What is it like studying in Nigeria while living with a disability or chronic illness?
MOVING THROUGH CAMPUS WITHOUT HELP IS HARD
I had lived with partial blindness since childhood, but complete loss was a different story.
THERE ARE BARELY ANY RAMPS ON CAMPUS
The distance between classes is far, and they require the use of a staircase.
I SET OUT FOR CLASSES TWO HOURS IN ADVANCE
My effort has helped me maintain a good academic record.
USED MY FEES TO PAY FOR TREATMENT
Even academics and reading, which used to be my solace, became a battlefield.
I FEEL OVERLOOKED IN CLASS
The university could do more to support visually impaired students like myself.
PEOPLE SAY I’M USING MY HEALTH AS AN EXCUSE
People ask me questions like “What happened to you again? What’s wrong with you again?”
CHURCH WITH NO WORDS: HOW THE DEAF WORSHIP IN NORTHERN NIGERIA
“And on that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book … Isaiah 29:18.”
I CANNOT AFFORD MEDICAL CARE FOR MY CHILD
I would have sold any property I owned, but Boko Haram destroyed the house I inherited from my father in our village.
A STRAY BULLET SHATTERED MY SPINE
Before the insurgency, I was a skilled farmer, providing for my family. Now, I’m unable to work, and my family struggles to make ends meet.