While South Africans are beaming with pride for Mia le Roux being crowned the first deaf Miss SA, deaf organisations have welcomed her reign, commending the pageant for reaching inclusive milestones.
Le Roux, a hearing-impaired patient since infant years, has been utilising a cochlear implant to hear sound.
The National Council of and for People with Disabilities (NCPD) welcomed Le Roux, describing her participation in the Miss SA 66th pageant “resilient and bold”.
“Le Roux was resilient and committed as she won the pageant. This is a momentous occasion for South Africa, as we continue to embrace inclusivity, diversity and empowerment. The team at NCPD extends our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes as you embark on this empowering journey,” the organisation wrote on Facebook.
In partnership with the Carol du Toit Centre, the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s speaker, Daylin Mitchell, said Le Roux’s victory echoed the call for an inclusive society, where people with disabilities are prioritised by the government and private sector stakeholders.
Mitchell said: “She is an example of breaking barriers for people with disabilities, and particularly the deaf community. The inspirational story of how she was assisted by having a cochlear implant echoes the message and stories of so many other deaf children we witnessed during the Power of Speech Programme presented at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament earlier this year.”
The Power of Speech Programme is an initiative aimed at championing deaf children to learn how to speak, and encouraging the use of spoken language.
Speaking to various media outlets, Deaf South Africa national director, Bruno Druchen, lamented that people with disabilities have been long excluded from prestigious platforms.
Thus, Le Roux winning the pageant, would open a pool of future participants with the same attributes as her, or are part of marginalised communities.
“We as the deaf community appreciate that Miss SA allowed her to participate as a deaf contestant, because deaf people have been normally excluded from such events, yet we are equal as the hearing community. We are very happy she won. It's always a challenge for deaf people and people considered abnormal to be able to access these events. Mia proved that it is possible. Her win definitely shook South Africa,” said Druchen.
He applauded the Miss SA organisation for breaking away from conventional pageantry beauty standards, embracing the individual beauty of its contenders.
“South Africa is young in its democracy. Therefore, we struggled as the South African sign language to be recognised as an official language. Unlike other countries in the world, sign language is recognised as an official language. I hope it will not take another 66 years to have such a win. We have been campaigning for inclusivity, and we hope other people like her can follow suit in her footsteps. She gave hope to parents of disabled children that their children can succeed,” Druchen said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Sign Language Bill last year, officially recognising it as an official language as per section 9 of the Constitution, which states all citizens are equal before the rule of law, in order to promote inclusivity of the deaf community.
The Star