Cape Town: Worcester’s Jordan Raubenheimer has proven that determination knows no boundaries as he ranked among South Africa's top Sign Language achievers, earning recognition from the Minister of Basic Education while inspiring a more inclusive future for the deaf community.
Raubenheimer, who matriculated from De La Bat School in Worcester, told the Cape Argus he was keen to be part of making sign language inclusive in society.
Raubenheimer achieved second place in the NSC nationally for Sign Language.
He followed Noulthando Mthembu from KwaThintwa School for the Deaf in KZN who achieved first place, with Simphiwe Hlombane from Filadelfia Secondary LSEN School in Pretoria achieving third place.
The Cape Argus caught-up with Raubenheimer following his breakfast with the Minister, sharing his excitement and pride.
He said his love for sign language came from his family, who is also deaf.
“I was very happy and terribly excited and I did not think that I would be part of the Top 3 in the country. It still feels unreal,” he said.
“I think I love sign language because my family is deaf and I use sign language every day when I communicate with my family.
“I also really love Drama and poems that are conveyed in sign language.
Raubenheimer said he attributed much of his success to his parents and felt confident in showcasing the need for inclusivity for the deaf community.
“My parents were a great inspiration for me. Both of them could not complete their school careers.
“It was important for me to show them that we deaf people can do anything that hearing people can do.
“My sign language teacher, Jufrrou Krige, also helped me.
“I am studying IT this year at Belgium College, Pretoria Campus, because my uncle taught me about computers when I was little.
“My dream is to start my own business and also empower and teach other deaf people.”
Raubenheimer shares that he was born a hearing child and that his parents later discovered that his hearing was impaired.
“They only picked up on my deafness later,” he explained.
“My life has been good, because my family is deaf and we can understand each other.
“It's very difficult if your family can't understand you.
“I feel blessed because of that.
“In 2010 I started at De la Bat and I was 4 years old.
“De la Bat is a good school and they teach me so well and I developed not only academically, but got a lot of exposure in sports and culture.
“Grade 12 was fun, but it was hard knowing you have to say goodbye to your friends and teachers who have been part of your life for 14 years.”
De la Bat School said via their Facebook page: “De la Bat is very proud of Jordan Raubenheimer who was named the 2nd best performer in SAGT ( South African Sign Language) 2024.
“Congratulations also to all the teachers throughout the years who contributed to this achievement!”