Cape Town’s Mia le Roux has rewritten history by becoming the first deaf Miss South Africa.
Diagnosed with profound hearing difficulties at an early age Mia now wants to use the Miss SA platform to advocate for inclusivity, especially in rural areas.
At age two, she received a cochlear implant, which allows her to hear.
Following her crowning in Pretoria over the weekend, le Roux said she aims to ”teach the included how to be inclusive.”
”As a little girl I never would have thought that someone like me could become Miss South Africa. It is extremely powerful what this could mean to other little girls – that even if you have something that makes you different, you still can achieve your dreams with determination and hard work.”
READ: Cape Town’s Mia Le Roux makes history as first differently-abled Miss SA
The Carel du Toit Centre has congratulated le Roux, as has the organisation DeafSA, who has lauded her for putting the spotlight on inclusion and raising awareness on Deaf and hear of hearing persons in South Africa.
South Africa has a well-established deaf community with more than 4 million deaf and hard of hearing people.
With South African Sign Language (SASL) officially recognised as a home language in education, deaf culture has been recognised as a fundamental part of South African culture.
According to the South African National Deaf Association (SANDA), children should have their hearing tested several times throughout their schooling:
- When they enter school
- At ages 6, 8, and 10
- At least once during Grades 8 or 9, and at least once during Grades 10 to 12.
