Depending on your child’s diagnosis and needs, you may need to see an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist or a speech therapist (or more than one). Any therapist you see first will be able to advise you whether they are the right person to help you, or they can refer to the right kind of therapist for your child’s needs. If you are looking for therapy for your child who has a medical diagnosis, you can get help in either the private or government sector. Within the government sector, you can visit your local clinic or hospital and ask to see a therapist. Some community clinics have therapists available daily, but some have therapists who visit on certain days in the month. In the Helderberg area, there are occupational therapists at Nomzamo clinic, Gustro clinic and Macassar clinics daily, and physiotherapists and speech therapists on certain days. For other areas of Helderberg, you can call Helderberg Hospital Occupational Therapy Department on 021 850 4716 for an appointment. In the private sector you can search for your nearest therapist online or ask at your local GP or paediatrician for a referral. NB - Please remember to take with you any previous medical letters, information or reports, as well as your child’s clinic card.

Support for a person with a disability varies greatly depending on the family’s specific situation and needs. For social support (eg. Disability grants, assistance in finding a day care/residential facility) contact your local Department of Social Development (DSD) office. There are also many NGO’s/NPO’s that work to support people with disabilities in various ways within the Western Cape. You can find out more information on different the Western Cape DSD website.

If your child is already registered in a Mainstream School but needs to move to a Special Needs School, you will need to follow the correct referral procedures via the Department of Education. Your child’s school should be able to refer you accordingly. For more information, you can contact your local Department of Education office to ask for assistance. If your child is not registered in a Mainstream School you can go directly to your local Department of Education office for assistance. Your local CSPID team may also assist you with identifying a school/centre suitable for your child’s learning needs. These teams consist of an educational psychologist, a physiotherapist, a learning support teacher, an occupational therapist and a speech therapist. These teams are located in different educational districts and work at child care centres. Their role is to assist with assessments of the children and develop Individual Educational Plans and support with the implementation thereof in the centres. Visit the CSPID website for more information.

Assistive devices and wheelchairs help a person to become more independent in their daily life, and play a vital role in facilitating a person’s ability to be involved in their community. However, they need to be selected specifically for an individual, depending on their abilities, size/height and lifestyle needs. The wrong device can do great harm and cause more complications. A therapist will need to do an assessment of the individual to determine whether a device is needed and which device is most appropriate. For wheelchairs and walking aids, the individual must be assessed by an occupational therapist or physiotherapist. For hearing aids, the individual must be assessed by an audiologist. Basic assistive devices are provided by the Department of Health, subject to budget availability. Visit your local clinic or hospital for assistance with this. Please remember that you may need to be seen by a medical doctor as well. As always, take along with you any medical reports or letters you have, and if it is for a child, take along their clinic card. Within the private sector, you can contact your local GP or specialist doctor for a referral or find your local private therapist to assist you with procuring the correct device. Some great places to find assistive devices are: Shonaquip (mobility devices and positioning aids) Timion (mobility devices, positioning aids, stimulation toys) CE Mobility (mobility devices, various assistive devices)

Day Care – A centre that provides daytime individual support, care and stimulation to both adults and children with disabilities. Residential Special Care Centre – refers to a 24 hours facility for the temporary or permanent care, protection, support, stimulation, skills development and rehabilitation of people with disabilities. Due to their disability and social situation they need care (when the need cannot be met at home and in the community) they live within a safe, secure and stimulating environment of a home for people with disabilities or in a residential facility. (The National policy on the provision of social development services to persons with disabilities (May, 2013)).

Contact your local Department of Social Development for further assistance. They may refer to you services in your area who may assist you. It is important to start application process as early as possible in case you need to be put onto waiting lists. You may also contact your local clinic or hospital and speak to the occupational therapist/speech therapist who may refer you to centres in your community. Your local CSPID team will also be able to assist you identifying centres near you and if possible assist you with the application process.

Contact your local Department of Social Development services for names of residential care areas that are located near you or look at the Western Cape DSD website for facilities near you. Residential facilities vary in services, programmes and fees. Start searching for the most suitable facility as early as possible, due to high demand of adult residential care there may also be waiting lists.

There are several organisations that assist people with disabilities with learnerships and employment opportunities. A few of these organisations are: Altitude WCAPD will refer you to APD branches according to your location for further information. The Living Link DWDE

Senecio is currently working with nine designated centres according to our 2019-2020 TPA provided by Department of Social Developmemt. As much as we are eager to assist you, we currently cannot take on any new centres. We recommend the following: a) Complete the form below. Once the therapists have received your completed form they will respond to your request. They will then add you onto Senecio’s mailing list to update you on new info or any training opportunities that arise. b) If you are a registered ADC funded by DSD, we recommend that in your quarterly report, you document that you have made contact with Senecio and that you are needing support for your ADC. Remember to list all the challenges you are facing in these reports, as this guides DSD in the support they provide. c) Once Senecio has the opportunity to work with you and provide support, we will make contact with you and follow our process accordingly.

Kindly note: that there are many wonderful organisations working endlessy to support people with disabilities. The exmaples and links provided are just a few to get you started.