Fawad Malik: “Spain is a country perfectly adapted to people with visual disabilities”

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Fawad Malik is a young Pakistani who has been living in Madrid for twenty years. Fawad has a severe visual disability due to retinitis pigmentosa, which consists of the progressive loss of vision in the retina. But, despite the difficulties, he has never lost his good humour to face life. Thanks to his testimony, we will learn how he copes on a daily basis, how his disability influenced his time as a student and what challenges it has meant for him to enter the world of work.

How do you remember the moment when you were diagnosed kenya phone number data with blindness? What did it mean to you?
It was a long process. I have always had poor vision due to my retinitis pigmentosa, but over the years I have gradually lost my sight. I started to lose vision when I was 15. Now I only see clearly. It was a very hard blow, since it is not easy to go blind at 17, when you are in your teens.
The doctors told me that I would never see again and that there was no cure for retinitis pigmentosa. At that moment you have two ways to deal with it: get depressed or deal with it philosophically, accepting that it is a reality that will always be present and that you have to learn to live with it.

Your family and friends. Were they an important pillar in helping me get through it ?



When I was diagnosed with blindness, my parents, siblings and friends were the best support. Although it was also very hard for them. We took it with resignation, there is no other solution than to deal with it in the best way possible. The best thing for me is that, at all times, I have had the support of my parents.

You have been living in Madrid for many years. From your personal experience, do you consider Spain to be a country adapted to the needs of people with visual disabilities?
Yes. Spain is a country perfectly adapted to people with visual disabilities. For example, public transport is impressive: buses have audio systems that indicate the stops; when you are waiting for the bus at the stop there are buttons that indicate through audio the time left for the bus to arrive. And the metro is very accessible because, once you learn the way, it is very simple. I like to travel, I have been to other countries and I can say that Madrid is a unique place in relation to public transport.

“When I was diagnosed with blindness, my family and friends were very important”
Do you think that in Spain people with visual disabilities have easy access to the world of employment?
Yes, once you finish your studies, in Spain there are organisations like ONCE, which is a unique model. ONCE makes life easier for people with visual disabilities.

What adaptations did you have during your time as a student? Has technology been an ally?