The University of Johannesburg has announced a new scholarship, the Mpedi Neurodiversity Scholarship which will help make research in a very underserved field more accessible!

Johannesburg, South Africa (06 March 2024) — In an effort to further research in the field of Neurodiversity Studies, the University of Johannesburg has initiated its Mpedi Neurodiversity Scholarship thanks to UJ Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi and his family!

Professor Mpedi is a parent to a neurodivergent son. From his son, the professor has witnessed both the unique intelligence and systemic challenges neurodivergent people face. Knowing that learning more is the first step to creating a more fitting society, the Neurodiversity Scholarship hopes to help more students who want to explore the largely untapped topic a Master’s level, with a emphasis on the neuro-develeopmental learning needs of children and youth.

This will hopefully play an important role paving the way to a South Africa that shifts to help neurodivergent people flourish instead of them having to simply make their way through a society that by systemic design, often doesn’t consider them.

UJ shares:

“The scholarship represents more than a financial aid program. It symbolises the commitment by UJ to address global challenges in the field of neurodiversity. The scholarship aims to facilitate meaningful research that contributes to a more inclusive and understanding society.”

For Mpedi, there are many areas where the system does not serve neurodivergent people. Legal systems do not safeguard their rights enough, policies are not centred around inclusivity and nurturing environments where neurodivergent people’s perspectives and capabilities are not acknowleged enough.

For him, it is about seeing the differences that neurodivergence entails not through the lens that paints them as defective, but as a variation of the human experience.

Students have already been awarded the scholarship. Nthabiseng Molebatsi, Ntokozo Zwane, and Mohamed Mosala are all researching topics related to Down Syndrome. Each is examining different topics, including parents’ experiences in providing support and transitioning from home to school.

Sources: University of Johannesburg 

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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After 3 years of physical closure, the beloved Special Knead Café is reopening!

Sandton, South Africa (01 August, 2023) — When Special Knead Café updated its status to ‘permanently closed’ three years ago (largely due to the pandemic) it marked a sad day not just for the loyal supporters who adored their treats, but for the special needs community in South Africa.

However, the determination that kept the Café going virtually has paid off and at long last Special Knead Café will open its doors once again!

For those who don’t know the Café’s story, Special Knead was started by a mother and former remedial teacher Kim McJannet (Rundle), who wanted better opportunities for her neurodivergent daughter.

After her daughter started working at a doggy daycare that gave people on the spectrum work opportunities, the wheels started turning for Kim. Similarly, she thought about how a friend’s son (a talented chef) had been fired for ‘being slow’ and those wheels began turning even faster.

There needed to be more places for the special needs community to be part of society and showcase their talents More places where they could be celebrated instead of pressured into not feeling good enough in a world that unfortunately isn’t designed for neurodivergence.

This space between what should be and what is, is where Special Knead Café was born—a place where neurodivergent employees have opportunities to do what they love while neurotypicals get to become more aware of other life experiences in the sweetest way.

The Café garnered a lot of support during its time on Sangster Road, celebrated for paving a new era of inclusivity in Johannesburg.

But, when the going got tough and the restaurant industry across the world faced challenges no one was prepared for, the Café had to operate virtually…

Until now.

“I know you have all been waiting for this and it’s happening. I cannot wait for our specials to have a purpose again,” shared the Café’s of its return.

New neurodivergent team members have already been announced, as well as a new location which will be in Sandton.

“Delicious coffees, cakes and light lunches under umbrellas on the lawn will be a reality.”—Special Knead Café.

However, the team behind the dream needs some help to make the new chapter possible as they seek a few treasures like cups and saucers.

If you can help, contact specialkneadcafe@gmail.com and make the dream come true again!

Sources: Special Knead Café; GTG

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Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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One person’s ‘everyday moment’ is another person’s small victory. Carrie Cariello is the mother of an autistic teenager who has many of the latter. Recently, she penned a powerful open letter on the topic.

Global (04 June, 2023) — In a society where most of us have been raised to strive for the exceptional and productivity is valued more than peace, what happens to the people who fall outside these man-made margins by no choice of their own? What about the achievements that no one applauds, let alone sees?

People who struggle with mental health know how the very tiny things can feel like massive victories. The battle that ensues to show up to the office when you have chronic depression, the ability to quell anxiety even if it’s just for one conversation, or figuring out a new hack to get through daily ADHD struggles.

When we think about the neurodivergent community and especially Autistic people, everyday moments are often unsung achievements.

Recently, the author of ‘What Color is Monday?’ Carrie Cariello—whose son has Autism—took to social media to pen her thoughts on the achievements we don’t praise, and it’s challenging the way people perceive what’s deemed an achievement.

Here’s What Cariello Said:

My son Jack has autism. He is nineteen. 

Jack has never crossed a stage to accept an award for the Honor Roll, or Most Valuable player, or winner of the spelling bee. 

The truth is, there are no awards for the very things he works so hard to accomplish: regulation, flexibility, language, tone of voice, executive functioning. 

There is no award for wearing a shirt with an itchy tag, or staying calm in a thunderstorm, or learning how to work the stove. 

Kids like my son are often judged by their mistakes. They are viewed through the lens of their worst moments. 

Tonight, in this space and in this time, let us honor those whose accomplishments often go unseen. 

Let us celebrate the quirky, the complicated, unique, the unsual. 

The out-of-the-box thinkers, the game-changers, the tender-hearted. 

I’ll go first. 

This is Jack. 

He is my son. 

I am fiercely proud of him.

Sources: Carrie Cariello 

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Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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