But because I managed to have something that is a little high, people feel I should be celebrated. There are so many with their sights that have had good grades.
It’s not like I did something out of the ordinary. Education is going to take them to greater heights. What’s your message for people with physical disabilities out there? I just don’t want to live an ordinary life. I could count the number of times I missed classes, no matter how inconvenient it seemed to get to class. I studied hard and made sure I attended lectures. I can’t go on the streets and join others to do other things even if I wanted to do so.ĪLSO READ: No time to lose on the road to Universal Primary and Secondary Education I don’t think there was any other place I can channel my energy to other than my education. First, I considered that there many courses to cover and I know where I am going.Īlso, I am visually impaired person. How were you able to cope with all these and come up with a 4.44? You know the computer reading cannot be compared to human reading.
#Treated with scorn software#
For my textbooks, I had to scan them and make use of some software that would have them read through my laptop. I had to seek for someone who was always recording her notes to be updated. I guess it’s the same in many Nigerian universities too. The Department of Mass Communication itself does not have facilities that could make learning comfortable for the visually impaired. Most of the times, I get discouraged at the way some of the lecturers treat the visually impaired. Also, some of the lecturers in my department see you as if you are less of a human when they know that you are blind.ĪLSO READ: Govt suspends three staff over sexual abuse at school of the blind
There are some students that would just scorn you because you are blind. One other challenge that really bothered me the most is people’s perception about the visually impaired. There are times when they go to school while I stay in the hostel and need to send someone on errands.Īt times, I need to go to the entrance of the hostel to seek someone’s help to take me to my destination. The challenge however is that I can’t run the same schedule with my colleagues all the time. They share materials with me after they finish lectures. I have friends around me who come, pick me up to classes and keep me informed. After filling the forms and writing (the examinations), I got admitted (into the UNN). My mum was not in support of that but I convinced her at the time. That’s why I chose UNN instead of UI or other schools close.ĪLSO READ: Girls are 'displacing' boys in Southeast universities I used to feel that my folks were being too protective of me and wanted to know how it feels to not have anyone around you. I wanted to experience life away from home.
Why did you choose UNN despite the distance from Ibadan? I was born on 18th April, 1993 and that makes me 25 years old. I am a Muslim by birth until I converted to Christianity recently. I graduated as one of the best in the department. I studied Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria, Nnsuka. I hail from, and reside in Ibadan, Oyo State. In this interview with ABDUSSALAM AMOO, he highlights the challenges of studying in an environment that does not fully accommodate the visually impaired. Following the UNN undergraduate convocation held on Friday, 30th November, 2018, he graduated with a 4.44 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Demola Adeleke is visually impaired but that did not stop him from nearly graduating with a First Class honours in the Department of Mass Communications at the University of Nigeria Nnsuka (UNN).