Life truly started at the age of 31 for Dellicia De Vos. As a result of a lifetime of judgement and persecution because of her Albinism, the reserved mom-of-two avoided any social setting that may make her anxious.

But after a chat and advice from a good friend De Vos decided to let go of the crippling self-confidence issues which had shadowed her younger years. 

“My experiences were that people would look at you and think you are stupid or disregard you in a social setting. That was the reality I had to live with for my whole life and it wasn’t easy,” she says.

After noticing that little children often shied away from her, De Vos’ good friend suggested that she approach youngsters with a more open and friendly demeanour. The result was immediate and she slowly started replicating the behaviour with adults too.

“Learning to accept myself as I am started when I was 31 years old. I figured there must be a reason that I was born like this and that it’s ok to be the way I am. I decided to stop being so sensitive because the people mocking me were really the ones missing an opportunity to get to know me,” she says.

De Vos was featured in a documentary entitled As We See It: Education and Albinism earlier this year and is keen to do more advocacy work for a younger generation of people living with Albinism.

She is currently completing her Masters in Disability Studies at UCT.

Written by Lauren Kansley
Tel: +27 21 953 8646
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.

A chance encounter on a train has seen a Disability Unit staff member being featured in a documentary focusing on the challenges of people with Albinism.

As We See It: Education and Albinism was produced by the Human Rights Media Centre and attempts to shed light on the realities of living with albinism through the experiences of four individuals.

Dellicia De Vos is a familiar face at CPUT’s Cape Town campus where she works as an Administrator in the Disability Unit. For years De Vos has been helping students with disabilities acclimatise to university life and introducing them to the adaptive study aids like magnifiers and recorders which will assist their studies.  

De Vos was on a train one Saturday in 2016 when a women approached her about participating in a documentary on Albinism and the associated challenges.

“I told her that if she had asked me a few years previously I would have removed myself from the situation but over time I have learned to accept myself as I am. As my confidence increased I also felt the need to start being more vocal about the challenges people with Albinism face,” she says. 

In the 31 minute documentary De Vos recalls travelling from Namibia to Cape Town as a five year old to attend the Athlone School for the Blind, where she remained for her entire schooling career. The wife and mother of two is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Disability Studies at UCT.

Written by Lauren Kansley
Tel: +27 21 953 8646
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.