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This story was written with support from IJNet Arabic’s Mentoring Center for Media Startups
Written by: Ibrahim Al-Munifi
Translate by: Yasser Mohammed
Many speak about ambition and power of well, but very few can live up to those ideals
This story is unique much like its hero, I was a witness to its most important chapter
Two years ago, I participated in a training camp for male and female teachers on the use of Braille in Shabwah governorate south of the country where the Association of Blind Persons was established a few years ago
The Association was planning to open the first school for blind people in the governorate, where the People with Special Needs (PWSNs) in general and the blind people in particular are deprived from services unlike their PWSNs in other governorates
The trainees were approximately 10, however, one of them stood out, his name was, Hussein Mohammed Al-Khash’i. He presented himself as a high school student who lost his sense of sight two years ago. “Finally, I will learn Braille, I’ll be able to read and write again, this is nice, I will read again, even though in a different manner,” said Hussein
During the first few days, Hussein memorized all the symbols of Braille system, in the fourth day, I started teaching him the principles of the tactile writing system privately
In the beginning of the following week, Hussein handed me a piece of paper on which he had written a paragraph about how happy he was to learn Braille while also expressing his gratitude to the sponsors of the training camp. The paragraph did have some mistakes, but the record time during which he learned reading and writing in Braille was astonishing
By the end of the second week, Hussein read the first in Braille. There was a big contagious smile on his face, at that scene I almost cried with joy. From time to time, the trainees would express their admiration for Hussein’s ambition, intelligence and perseverance against his recent disability
A Good Deed Punished
During a brief sit down with Hussein he told us about the suffering of the PWSNs in Shabwah governorate. “Blind people in this governorate disenfranchised. Those who get an education, or achieve anything, do so with pure personal effort,” said Hussein
“God only knows how many blind people are deprived from education or care,” Added Hussein
Hussein told us the tragic story of how he lost his sight
Hussein and two other men learned that a mine exploded against a senior citizen. The three young men rushed to help him Immediately a few meters before reaching the old man another man “a few meters before reaching him [the senior citizen], another mine exploded against us, our car burst with flames and my friends died,” said Hussein
Hussein survived the mine explosion, but his eyes did not. While his right eye was completely damaged, his left one still had some hope for recovery. After staying in the hospital for more than 10 days, Hussein left to start living his new life, which was not an easy feat
“I was in a bad psychological condition, there was darkness all around me, I was unable to continue my education or work. I was also unable to use my mobile phone or read books” said Hussein while describing his condition immediately after his accident
Hussein’s psyche began to improve when he first learned that blind people are able to use smartphones and computers through special apps. So, he bought a smart phone and started communicating with many other blind people he also went back to reading books after he was with “boring audio recordings of some books” as he put it
The Difficult Journey to Recovery
Hussein did not know much about blind people except for a few pieces of information. But to adapt to his new situation he had to learn fast
“When the mine exploded, we were three individuals inside the car, when others came to rush us to the hospital, I didn’t see anything, the road was rough, the car was moving fast, I was holding on to my friend’s dead body, it was brutal,” recited Hussein
Hussein did not give up easily on restoring his vision, even if partially, and no matter how much it costs him
“I searched a lot. I visited one doctor after another. I had no idea what an optic nerve is, and if it was damaged then no treatment would work,” said Hussein
Adding “Every time I had lost hope with one doctor, I moved to another one, I remained positive despite a voice deep inside me always telling me you will never see again”
Hussein needed a wakeup call to make him stop trying to regain his sight and to adapt to his new reality, and he got that from an optician
“You lost your optic nerve, you will never see again, you need to stop wasting your money and accept your new reality. These words echoed what I that voice was telling me, but still I felt that life was over for me,” explained Hussein
A New Beginning
After a few months, hope reignited in Hussein’s soul, he decided to start over. Soon Hussein learned how to read and write using Braille system, he also decided to continue his education which has been suspended since 2011
Hussein enrolled in college and majored in Holy Quran and Islamic Sciences; his first-year final term exams are just around the corner
“Don’t surrender to the circumstance, even if things seemed difficult. Do what you can that’s better than despair. Find opportunities, get training, don’t waste time, if you don’t help yourself, no one will,” that was Hussein’s message to his fellow blind and visually imparted persons
As for the state’s competent authorities and relevant INGOs Hussein had a different message: “The PWSNs are marginalized a lot, they must have the care and qualification the need, INGOs must stop ignoring the PWSNs and make them a priority. Also, compensation is a right for every civilian who became a person with special needs due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen”