Don’t be the odd man out, says visually impaired ICT teacher

Innocent Vuguziga was born with normal vision, but at the age of eight, an unfortunate incident occurred that left him visually impaired. Three months to the loss of his sight, Vuguziga was bitten by a snake; however, no one suspected that the snake’s venom would cause cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision, mostly related to aging. In Vuguziga’s case, his loss of sight was snake bite induced. He was bitten at night, and the bite was treated with local herbs. Luckily, it wasn’t fatal, but he was to face damage no one had anticipated. When his vision started getting blurry, they thought it would go back to normal with time, but it didn’t, and when he showed no signs of improvement, he was taken to the hospital. The optician at Kabwayi Hospital in Southern Province where he was taken was away at the time, and so they had to reschedule. “General health workers said that I had contracted cataracts, and gave me some medication as I waited another appointment,” Vuguziga says. Unfortunately, his parents could not afford the treatment, and the situation only worsened. In 2004, he heard about free eye treatment at Gahini Hospital in Eastern Province and decided to try his luck. “The doctors told me the cataracts were severe and beyond cure. It was too late.” Working for the future Adjusting to life without his sight was hard. But Vuguziga never gave up on his dreams. He had to come to terms with his condition and focus on building his future. He was taken to Gatagara, a school for people living with disabilities in Nyanza District, Southern Province. He had a passion for technology; as a child, Vuguziga was obsessed with radios and watches, among other things. The challenge, however, was that technology required vision. “I couldn’t continue with technology, so I took on another interest — languages,” he says. School wasn’t easy but he never gave up. “At university, it was required to study using computers because lessons and equipment at the library were not available in braille,” he explains. However, things became easier when he and other visually impaired students were trained in adaptive technology, where a screen reader software helped them use the computer. He got his Bachelor’s degree in education with a speciality in English, Swahili and Kinyarwanda. Having a passion for ICT, Vuguziga sought to train more in adaptive technology, which he excelled in. He is now an ICT teacher for the visually impaired at Gatagara Secondary School in Rwamagana, Eastern Province and Uwejo Youth Empowerment Centre in Kicukiro. Vuguziga’s motivation is ‘never be the odd man out’. “I’m blind but I work hard to take care of my family,” he says. Starting a family In 2005, while visiting friends in Kigali, a group of worshippers came by. Among the worshippers was a girl who ‘stole’ his heart. Vuguziga says something in her voice attracted him to her, and that he sensed good character. He told himself that he would marry her. “As she was leaving, I asked for her address and we were able to meet,” he recalls of his early encounters with his able-bodied wife. Vuguziga wasted no time, and proposed to her. “She didn’t accept right away, but the more we met, the fonder we grew of each other, and I explained why I wanted to marry her. She accepted at last,” he says with a smile. They got married in 2012 and have two children. Vuguziga says he did not let his condition become a barrier in his life and advises other people living with disability to do the same. Do not give up because, he says, disability is not inability. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Don’t be the odd man out, says visually impaired ICT teacher