By Karabo Ntanzi
Betty Coetzee, a mother of two who was born blind is a braille instructor who started her schooling journey at Retlameleng Special School in Kimberley and matriculated from there in record time in 2008.
The 35-year-old went to OPTIMA College for the Blind in Cape Town where she did a course in computer braille. After returning home to Kimberley Coetzee worked on a contractual basis at Retlameleng Special School.
Growing up has never been a challenge for Betty; however, moving around was her greatest challenge because she needed assistance to reach the places she couldn’t.
She is an independent woman who manages her own home. She lives with her two children in a shack in the backyard of her parent’s home in Galeshewe.
Coetzee has never seen the beautiful faces of her children. The same applies to her children’s fathers who are all blind.
“We are all different and God gave us something unique, in our case, the sixth sense,” she added.
The cheerful teacher said that those who are blind should not give up. “They can also do what able, sighted people can do. They can go to school and get a qualification. They should stay focused and motivated.”
She is an independent woman who manages her own home. She lives with her two children in a shack in the backyard of her parent’s home in Galeshewe.
Because of her sixth sense, Cotzee can estimate the time and tell when she wakes up or the sun is setting. She also relies on her instincts and uses her sense of smell to determine a location and various obstacles in her path. She can determine the direction of her bearings such as when there is sewage or any pungent smell. She uses these indicators to evade obstructions.
The disadvantage for blind people is that they may not walk alone and are even taught not to walk alone for safety.
If she hears news that someone has been stabbed or a body has been discovered elsewhere, she says it is bearable because she cannot visualise a violent scene.
Coetzee stated that her boyfriends are also blind and she prefers them that way because they would not cheat on her since they cannot see other women’s beauty.
Betty intends to open her own non-governmental organisation (NGO) to coach partially blind people. She wants to teach braille mainly because there is no braille school in Kimberley.
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