My name is Oyewole Olanrewaju Idowu, I am 33 years old, and I am a native of Ilesa, Osun State. My life trajectory changed fundamentally on February 13th, 2016, when an accident involving an electric pole left me with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and as a hand amputee victim.
This unexpected state initially stopped all the life plans I had for myself. For a long time, my world felt like a threat and a disapproval of my life, leaving me hopeless. One of the major, and most immediate, challenges was the lack of accessibility, sometimes even just getting out of my room because I didn’t have a wheelchair. It was an unexpected, difficult barrier.
My greatest achievement is not defined by any external success but by the peace I found when I became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on December 23rd, 2023. This unwavering faith in God has been the anchor that keeps me moving, motivating me to keep fighting this state. With the help of God, the unwavering support of my mother, father, siblings, friends, relatives, and my faith community, my perspective began to shift. I started seeing the world as a source of peace, encouragement, and strength. I realized I could use my experience to help my fellow disabled people. After I received my wheelchair, the challenge became learning how to use it, how to move myself, even from the bed to the chair. I overcame this with daily practices, exercises, and by learning from how others with similar disabilities cope. My life was once defined by despair, but today, I choose the title: “When there’s Hope there’s Life.”
Beyond my disability, my greatest interest is graphic design. It has helped lighten me up and brought me immense joy in knowing the little I can do for now. I am determined to build a sustainable life through my skills, which include running a POS business where I sell recharge cards and data. I can operate a computer well, know a little about Microsoft software, and I help business people register their businesses and obtain their CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) certificates. I am also an active advocate for PWDs on social media. My dream is to make a difference in my community by sharing the knowledge I have, especially to my fellow disabled people, so they can earn money and cater for themselves comfortably. I need an office where I can practice my talents and train many PWDs in my community, and I believe with access to funding, mentorship, and necessary resources like photocopy machines and gadgets, this dream will come true.
To anyone watching who is struggling, I want to say: Never let your present state define who you are or can be. Never let it deprive you of a happy, peaceful, and abundant life. There is ability in your disability. People often misunderstand the meaning of a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI); they mistakenly believe we are useless or cannot make an impact. This is wrong. While SCI has different levels of injury, it’s vital to remember that we are disabled, but our brain isn’t disabled. Even those with intellectual disabilities have immense talent. We must break the current barriers, starting from the insults and discrimination, to the lack of accessibility in public transportation, infrastructure, employment, and education. Many PWDs don’t know their way back on track after facing challenges, but foundations like the DADE Foundation provide the path to help them achieve their dreams and focus on building themselves up. I want to use this medium to appreciate the founder of DADE Foundation for standing up for PWDs in Nigeria.
This unexpected state initially stopped all the life plans I had for myself. For a long time, my world felt like a threat and a disapproval of my life, leaving me hopeless. One of the major, and most immediate, challenges was the lack of accessibility, sometimes even just getting out of my room because I didn’t have a wheelchair. It was an unexpected, difficult barrier.
My greatest achievement is not defined by any external success but by the peace I found when I became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on December 23rd, 2023. This unwavering faith in God has been the anchor that keeps me moving, motivating me to keep fighting this state. With the help of God, the unwavering support of my mother, father, siblings, friends, relatives, and my faith community, my perspective began to shift. I started seeing the world as a source of peace, encouragement, and strength. I realized I could use my experience to help my fellow disabled people. After I received my wheelchair, the challenge became learning how to use it, how to move myself, even from the bed to the chair. I overcame this with daily practices, exercises, and by learning from how others with similar disabilities cope. My life was once defined by despair, but today, I choose the title: “When there’s Hope there’s Life.”
Beyond my disability, my greatest interest is graphic design. It has helped lighten me up and brought me immense joy in knowing the little I can do for now. I am determined to build a sustainable life through my skills, which include running a POS business where I sell recharge cards and data. I can operate a computer well, know a little about Microsoft software, and I help business people register their businesses and obtain their CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) certificates. I am also an active advocate for PWDs on social media. My dream is to make a difference in my community by sharing the knowledge I have, especially to my fellow disabled people, so they can earn money and cater for themselves comfortably. I need an office where I can practice my talents and train many PWDs in my community, and I believe with access to funding, mentorship, and necessary resources like photocopy machines and gadgets, this dream will come true.
To anyone watching who is struggling, I want to say: Never let your present state define who you are or can be. Never let it deprive you of a happy, peaceful, and abundant life. There is ability in your disability. People often misunderstand the meaning of a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI); they mistakenly believe we are useless or cannot make an impact. This is wrong. While SCI has different levels of injury, it’s vital to remember that we are disabled, but our brain isn’t disabled. Even those with intellectual disabilities have immense talent. We must break the current barriers, starting from the insults and discrimination, to the lack of accessibility in public transportation, infrastructure, employment, and education. Many PWDs don’t know their way back on track after facing challenges, but foundations like the DADE Foundation provide the path to help them achieve their dreams and focus on building themselves up. I want to use this medium to appreciate the founder of DADE Foundation for standing up for PWDs in Nigeria.