The 18th Casual Day, providing support for people with disabilities will take place on Friday, 7 September 2012.

This years theme:

“Get on Board”

Captains and sailors, with your crew
Wear a sticker or two, and something blue.
Together we take to the high seas

“Kom aan Boord”

Kom aan boord,
Die behoefte is groot,
Kry jou plakker gou,
En dra iets blou.

How to get your sea legs

Dress like a sailor, captain or pirate. We don’t mind if you manage a bank, a second hand car dealership or are the President of the World if you want to dress like a mermaid on Casual Day, do it – - just get on board!
If you feel a bit like a fish out of water wearing an entire get-up, then just wear blue. Any shade will do – from sea green to baby blue, from aqua to teal to indigo, it’s all good, just get on board!

Everyone loves a uniform! Now is your chance to be the captain of your ship and navigate the waters from your desk to your boss’s office. Ask for that raise, so that you can afford an extra Casual Day sticker on Friday, 7th September. And whilst you’re there, tell your boss to participate too, by wearing a sticker or two.

We can assure you, if you come out of your shell on Casual Day, you’ll have a whale of a time.

Please contact Sophie Baloyi now on 011 646 8331 or at sophieb@apdjhb.co.za to place your order for stickers.

Your donation of R10 will make a huge difference in the lives of South Africans living with disabilities.

Casual Day is the biggest fundraising and awareness creating project for persons with disabilities in South Africa. Every year on the first Friday of September we ask people to dress differently than they normally would, and to wear the official Casual Day sticker to show their support.

The following National Welfare Organisations are beneficiaries of Casual Day:

• The National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in SA (NCPPDSA)
• SA Federation for Mental Health
• Disabled People South Africa (DPSA)
• Deaf Federation of SA (DEAFSA)
• Epilepsy SA
• SA National Council for the Blind

These organisations represent about 400 different schools,
homes and workshops for persons with disabilities. Every year more than 200 local welfare organisations participate in this project and raise funds for their own needs via the infrastructure of the project.

Does anyone know the names of the children in the picture?

Celebrating its 27th year, the APD – Greater Johannesburg Golf Day will be held on the 6th of September  2012 at the Randpark course of the Randpark Club in Johannesburg.

We request that you diarise this day now so that you won’t miss out on this fun day when we raised funds for the Association.

Got a great idea of how we can make the day even more special?  We would be pleased to hear from you.  Phone us of 011 646 58331 or email us at info@apdjhb.co.za and we will contact you.

Nicki from Daisychain Promotions is now offering companies the opportunity to advertise their support of people with disabilities.  If you would like to sponsor a hole or donate some prizes, Nicki will ensure that your company gets all the recognition it deserves.

Thanks to the tremendous support we received last year the 26th APD Golf Day was a fantastic event.   Although a serious competion took place, the players had a lot of fun.   Please register your four-ball now and help us make the 27th APD Golf Day even better.

Spread the word to your colleagues, friends, suppliers, even your business or golfing competitors to take up the challenge to make first place.   Prizes will be awarded to all participants.

Thursday, 6th September 2012 will be a date to remember, watch this space for more exciting news and challenges.

For further information about our 27th APD Golf Day, please contact Nicki Wiggett at Daisychain Promotions  on 082 856 7666.

We look forward to seeing you there!

November 2011

We are delighted too announce the launch of the new APD Greater Johannesburg website and the introduction of APD News.

We welcome your feedback on our site and hope that you will participate in our poll on the home page.  If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, please register on the home page of our site.

What’s happening?

The APD invites you to participate in its awareness campaign.

Buy a beautiful 2.2cm gold plated lapel badge which compliments any outfit – both male and female – for only R35.00 (VAT inclusive) and show your support of people who are differently abled.

This campaign is not only aimed at generating an income for the provision of essential services to people with disabilities, but also in recognition and celebration of International Day for Persons with Disabilities – 3 December.

It is ideal as a meaningful corporate gift for your clients and can be used as part of client liaison to identify employees who interact with people with disabilities professionally.  Contact Lorna Arnott on 011 646 8331 or at lornaa@apdjhb.co.za for more information or to place your order.

Barrier Breakers Recruitment

Our clients have asked us to help them fill many positions in a whole range of fields requiring a host of skills and experience.  In addition we have learnership opportunities for candidates who have little or no experience.  If you are looking for employment and have not yet registered with us, please send your CV to Thapelo Rachidi at thapelor@apdjhb.co.za or by fax to 011 646 5248.

Lean on Us

Do you know of someone who is either temporarily or permanently incapacitated but have no idea who to approach for care?  We can help!  Please contact Rachel Legasa on 011 646 8331 or at rachell@apdjhb.co.za for more information.

Join the MAD (Make a Difference) Network

The official launch of The MAD (Make a Difference) Network www.themadnetwork.com took place on Saturday, 5 November 2011 with much fanfare and support from a host of South African entertainers at Cool Runnings, Fourways, Johannesburg.

The MAD Network is an initiative by Doug Anderson, a person with disabilities, who wants to see social networking make a meaningful difference to NGO’s by providing a source of income generated by advertising on the site.  Please visit the site for more information.

As APD Greater Johannesburg is registered as a beneficiary of this initiative I would be grateful if you would please pass this on to as many people as possible.

The vital services provided the APD Home Based Caregivers enables people with disabilities to enjoy an improved quality of life.  But these services cost money which is in short supply.

Can you help?  Yes please!  All it takes is one quick sms to make a donation of R10.00. It cannot be easier but in doing this simple task you can help make an incredible difference in the lives of the disabled who are not currently in a position to help themselves.

Please don’t wait, pick up your phone and do it now.  Your donation will be a big step in assisting APD- Greater Johannesburg to help those less fortunate to become more independent and improve their quality of life.

COME ON, JUST ONE SMS PLEASE!!!

Have you noticed how little regard some people have for parking designated for people with disabilities?

Is it just me, or has the pace of our lives become such that in our haste to get things done we lose our consideration for others.

Too frequently I see able bodied people park in these designated bays and their excuse, “I am just running in with this, I will be 2 minutes” or “I am in a hurry but its okay there is another bay vacant”.

The elderly also seem to think that these bays are available to them.  Now, I have no problem if they have mobility problems and making use of the bay actually reduces the discomfort that they may be feeling but that is generally not the reason for using the bay.  More often than not they prefer to use these bays because they are positioned close to the entrance of the public facility.  So when did natural aging age become a disability?

These designated bays are there for a reason, to help people with disabilities to be able to have the same access to buildings as able bodied people.  We ask you to help us change the perception of some and challenge those people who decide to flaunt the system for selfish reasons.

Please share your views and experience……….

This campaign is not only aimed at generating an income for the provision of essential services to people with disabilities, but also to raise awarenes of the needs and desires of Persons with Disabilities.

To help APD – Greater Johannesburg generate an income for the provision of essential services to people with disabilities buy this beautiful gold plated lapel badge which will compliment any outfit – both male and female – for only R35.00 (VAT inclusive) and show your support of people who are differently abled.

It is ideal as a meaningful corporate gift for your clients and can be used as part of client liaison to identify employees who interact with people with disabilities professionally.

For more information on how you can obtain the pin, please contact Sophie Baloyi on 011 646 8331 or at sophieb@apdjhb.co.za

We are totally committed to working in partnership with people who have physical disabilities, their families and the community as a whole, in order to promote their integration into society, and to enable them to achieve their full potential.

Our Mission

Our Mission is to provide relevant and quality services to persons with primarily physical disabilities and to the community as a whole, including services that:

• Promote and protect the interests and well-being of persons with physical disabilities.
• Further the development and empowerment of persons with physical disabilities.
• Prevent the occurrence of disabling conditions.
• Remove physical, legal and psycho-social barriers and foster non-disabled/disabled relationships to make it possible for persons with
  physical disabilities to live independently and to participate fully in their communities

Our Values

• Integrity
• Mutual respect
• Professionalism
• Initiative
• Teamwork
• Accountability