Despite being paralyzed since childhood, he can boast of several accomplishments. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration, speaks English well, and is computer literate. He will soon travel to the United States to join a masters and doctorate program. He is Muhammad Nasser Al-Ghamdi and the word “failure” does not exist in his dictionary. “If I set my mind on something, I work hard to achieve it. I have never let my disability stand as an obstacle in my way of success,” Al-Ghamdi said. Al-Ghamdi went to school on crutches. He earned his degree while working as an operator for a private company. He started working after high school in order to be independent. Although his salary was only SR2,000, he saved enough to enroll himself in English courses in Malaysia. He worked for a year at the company and then sought admission for a degree in Business Administration. “I worked from 8 A.M to 5 P.M. and then went to college after work. I finished my BA with a GPA of 3.75,” he said. By the time he finished college, he was 30 years old, so he could not qualify for the King Abdullah Scholarship Program. He went to Malaysia at his own expense and completed his English course. He returned to the Kingdom and did some computer courses. “I was optimistic of a bright future because I have a BA and I speak English well. But I was shocked when the highest salary offered to me was only SR3,000,” he said. “There are people less qualified than me, but they get SR5,000 a month. I wondered if I was being punished for something that I have no control over. I was born this way. Society looks down on people with disability.” Nevertheless, Al-Ghamdi has not given up. He is now planning to travel to the US for an MA and a PhD. “My advice to any person with disability is to be ambitious, patient, perseverant and diligent in achieving your goals.” __
