Tribune News Network
Doha
Over the last decade, 23-year-old Nawal Akram has earned herself many titles, including model, athlete, comedian, motivational speaker – and most recently, student.
Enrolled in Awsaj Academy, part of Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education, and more specifically in the school’s Prime Program which aims to support students between the ages of 18 and 25 years in completing their education, Akram is working towards a high school diploma.
Thirteen years ago, Akram had to leave school because of her disability: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disease that causes progressive loss of muscle function. That was the start of her fight for her right to education - a battle that lasted 12 years.
"You have to remember that, a decade ago, things were very different,” said Akram, who became a wheelchair user at the age of 12. "Most schools were not able to physically accommodate students like me, and some chose not to. Over the years, as things improved and schools became more accessible, the next challenge was that I had become too old for schools to enroll me. And so, the battle continued.”
Although Akram only received formal education until year four, she managed to continue learning about various subjects through books and online sources. After assessment by Awsaj Academy, she was placed in its Year 10.
It was through a text message that Akram was informed that she had received approval from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to restart her education at Awsaj. "My initial reaction was shock, and that lasted for quite a while,” she said. "It was something I’d been fighting for over a decade, and to find out that the fight was finally over was quite overwhelming.
"With me being granted my right to education, I felt like I had finally received justice.”
According to Akram, her first day back in school at Awsaj Academy was a monumental day in her life. "It gave me a renewed sense of hope and purpose, and a sense of happiness that no number of words can explain,” she said.
"Having said that, I was also nervous, I had first-day jitters all over again! My mind kept making up scenarios of things that could go wrong, but thankfully the teachers at Awsaj Academy were extremely supportive and they helped ease the process.”
When asked how she stayed so determined in her pursuit of receiving education, she says: "I saw my siblings and my friends go to school and pursue different careers. I saw people with disabilities in other parts of the world working in different fields. It was clear that the common denominator was education, and that is what made me so determined to fight for my education for as long as I did, I saw education as my ticket to the world.”
Speaking about the importance of equal access to education, Akram says that depriving a child of education, because of their disability, is essentially depriving them of life in the long term.
"The experiences that an educational journey brings play a crucial role in a person’s development,” she said. "If you take that away, you are consciously setting them up for failure. "Schools are about so much more than just academics; they teach life skills, they help instill confidence and develop emotional intelligence, all of which are stepping stones that enable individuals to integrate into society.”
While she believes that when it comes to education for people with disabilities, the situation has improved in the last decade, she also says there is still so much more to do.
And beyond education, Akram highlighted the need for better and more employment opportunities for people with disabilities. "If we want people with disabilities to be independent and have fulfilling lives, they need better employment opportunities,” she said.