Joshua

Josh couldn’t make his mom better but he could make her happy.

When Josh was in Grade 10, his beloved mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. It was a major turning point in the life of this profoundly deaf learner from Fulton School for the Deaf in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

With the support of an incredible circle of Fulton teachers, Josh pulled up his grades from lacklustre passes to a dazzling Dux in matric.

“I couldn’t make my mom better. But I could make her happy,” Josh explains.

If you send a gift to Fulton today by clicking here, you’ll give more deaf learners like Josh the specialised education they need to shine!

Josh was the only deaf Grade 12 learner to write Geography in KZN in 2022. He received the John Hamilton bursary for perseverance at Fulton, and was accepted into Belgium Campus iTversity in Pretoria on a full scholarship.

Josh is a real example of the successes that come out of Fulton.

Children who are deaf face unique challenges – and at Fulton, we make it our mission to understand what each learner needs to be their very best.

Fulton has spent the past 64 years devoted to educating deaf and hard of hearing learners. We offer national curriculum-aligned classes from pre-primary to Grade 12, as well as special programmes for deaf learners with additional barriers to learning.

Our specialised support staff include an audiologist, speech therapist and professional nurse, a doctor “on-call” and a monthly visit by an ear, nose and throat specialist. We have a registered counsellor to provide essential assessments and to assist with any trauma-related counselling, using the medium of Sign Language.

To ensure learners stay actively engaged, our classrooms are equipped with projectors and educators make use of ICT to make teaching and learning more exciting.  

We know what works!

We know what to do!

We need your support to do it!

Josh has overcome huge setbacks in his life. One of micro-premature triplets, he contracted an illness in hospital that left him with profound hearing loss and a physical disability.

Finding the right school for this little boy was one of the biggest decisions Josh’s parents faced. They selected Fulton – and their decision to enrol him in Grade 000 played a huge role in giving Josh the early grounding he needed to evolve into the young man he is today.

Fulton taught Josh and his family to communicate through Sign Language, and ensured that Josh was never isolated from other children. In extended periods when he couldn’t attend school, his teachers made sure he had homework and even bussed his classmates to visit him at home.

With your support – and donation made by clicking here – we can give more deaf learners the special attention they need to thrive.

When Josh set off for Belgium Campus iTversity this year, we sent him off with proud pats on his back and encouragement to keep learning and discovering what life is like out there.

“This certainly would not have been possible without the exceptional guidance from all his matric teachers who passionately pushed Josh to receive amazing results. They never gave up on him. They all encouraged him and pushed him to achieve greatness. It takes a village to raise a child – and our village was Fulton,” says Josh’s mom.

As a public special school, with a large number of learners from severely disadvantaged backgrounds, Fulton relies on private funding from friends like you.

Please click here to send your gift now, and provide deaf children with the holistic, specialised education they deserve!

Thank you

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