Wheelchair Wednesday in Gqeberha gave corporate teams a life-changing glimpse into the daily challenges of wheelchair users while raising funds and awareness for APD.
Gqeberha, South Africa (05 September 2025) – It began with laughter, the kind that bubbles up when nerves meet the unknown. In Newton Park, Gqeberha, business suits were swapped for seatbelts as corporate teams found themselves strapped into wheelchairs, about to navigate a supermarket in a way they had never done before. What started as a campaign day quickly became a personal awakening.
Wheelchair Wednesday, now in its 14th year, is not just about rolling through aisles or negotiating car doors. It’s about slowing down to understand what millions of South Africans living with disabilities face every single day. For many of the participants, the challenge of reaching for items on the top shelf or figuring out how to exit a vehicle while seated was a first taste of the obstacles that shape another person’s daily reality.
The Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities (APD) has long led this initiative, building awareness through experience and opening hearts in the process. As APD NMB’s executive director, Cecilia Fourie, gently reminded the group, “Getting out of a vehicle and offloading a wheelchair takes a long time. It shows why you should never park in bays designated for disabled people.” A simple act of respect, she explained, could change someone’s day.
The corporate teams threw themselves into the challenge, some with grit, others with grins, all with fresh eyes by the end. APL Cartons came in with a powerful gesture, donating seven wheelchairs and sending 14 employees to experience the activation. For risk practitioner Chanté Holster, the link between safety, inclusivity, and empathy was clear.
“It’s important for us because we want our employees to see why our work environment needs to be safe and inclusive,” she said. “We also need to make sure that less able-bodied people can access our premises easily.”
It’s the mix of practical learning and personal transformation that makes Wheelchair Wednesday so powerful. Companies that participate not only gain insight but also give back tangibly: every team purchases a wheelchair at R5 000, supporting APD’s programmes while receiving a Section 18A certificate for their donation. Behind the numbers, though, lies something far more valuable, a shift in perspective.
Wheelchair Wednesday also looks beyond the shopping trolleys. One of its outcomes is to help stores become more wheelchair-friendly, with APD offering feedback on ramps, entrances, and even bathroom accessibility. Small adjustments, Fourie explained, can turn everyday frustration into freedom.
The campaign has also grown stronger through collaboration, partnering with the Nkosinathi Foundation for Blind and Partially Sighted People. Because disability isn’t one story, it’s many, and they all deserve to be heard, understood, and included.
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For the corporations that strapped in this week, the lesson was clear: what may take a few minutes for the able-bodied can take much longer for someone using a wheelchair. But beyond inconvenience lies resilience, dignity, and the possibility of change.
The next activations will roll out through September, including in Despatch and Hunters Retreat. Last week saw great success in Bethelsdorp, too. Each wheelchair purchased will change a life, and each able-bodied participant will leave changed, too.
Wheelchair Wednesday is more than a campaign; it’s a reminder that empathy grows when we sit in someone else’s seat, even just for a day.
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