This year’s ASSAf/ProAccess Science Fair was more than an event — it was a moment where possibility, courage, and curiosity came together in the most beautiful way. As ProAccess, we had the privilege of standing alongside learners, teachers, scientists, and partners who all share one goal: to make science accessible, exciting, and inclusive for every child — disability or no disability.
Where It All Began
Our journey with ASSAf didn’t start this year. It began back in 2023, when I first met Dr. Tebogo Mabote from ASSAf. They were preparing to launch a more inclusive Science Forum, one that intentionally created space for women and people with disabilities — voices often left out in scientific spaces.
ASSAf needed support in understanding how to make that inclusion real, not just symbolic. That’s where ProAccess came in. We invited Dr. Mabote to one of our events, and she quickly realized how much she wanted — and needed — to learn about true accessibility.
From that moment:
- ASSAf began taking concrete steps,
- They included a sign language interpreter for the first time,
- And even had a scientist who uses a wheelchair on their panel at the 2023 Science Forum.
That was the beginning.
But this year?
This year we built something practical, something the learners could touch, create, and imagine for themselves.
The Birth of the Science Fair
In 2025, along with SAYAS and the Lindau Alumni — both connected through ASSAf — we launched the very first ASSAf Science Fair with a clear mission:
To encourage learners with disabilities to take STEM subjects and pursue STEM careers.
Why?
Because the number of people with disabilities represented in STEM is painfully small. Not because they lack ability — but because they lack access, exposure, and encouragement.
People like Dr Kamini Govender prove what’s possible.
We wanted the learners to see that possibility too.
Witnessing the Learners Shine
I won’t lie — the week before the fair, I barely slept. It was during the school holidays, and anyone who knows the boarding school culture understands how difficult it is to access the school during holidays.
I worried:
Will the learners manage? Will they come? Will they feel included?
But when I arrived and saw them presenting their projects — the pride on their faces, the spark in their eyes — I knew it was all worth it.
The learners exceeded even their teachers’ expectations.
Some didn’t have much research behind their projects, but the courage to try was everything. That’s where innovation begins — with a single brave idea.
For learners with disabilities, seeing real scientists, engaging with judges who hold PhDs, and being taken seriously in that space… it lit something inside them.
Because you cannot dream of what you’ve never seen.
The Power of Inclusion
One of the highlights for me was seeing learners from Filadelfia operating at the same level as everyone else. No limits. No pity. Just potential.
This is why ProAccess exists.
We advocate for inclusion because we know that once you remove the barriers, children will rise. And rise beautifully.
My message to schools, especially LSEN schools, is simple:
Let the children dream. Don’t limit them before they limit themselves.
We will deal with their barriers when we get there.
Some of the biggest dreamers I’ve met are learners with disabilities in mainstream schools — because no one tells them what they “cannot” do.
Let’s build a world where every learner receives that same freedom.
Looking Ahead to Next Year
We learned so much from this first fair, and we’re already thinking ahead:
- We want learners exposed to science earlier in the year.
- We want prototypes — more hands-on, practical creations.
- In Filadelfia, we’re planning to start a science club, with accessible labs and equipment.
- And yes, we’ll need support — financial and otherwise — to make that happen.
With the right resources and earlier preparation, these learners will surprise us all.
A Final Word
To the learners who participated:
You made us proud. You inspired us. You reminded us why we fight for inclusion.
To ASSAf, SAYAS, and the Lindau Alumni:
Thank you for believing in this vision and making space for learners who are too often left behind.
To my fellow judges — thank you for welcoming ProAccess at the table.
And to everyone who believes in a future where disability is never a barrier to science:
The spark has been lit. Let’s keep it burning.
With accessibility and inclusion at heart,