Disabled man fights for cause
August 03 2007 at 04:08PM
By Amelia Naidoo
Being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth has not prevented Ryan Jeffery from leading a completely independent life and achieving his second Dan black belt in the demanding sport of Funakoshi karate.
Come Sunday, the 40-year-old will be grading for his third Dan black belt at Winklespruit, where he will undergo a series of rigorous tests and pit himself against other athletes.
If the Glenwood resident is successful, his new grading will allow him to instruct in karate anywhere in the world.
Jeffery’s interest in karate began when an instructor started a club at the Open Air School in Glenwood, which caters for the disabled.
By the time he had finished high school, Jeffrey had a brown belt and continued with his karate training, achieving his black belt in 1991 and second Dan in 1995.
Now working as a human resources officer at Addington hospital, he has lived independently since finishing high school.
He studied accounting and computers in Cape Town.
Because of his illness, Jeffery had a loss of muscle control and balance on his right side, requiring him to find different ways of doing daily tasks, such as clipping his nails or unscrewing bottle caps.
Certain aspects of karate training were slightly modified to accommodate Jeffery’s weakened right side, but he has been pushed as hard as any other able-bodied student.
“I don’t fight in competitions because I will always be at a disadvantage, but I do spar during my training,” said Jeffrey, an assistant instructor at a Pinetown dojo, where he trains twice a week.
Apart from his coming grading, which requires a written thesis, he is also training for the South African karate championships, which will be held in Newcastle later in 2007.
Jeffery’s thesis was based on access to karate for the disabled, “because it affects me directly”.
His sensei, Christo Botha, 29, said Jeffrey had a natural affinity with the younger students at the dojo. “He works very well with the young children, and they are drawn to him,” said Botha.
Botha and Jeffery said they would meet and discuss with Karate South Africa and local government officials how to accommodate handicapped people at local and international karate events.
“It’s sad that there’s never a division for handicapped people in karate,” said Botha.
Readers who are interested in helping Jeffery to find sponsorships can telephone him at 084 566 0927.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=139&art_id=vn20070803033910333C883693
Winklespruit? That’s a funny name for a place.
He’s 40, his sensei is 29? Oh well, good for this guy.