WYSO features Wright State grad student Robert Sabwami

Excerpt

Robert Sabwami is a Wright State graduate student studying to become an intervention specialist.

In this installment from our series Just Ask: Talking About Disability, we hear from 41-year-old Robert Sabwami, who recalls his experience growing up in Kenya with a visual impairment.

In this story produced by WYSO’s April Laissle, he says his journey hasn’t always been easy. When Robert first started losing his vision, he was plunged into isolation.

“That was the darkest point in my life. Every time my mind goes back to that point in time it’s like you know fresh emotions are triggered in my heart. No one understood it. Not even family.”

“Unfortunately, I had to drop out of high school because of this condition. I remember my elder brother once lashed out at me saying that I was going to die poor when I made the decision to quit high school. And it really hurt me. It really hurt me to the point where I just decided to go back and crawl back in my own cocoon. And this is the period I refer to was my 10 darkest years.”

“So, I did Braille I did adaptive technology training orientation and mobility. And from that point my life got totally transformed. Then from there I secured a permanent job. That to me was a big surprise. I never imagined I would get a job — ever. I was just blown away.”

Listen to the entire interview at wyso.org