after my injury while still in East London, my Dad and I got involved with the Association for the Physically Disabled (APD) in East London and were put in charge of getting all the Sports stadiums in East London accessible. In 1997 we organized for a temporary wheelchair accessible stand to be built at Basil Kenyon Stadium in East London, so that we could watch Border play against the British and Irish Lions. About 10 other persons in wheelchairs joined us despite it pouring with rain, it was such a success that they we were eventually able to organize a permanent wheelchair accessible stand to be built. We also got the cricket, athletics and soccer stadiums in East London to become accessible.
In 2002, my Mom Dad and I moved to Cape Town after my Dad had a Stroke. We moved to Cape Town to be closer to my brother and his family and for the extra support. In 2004, I started a business course and in 2005 I completed the course and registered my Graphic Design and Printing Business and later in 2008, also started doing cartoons for a disability magazine called Rolling Inspiration. My cartoons dealt with issues that persons with disabilities faced on a daily basis, including problems with access. Later I also started doing various different caricatures on consignment.
In 2010 I started developing websites with a friend Shane Smith who had introduced me to computers and in 2015 I started researching and developing a website and free information service for persons with disabilities called “Disability Info South Africa” www.disabilityinfosa.co.za.
In 2017 I officially launched ”Disability info South Africa” (DISA).
”Disability info South Africa” (DISA) was developed as a “Free Information Service” for “Persons With Disabilities” in South Africa, who are looking for information that can help them. We provide a “One Stop Information Service “ which supplies information for and about the 4 main Disability groups in South Africa, which include Persons with: Mobility Impairments; Hearing Impairments; Visual Impairments and Intellectual Impairments.
By providing all this information in one place and linking all the service providers together, we hope to make the lives of persons with disabilities that much easier and encourage more companies who make a business from supplying products and services to persons with disabilities, to advertise with us and to contribute to providing this service, to make a better South Africa for everyone.
I believe that access to: Equipment, Information, Services, Education, Buildings, Transport, Health Care, and Sports and Activities is a basic human right and is essential to create an inclusive South Africa, where no person is excluded or discriminated against and everyone is aware of their rights and what services, organizations and products are available to assist them.
At the end of November 2019, I will have been in a wheelchair for 25 years and next year in 2020, I will have been working on this project for 5 years.
The experience that I have gained from this and the people that I have met have all contributed in different ways to my life and made it better and have assisted me to be able to run this website and free service that I provide. I would not be where I am today without the support of my parents who have always been there to support and encourage me and many friends and other family who have assisted me along the way.
The longer that I work on this project, the more I learn and realize how much it is needed and how lucky I am to have the support of my family and friends.
Earlier this year I met Igor Rix, who is an Access Consultant & has a daughter who is a Paraplegic and uses a scooter. Igor is passionate about creating an Accessible South Africa for his daughter and all persons with disabilities. He has reminded me that not only is access to information important, but also access to all aspects of life in South Africa, which is why we have been working on a new project for the last couple of months called “Yes To Access” which we are planning to launch at the end of November, beginning of December during Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM).
“Yes To Access” is one of our services that we will provide through Disability Info South Africa. Through “Yes To Access”, we hope to inform all persons with disabilities of their rights and to supply a platform for them to be able to lay a complaint, which we will then follow up on to make sure that it is dealt with and the companies who are Non-Compliant become accessible and compliant, therefore creating an accessible South Africa free of barriers. We are also in the process of registering an NGO, in the hope that we can get funding to grow this service to assist more people. You can visit “Disability Info South Africa” to find out more: www.disabilityinfosa.co.za
Final Thoughts
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles
Christopher Reeve
Even though my disability has been difficult for both myself and my family and I sometimes feel that I have missed out, I have been very lucky in my life to have had the assistance and support of many people, especially my Mom. The path that my accident put me on assisted me in meeting and reconnecting to amazing people, who have taught me a lot and been very supportive caring and generous.
I am also thankful to have found something I enjoy doing that makes a difference to other people’s lives.
If I can continue to make a difference in the lives of other persons with disabilities and their families, I believe that I have made a success of my life. People with disabilities have a lot to give to the world, if everyone treated others the way they would want be treated; you would be amazed how we could change the world.
No more discrimination. No more crime. No more poverty. Access for all
Thanks to my family and old and new friends who have stuck with me through good times and bad, as well as those carers that have assisted me over the years.
If you would like to engage directly with Alan you are most welcome to get in touch.
Alan is available for Access and Sensitivity Training Workshops, Motivational Talks, and individual advice or organisational support, tailored to your needs. Should you wish to discuss your needs, explore collaboration opportunities, or learn more about the services offered, please feel free to connect him via email at info@disa.org.za or visit our DiSA Services page for more information