Behind 18-year-old Ndlambe resident, Hannah Ford’s effervescent demeanour lies a tenacious personality that saw her achieving a Bachelor’s pass in the 2024 matric exams under the most trying circumstances.
Ford, who attended King’s School Port Alfred – formerly El Shaddai Christian Academy – carries two neurological differences from birth, one of which is dyslexia and the other dyspraxia.
Dyslexia is a condition where the brain processes written language differently, affecting reading and language skills. The other, dyspraxia, means Hannah has difficulties in planning and completing certain motor tasks. This can range from simple movements, such as waving goodbye, to more complex ones, such as brushing teeth.
Hannah is however forthright about how the disability affects her.
“For me it’s a problem with how I pronounce things … and if I can say, my tongue is lazy and that is the easiest way for me to explain it.”
Not that Hannah who lives on a farm close to Kasouga with family, sees her disabilities as a hindrance at all, for she maintains a positive outlook and a cheerful spirit that is evident, especially after having collected her results from the school last Tuesday.
“I am feeling very excited; it was such a hard thing (matric exams) and I battled through so many years … I actually did 13 years when I was only meant to do 12; I am so very grateful right now.”
Hannah admits her entire school career had been a tough road with her matric year probably the toughest she had had to experience.
“For my finals last year I had to have a reader and a scribe sitting with me in the exam room … two different persons sitting with me which was quite hard. You have to speak to them and read at the same time … my brain sometimes did not get to grips with both of these aspects. So one person will read out a question to me and I will tell the other person what I am saying and they transcribe it.
“It is extremely tough because with my brain I can get muddled sometimes. I had to concentrate harder because I am working with two people,” said Hannah.
“The department of education said I could have one scribe until Grade 11 for the exams and then in Grade 12 they said ‘no, I need two’ … so I had to deal with two people which made it even harder.”
Hannah said she has had to deal with moments of depression given her disabilities but inner resilience and determination, and help from her family have assisted greatly, and teachers too. This had impacted positively on her results outcomes.
“From what I can see from my results I did quite well; I got a Bachelors pass and I am totally surprised; I didn’t think I would pass my Afrikaans and also had a sticky situation with my consumers studies. I did well in the subject during the year and when I got to the finals it didn’t look good but I passed it … and, yeah, I am so happy.”
Hannah will in February join a hunting school to learn all the attributes of a professional hunter. One might think that it’s due to the fact that Hannah’s disabilities limit her to decision-making in choosing careers, but while this is a contributory factor it is not also entirely true.
“I have been doing this (hunting) on the farm for a couple of years during my holidays with Link safaris. It will be a seven-month course and you learn about hunting and all kinds of things that go with it, like basic first aid, lodge management and taking care of overseas clients.
“My dad is always out hunting on our farm. I am doing professional hunting because it’s where my heart is and I have been hunting with my dad all the years. They have antelope on the farm and that led me into it.”
Hannah said she followed art at school in the hope of pursuing art at university. “The practical side was fine during my art studies but the physical side was not easy at all … so there were things that kept me going with hunting and that’s why I chose hunting,” she said with conviction.
“I am excited about the future … almost overwhelmed, I was quite anxious in the build-up to Tuesday but last night (Monday) I felt much better,” said Hannah.
The school’s principal Rene Payne said the King’s Port Alfred school did play a supporting role in Hannah’s matric year, but gave credit to Hannahs’s mother for helping her through.
“If she (Hannah) was in any other household she might never be where she is,” said Payne. “But her mom pushed her so that this girl with these learning barriers achieved better results than some of those with no learning barriers. She had to have a reader and scribe in the exams but she coped. Remember, she still had to know everything the other leaners knew, because she still had to answer exactly the same paper.”
Payne said Hannah’s resilience and willingness to achieve shone through. “She is an unlikely candidate but has proved that it is possible.”
“It’s been a pleasure as she’s been an amazing learner to work with; she’s positive and she’s motivated,” said Payne. We’ve been determined to show her that she can and that she should never give up and so we as the school has never given up on her … and spent many hours with her. And she’s worth it.
“Every child is worth it,” added Payne.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, January 23, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
