Adeosun Ayomide Oluwaseun, an ND2 student in the department of Mass Communication at the Ogun State Institute of Technology, OGITECH, Igbesa was a bubbling young man before the unusual happened.
The 20-year-old young talented musician, who combined academics with playing talking drum, lost his right eye in an unusual manner on Sunday, November 20, 2016.
And that was the end to his dream of becoming a soldier.
Oluwaseun, in an exclusive interview with Gift Oba narrates how he combines his talent, creativity and instinct in navigating the world, despite being visually impaired.
How it started
Just like every other lively Sunday, Oluwaseun went for his usual church service at the Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S), Orisun Iye Alaseyori, Papalanto, in Ewekoro local government area of Ogun State.
After returning from church, the then 10-year-old boy noticed that the entrance door to their apartment was faulty, and tried repairing it with a nail and hammer.
Sadly, on striking the hammer on the nail, it flew, hitting his right eye. The young lad who took it as nothing, unfortunately lost his eye in the process.
He narrated, “I discovered that our house door was faulty and after the regular Sunday service, I decided to repair the door, but in the process of hitting the nail, it flew and hit my right eye.
“My parents thought it was a minor issue, the eyes did not bleed, everything felt fine. I didn’t even feel pain until one week later while I was preparing for school. I closed my left eyes and that was when I discovered that I couldn’t see anymore with the right eye”.
Medical interventions, yet fruitless
Oluwaseun was taken to several hospitals hoping for positive solutions, but the damage was done. He was then advised to remove the right eye to avoid damage to the brain.
“We started visiting hospitals, we even went to several churches because we were looking for support and the doctor said we had just three days to operate the eyes since it was already affecting my brain.
“The doctor suggested that we get an artificial eye for N100,000 just so as not to disfigure my look, but we couldn’t afford it, there was no money”, he said in an emotion-laden voice.
The Challenges
When Oluwaseun gained admission to study Mass Communications at OGITECH, his first challenge wasn’t that of paying school fees, doing assignments or other school activities. Major was navigating through it without parental guidance as he was used to at home.
He sometimes misses his steps and relies mainly on instincts to navigate his way around school.
School activities such as arranging files, and other administrative duties of a student, became very difficult as his impairment sometimes slows him down to meet up deadlines.
“When I first got my admission, it was very difficult for me. Moving around inside the campus to submit files and do some documentation was a major challenge.
“Sometimes I think and feel bad because I know that if my condition is good, I will be able to do some things, but I don’t relent. I know what I want to achieve, so I keep pushing and trying all my best to become the best version of myself.
“I stay in long queues while trying to arrange my files. I do them myself, if I sent someone, I would keep doubting if it was done correctly. It’s stressful for me but I don’t have a choice. When I get home I can sleep for more than 5 hours because of the stress.
My impairment, a motivation to chase my education, musical passion
With his sudden impairment, he decided to take strongly to one of his passions, music. He learnt how to play talking drum but faced setbacks because he wasn’t educated.
“After I lost my right eye, I decided to learn how to play talking drum and started visiting various places, but I knew that without education, I can’t flow in those places.
“Without education I don’t think I can get to the top. It will be very difficult, a situation where I can’t speak or write well, so I need to pursue my education so it can help me in life.
“Even when I started dealing with some clients, I noticed how they treated me and so I told my mom that I wanted to further my education. That was how I processed my admission.
According to him, his healing process began with his involvement in education and music.
“Once I am playing my talking drum, I am always happy. It’s my joy and first wife, anytime I carry it to play I am filled with joy. Once I’m down and I lift up my drum I’m filled with joy.
The Stigmatization
Oluwaseun, who wasn’t born blind, became a shadow of himself, relying heavily on the left eye which medically is not as sharp as the lost right eye.
A dark shade has become part of Oluwaseun dress codes, not as fashion but an act orchestrated out of stigmatization.
“I make use of dark shades while on campus, although it makes it hard for me to see. Sometimes I hit my foot over stones and fall down.
“It’s not recommended, but I use it to avoid having too many eyes on me. Once people notice that I have just one eye, they would just be looking at me plus the sun affects my eyes too,” he narrated in agony.
He explained that while it is difficult for him to see clearly while using dark shades, he still goes ahead to avoid murmuring and enable him to walk around freely.
“It is difficult for me to see when I wear the dark glasses but still I do it to avoid murmuring. It’s not easy for me to walk freely. I only use my recommended glasses during exam periods”, he said.
A call for help
Oluwaseun, an indigene of Ogun state therefore seeks the intervention of the state government in ensuring proper conducive learning environment for people living with disabilities.
He added that most buildings, especially academic environments, lack basic amenities for people living with disabilities to navigate through without being supported.
“I just hope the government can support me in my education, especially when it comes to paying my school fees. I would really love that.
“I have always wanted to be a soldier, but when I lost my eye I was told that I can’t be accepted because I’m disabled. So I relented”, he lamented.
Losing my eye shattered my dream, exposed me to stigma – 20-year-old Ogun student
