Books and Reading
Reading is a wonderful hobby and very inexpensive, it provides many benefits and is an activity that can still be enjoyed despite having a Mobility Impairment. With the assistance of various Reading Aids which are available in South Africa, books & reading can still be enjoyed, even with a severe disability.
Reading is not only enjoyable, but very important, the act of reading improves your ability to absorb and comprehend written information, helping you in virtually any career path. There are very few jobs today that don’t incorporate written information or instructions, and the more you read, the easier it is for you to absorb that information and execute your job better. Reading can be surprisingly social, too, with book clubs turning books into a truly social event.
What assistance are you looking for?
1. Get lost in a good book
2. Inspirational Reads
3. QASA Publications
4. A Laugh at life cartoons
5. Reading Aids and Assistive Devices
1. Get lost in a good book
There are a wide variety of Books and Publications available online and in print in South Africa – whether new, from your local library or for practically nothing at used bookstores. Books offer a wonderful time out – and can be read in small chunks when you have a five minute gap or for hours on end when you have a lazy afternoon.
If you struggle with portability, holding a book or turning a page, there are also various Reading Aids available that can assist you. Some orgnisations such as the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) can supply a variety of different Assistive Devices through the Neville Cohen Sport Fund.
There is a vast range of reading genres available, ensuring there’s always something to match your interests — whether you’re looking for information, inspiration, education, or pure entertainment. Alan Downey, founder of DiSA, also produces a popular cartoon series titled “A Laugh At Life”, offering light-hearted, relatable humour for persons with disabilities.
A number of powerful memoirs have been written by well-known figures who later faced impairments. Two meaningful examples include Christopher Reeve’s Still Me and Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life, as well as Michael J. Fox’s Lucky Man: A Memoir and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future.
On the other side of the spectrum are authors who became well known because of their work, such as Christy Brown, whose 1954 autobiography My Left Foot remains a classic, and the moving account Jody – A Step Forward.
If you’re interested in practical, locally relevant information, consider publications by organisations such as QASA. Their resources include:
– Informative articles, product comparisons, and news specifically relevant to wheelchair users.
– Clear explanations of laws and policies affecting people with disabilities — written in accessible, everyday language.
– Sensitive discussions on topics such as sexuality, along with guidance for people who have experienced spinal-cord injuries.
Below are a few QASA publications you may find useful:
QASA Publications
The QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) is a non-profit organisation (NPO 000-881) of Quadriplegics and Paraplegics in South Africa. QASA’s mission is “to improve lives by securing resources to advocate, educate, capacitate, support and mobilize”
QASA’s vision is that “all quadriplegics and paraplegics will live their live to their full potential”.
QASA develops products, programmes and services for quadriplegic and paraplegic members to build their capacity and ensure opportunities for societal integration and empowerment.
These projects and services include but are not limited to QASA Publications:
QASA runs a number of Projects and Services which include various Publications and the distribution of information on disability rights. These publications from QASA are extremely informative and include:
Rolling Inspiration:
A bi-monthly glossy magazine by subscription and distribution, pitched as ”a lifestyle magazine for people with mobility impairments “. The only such publication on the continent, with a distribution of 5500. Providing professional information, by expert columnists, to develop the capacity of people with disabilities and health professionals. QASA enjoys a revenue stream from the advertising. Read More
A-Z Guide:
A glossy insert to Rolling Inspiration magazine providing information about all products and suppliers in the disability sector. This annual insert is a valuable resource for all people with disabilities and connected to the disability sector. Providing up-to-date information about equipment and supplies. Providing a revenue stream for QASA.
Automobility:
A glossy insert to Rolling Inspiration magazine providing information about vehicles and vehicle adaptations. This magazine covers all elements of driving. To encourage members who have the ability and agility, to investigate options of driving. The publication has a revenue stream for QASA.
Sawubona Disability:
A publication in five languages (English, Afrikaans, Sotho, Xhosa, Zulu), covering the myths, manners, dos and don’ts about disability. It is a sensitisation booklet explaining and befriending disability. To provide a source of information for people to be sensitised about disability. QASA enjoys a revenue stream from this publication. Read More
Sexuality after a Spinal Cord Injury:
A publication presenting the opportunities for sexual options and sexuality issues, also covering issues of HIV/AIDS. To provide material which will develop knowledge and opportunity for members. Read More
SCI for Illiterate Persons:
This publication explains spinal cord injury in pictorial form to assist people who are illiterate. To develop capacity of people who are illiterate, to understand all lifestyle issues of spinal cord injury. To ensure that all people with spinal cord injuries have a good understanding. Read More
SCI Information Booklet:
This is a compilation of six articles on the devastation caused by damage to the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) due to spinal cord injuries and afflictions. Read More
Reimbursement Toolkit | Pathway to Health and Wellness:
The Quadpara Association of South Africa (QASA) presents the Reimbursement Toolkit, a valuable and practical guide for understanding and accessing the best healthcare services for managing the bladder of spinal cord-afflicted patients in South Africa. This toolkit incorporates essential bladder management guidelines published
in the South African Medical Journal. Read More
Click HERE to find out more about QASA Publications, or visit our their website at: www.qasa.co.za.
A Laugh At Life
“Laughter is the best medicine” – Living with a disability can be difficult and can sometimes lead to depression.
Disability is a serious matter, but it sometimes helps to see the lighter side of our disabilities and the people who don’t understand them.
For 6 years, from 2008 to 2014 Cartoons by Alan Downey were part of the bi-monthly Rolling Inspiration Magazine listed above.
These cartoons were produced by Alan who is a C5 Quadriplegic from a diving accident in 1994. Some of these cartoons are true & based on real events while some of them are not so true but are funny stories involving persons with disabilities. These Cartoons have been created to send a message about a range of topics including Access; Accessible Transport Services and the way some people see and treat persons with disabilities.
These Cartoons are available to be viewed on the DiSA Website, please visit our “Cartoons – A Laugh At Life” page to enjoy the Cartoons.
Reading Aids
Many people with physical disabilities find it difficult or impossible to perform tasks like holding books or turning pages, due to their disability. With the assistance of variety of Assistive Devices, these tasks become possible so that the hobby of reading is possible, no matter what your disability. Reading Aids are Assistive Devices that enable a person with a Disability to be able to enjoy books & the hobby of reading again. There are a variety of different types of Reading Aids available for persons with Mobility Impairments & elderly, so that they can still enjoy books. These products include:
– Audio Books – although this is not technically a Reading Aid, but it can be used to enjoy books or information in books.
– Book Holders – one of the difficulties people with severe disabilities have when reading, is the need to hold a book in an appropriate position to be able to read. There are a variety of different types of book holders to solve this problem.
– Page Turners – one of the difficulties people with severe disabilities have when reading, is the need to turn pages. Manual & Automatic Page Turners can solve this problem.
– Books Available On Computers – whether it be online books or e-books, both solve many of the problems that people with severe physical disabilities encounter when reading. These include:
– Holding A Book
– Turning Pages
– Acquiring Books
– Traveling With Books
Various types of this and other equipment listed above is available to purchase from different companies and organisations in South Africa, some organisations such as the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA), who provides a Education & Sports Fund to its members and may be able to assist you.