BY LEULSEGED WORKU
Jebessa is a strong Ethiopian physically disabled youth who never gave a chance to failure. He was born in Benishangul Gumuz, in a place called Metekel. He was not born disabled. But, one day, when he woke up from his bed his feet were not functioning as usual. For that reason, he was not able to play or run like his friends. Therefore, Jebessa was forced to face the struggle on life by all available resource he got. According to him, when he was a junior student, he has no access to wheelchair. For that reason, he was forced to go to class crawling on the dust. It was the hardest experience he had but it did not prevent him from accomplishing his primary school.
Like most Ethiopians with disability, life has challenged him lots and lots of time.
Jebessa Debela, is ICT College teacher. He has earned his first Degree from Addis Ababa University in Software Engineering and he is attending his Master Program in General Computer Science.
According to Jebessa, life for disabled people is more than a challenging. This is, especially, true in our society where social perception to the disabled ones is too narrow. If individuals with disability can manage to attend their primary education, the next challenge will be in high schools or university. If they can successfully overcome this, the other challenge is getting a job that suits them. If they are lucky and able to get job, building family will be their most serious challenge.
“The socio-cultural system of the society is so challenging in this regard. However, I am lucky to have this beautiful girl who did not even rethink her consideration when I propose to her to marry me.”
According to him, individuals with disability are the most disadvantageous people. But, this could only happen if they give chance to their weakness. “When they focus on what they lost, life would totally be against them. But, if they focus on what they got, nothing will stop them from achieving their goal.”
Individuals with disability should not expect from others before trying something by themselves. We are living in a society where families or relatives consider disability as a curse and they hide individuals with physical disability from public. This is the harshest part of being disabled person in a traditional society. However, if individuals with disability are strong internally, nothing will prevent them from shining and contributing something to the society, says Jebessa.
According to him, segregation of individuals with physical disability is not only limited at the family level. Lack of awareness is also visible in universities or work places where disability is considered as inability, which is totally wrong. Whenever, individuals with disability keep fighting they will be independent and achieve the ladder of success.
Whenever physical disability is consider, there is a wrong perception of associating it with begging. There is also a policy gap in the government circle regarding disability. For instance, whenever a university graduate with physical disability applies to a vacancy and successfully manages to be selected, the position he applied to is considered as a handout rather than merit or right. What is more, infrastructures are not made to support the effort of individuals with physical disability. There are about twenty million physically disabled people in Ethiopia. But the infrastructure is still poor. Whenever a single infrastructure is inaugurated it will be used for about five or more years for media consumption. Providing suitable infrastructure is not an option. It is one of the duties of the government.
Physical disability and marriage is the other issue where The Ethiopian Herald and Jebessa discussed. According to him, in a traditional society like us, having a wife with my condition is too difficult for several reasons. When an individual with disability propose to marry a wife, he is also proposing to her family. This makes marriage process too difficult to individuals with disability. Her family will ask how her disabled husband is going to make a living or how he can manage the house. However, Jebessa was lucky that his fiancée was decisive enough to convince her families about her decision to marry him.
Jebessa said, his marriage is going to be an inspiration to other disabled individuals who consider themselves helpless in area of marriage. In addition to those physically disabled individuals, the society should also take lesson from our marriage. I am physically disabled person who use wheelchair to move from place to place, but that does not mean I don’t have the ability to be a loving husband.
He said, accepting the reality is the first step towards achieving one`s vision. “I know that I cannot walk with my feet. However, that does not mean that my mind is disabled. I have a sane mind. Therefore, as long as I properly use my mind, my skill and knowledge I am contributing something for my country and I am not beggar. I will be a strong husband.”
After completing his interview with Jebessa, The Ethiopian Herald had also a chance to meet his fiancé, Alfiya Mohammed, who is a third year college student. Seconding the view of her groom, she said, traditional society has a negative perception towards individuals with physical disability.
“I met Jebessa when I was working at Addis Ababa University. We used to talk informally. Then, our level of relation got better and started dating and decided to marry. When I decide to tell my families about marrying an individual with disability, I knew what their response would be. However, no matter what their response is, I already have made my mind.” According to Alfiya, being a woman is being a mother, and a sister as well. Therefore, when I decided to marry a man with disability, I have convinced myself not only to be a wife, but also a mother like figure. Physical disability is not inability. Jebessa is a committed man. He is a man who fears God and inspires other to achieve their goal.
The Ethiopian herald January 14/2021
