hi everyone you’re probably wondering
why it’s dark in here I wanted you to
get a feeling on how I actually see
things and I want to relate on the the
topic that I chose and the title that I
chose for my presentation behind the
darkness for your comfort I would like
to ask the technical team to turn on the
lights
hi everyone this is dan inertia Watty
I’m here I’m visually impaired I’m here
to take you through a little journey
within my life and how I cope to get to
today
so basically behind the darkness behind
the darkness means light and this is
what I would like to present today the
light of my life I will start with the
darkness I will start when I lost my
eyesight I was 13 years old and when I
discovered that I can’t see in my left
eye I was in my eighth grade I went to
my parents like a kid like any other kid
telling them complaining about me I we
went to the doctor and that was the
shock the doctor said your daughter has
an infection of the optic nerve in the
left eye and you can expect a blindness
within six months and actually this what
happened in six months I lost my
eyesight and the other eye my parents my
family my brother is my sister myself we
were all in denial where wouldn’t we
wouldn’t believe we didn’t accept we
don’t want we didn’t approve we rejected
you can use all these words we didn’t
like the situation I was in denial
I finished my ninth grade orally and I
stayed home my family were trying to do
everything possible to push me forward
in my life they were trying to take me
to any any possible any possible thing
that can help me however they were
actually in a very real shock we didn’t
have any genetical problem when the
we didn’t have any experience of
blindness earlier in the family I was
the first one so that was a shock
we went my family were checking my
parents my support system my parents
they were checking all possible doctors
I traveled to Russia a couple of I
traveled to Russia around 12 years for
my treatment I used to go there annually
and this is for my treatment my dad was
supporting like nothing I was going
every year with my dad to D to my
treatment and then here the delight when
I started understanding that blindness
is dumped the end of the world blindness
can be an obstacle but an obstacle to
push me forward it challenged to make me
be a better person be a better Donna
there when I realized this point when I
joined the visually impaired Center
which called Temkin it was decently
launched at then I joined there and at
that time I was like huh what am I doing
here I’m not blind
I’m just a person who lost sight it
doesn’t call them blindness I’m blind
I’m not supposed to be here and when I
joined and when I actually seen the
people there I was like I really looked
down at myself I looked I was like what
am i doing in my life I’m doing nothing
I’m just locked myself I just locked
myself at home and here I realized that
blindness is just a start for my life I
decided to start my education with the
help of my family my support system my
parents my mom especially in this field
my mom has really took me forward for my
studies I did my 10th and the 11th 12th
grade a home schooling I scored in my
high school 91% my mom my mom was
pushing me to continue my education and
my 12th grade I joined work and I
started working it with Emirates Airline
and
customer service as a customer service
agent and skywards I worked there and I
didn’t believe that oh wow I’m actually
doing something I’m actually having a
job and studying I’m working forward a
life is moving on and after I finished
mine cried at my high school I
definitely decided to go for my
university and that was a complete
different way to continue my life I went
I approached a lot of universities and
guess what they didn’t accept me my
admission was rejected I was accepted
because I’m blind
some universities just withdrew my
application because I ticked the box off
I’m disabled and other universities
promise me of something to do something
for me to help me to cope with the
university and study and again nothing
happened they would grow my application
afterwards until I my sister used to be
at the Canadian University of Dubai and
she told me that there is a special
needs office only at the university I
decided off trying because I’ve been
trying a lot of places so why not let’s
try here
I came we met we spoke and we agreed on
testing each other we agreed that let’s
give it a try I took three courses the
first semester on trial basis of the
Canadian University and I graduated I
finished my bachelor’s degree in human
resource management and three years and
a half instead of four years with the
GPA of 3.6
[Applause]
then I still this is not banned of my
life I wanted to do more I wanted to
study more I wanted to be a better
person and basically a better Donna and
I wanted to go to my master’s degree and
that was much easier I just had to give
my papers like a regular student
probably because they’ve seen that I’m
capable of working studying so and I
recently graduated from my bachelor’s I
just just gave my papers for the
admission and I went through they asked
me for an interview the minute I entered
to the office they submitted an
acceptance letter for my master’s degree
and I graduated in 2014
holding my master’s degree in quality
management from the University of
Wollongong and again in year 2012 when I
graduated from my bachelor’s degree
Emirates Airline gave me the promotion
of being in the recruitment department
in the human resource as a human
resource coordinator where I am till now
till this day I’m still working with
Emirates Airline as a human resource
coordinator and I’ll go back for my
treatment my treatment currently I’m
doing a stem-cell treatment which is a
treatment still under research I’ve done
two operations and I’m finding some
benefits however it’s slightly moving on
but it’s going on I’m finding some
changes on my site and definitely vision
is something important although I
continued and I succeed in my life I
definitely wouldn’t be looking forward
to get back my eyesight one day at the
end I would like to thank CD for having
me here today I would like to also get
thanked this opportunity of being part
of deaths it’s a very good chance for me
it’s a nice opportunity I would like to
tell all the students at the University
not to give up I learned that I can ride
the taxi by myself I don’t need to wait
for someone to drop me or pick me up by
the way when I ride the taxi by myself I
give the directions to the taxi exactly
where to go and have to go without it’s
just going on from directions left and
right I can’t tell the guys that I have
the taxi and the funny point when I
reach to my direction I tell the taxi oh
can you please wait on the side I’m
blind I need someone to help me up so
yeah I don’t have to wear my own makeup
on myself I apply my makeup I learned
how to match my clothes I don’t need to
wait for my sister or someone else to
come and assist me with the colors
because I know I can’t see colors or I
can’t see a little bit of colors but
this is does not really enable me to be
independent with my clothes and matching
things but I learned how to do that by
myself and even till this day family
members and friends they do ask me does
this color matches the other but that
color
I learned that technology is always on
my side and computer has canary dur
which helped me in working and studying
my iPhone has voiceover aid that helped
me in reading and going through my
messages websites browsing everything
and being up to date like any other
person which I’m not gonna use regular
person like any other person I can be
independent maybe the only thing that I
can do is actually walking independently
however if I want to do it I can do it
thank you so much for being here today
hope you’re lovely Thanks
[Applause]
why it’s dark in here I wanted you to
get a feeling on how I actually see
things and I want to relate on the the
topic that I chose and the title that I
chose for my presentation behind the
darkness for your comfort I would like
to ask the technical team to turn on the
lights
hi everyone this is dan inertia Watty
I’m here I’m visually impaired I’m here
to take you through a little journey
within my life and how I cope to get to
today
so basically behind the darkness behind
the darkness means light and this is
what I would like to present today the
light of my life I will start with the
darkness I will start when I lost my
eyesight I was 13 years old and when I
discovered that I can’t see in my left
eye I was in my eighth grade I went to
my parents like a kid like any other kid
telling them complaining about me I we
went to the doctor and that was the
shock the doctor said your daughter has
an infection of the optic nerve in the
left eye and you can expect a blindness
within six months and actually this what
happened in six months I lost my
eyesight and the other eye my parents my
family my brother is my sister myself we
were all in denial where wouldn’t we
wouldn’t believe we didn’t accept we
don’t want we didn’t approve we rejected
you can use all these words we didn’t
like the situation I was in denial
I finished my ninth grade orally and I
stayed home my family were trying to do
everything possible to push me forward
in my life they were trying to take me
to any any possible any possible thing
that can help me however they were
actually in a very real shock we didn’t
have any genetical problem when the
we didn’t have any experience of
blindness earlier in the family I was
the first one so that was a shock
we went my family were checking my
parents my support system my parents
they were checking all possible doctors
I traveled to Russia a couple of I
traveled to Russia around 12 years for
my treatment I used to go there annually
and this is for my treatment my dad was
supporting like nothing I was going
every year with my dad to D to my
treatment and then here the delight when
I started understanding that blindness
is dumped the end of the world blindness
can be an obstacle but an obstacle to
push me forward it challenged to make me
be a better person be a better Donna
there when I realized this point when I
joined the visually impaired Center
which called Temkin it was decently
launched at then I joined there and at
that time I was like huh what am I doing
here I’m not blind
I’m just a person who lost sight it
doesn’t call them blindness I’m blind
I’m not supposed to be here and when I
joined and when I actually seen the
people there I was like I really looked
down at myself I looked I was like what
am i doing in my life I’m doing nothing
I’m just locked myself I just locked
myself at home and here I realized that
blindness is just a start for my life I
decided to start my education with the
help of my family my support system my
parents my mom especially in this field
my mom has really took me forward for my
studies I did my 10th and the 11th 12th
grade a home schooling I scored in my
high school 91% my mom my mom was
pushing me to continue my education and
my 12th grade I joined work and I
started working it with Emirates Airline
and
customer service as a customer service
agent and skywards I worked there and I
didn’t believe that oh wow I’m actually
doing something I’m actually having a
job and studying I’m working forward a
life is moving on and after I finished
mine cried at my high school I
definitely decided to go for my
university and that was a complete
different way to continue my life I went
I approached a lot of universities and
guess what they didn’t accept me my
admission was rejected I was accepted
because I’m blind
some universities just withdrew my
application because I ticked the box off
I’m disabled and other universities
promise me of something to do something
for me to help me to cope with the
university and study and again nothing
happened they would grow my application
afterwards until I my sister used to be
at the Canadian University of Dubai and
she told me that there is a special
needs office only at the university I
decided off trying because I’ve been
trying a lot of places so why not let’s
try here
I came we met we spoke and we agreed on
testing each other we agreed that let’s
give it a try I took three courses the
first semester on trial basis of the
Canadian University and I graduated I
finished my bachelor’s degree in human
resource management and three years and
a half instead of four years with the
GPA of 3.6
[Applause]
then I still this is not banned of my
life I wanted to do more I wanted to
study more I wanted to be a better
person and basically a better Donna and
I wanted to go to my master’s degree and
that was much easier I just had to give
my papers like a regular student
probably because they’ve seen that I’m
capable of working studying so and I
recently graduated from my bachelor’s I
just just gave my papers for the
admission and I went through they asked
me for an interview the minute I entered
to the office they submitted an
acceptance letter for my master’s degree
and I graduated in 2014
holding my master’s degree in quality
management from the University of
Wollongong and again in year 2012 when I
graduated from my bachelor’s degree
Emirates Airline gave me the promotion
of being in the recruitment department
in the human resource as a human
resource coordinator where I am till now
till this day I’m still working with
Emirates Airline as a human resource
coordinator and I’ll go back for my
treatment my treatment currently I’m
doing a stem-cell treatment which is a
treatment still under research I’ve done
two operations and I’m finding some
benefits however it’s slightly moving on
but it’s going on I’m finding some
changes on my site and definitely vision
is something important although I
continued and I succeed in my life I
definitely wouldn’t be looking forward
to get back my eyesight one day at the
end I would like to thank CD for having
me here today I would like to also get
thanked this opportunity of being part
of deaths it’s a very good chance for me
it’s a nice opportunity I would like to
tell all the students at the University
not to give up I learned that I can ride
the taxi by myself I don’t need to wait
for someone to drop me or pick me up by
the way when I ride the taxi by myself I
give the directions to the taxi exactly
where to go and have to go without it’s
just going on from directions left and
right I can’t tell the guys that I have
the taxi and the funny point when I
reach to my direction I tell the taxi oh
can you please wait on the side I’m
blind I need someone to help me up so
yeah I don’t have to wear my own makeup
on myself I apply my makeup I learned
how to match my clothes I don’t need to
wait for my sister or someone else to
come and assist me with the colors
because I know I can’t see colors or I
can’t see a little bit of colors but
this is does not really enable me to be
independent with my clothes and matching
things but I learned how to do that by
myself and even till this day family
members and friends they do ask me does
this color matches the other but that
color
I learned that technology is always on
my side and computer has canary dur
which helped me in working and studying
my iPhone has voiceover aid that helped
me in reading and going through my
messages websites browsing everything
and being up to date like any other
person which I’m not gonna use regular
person like any other person I can be
independent maybe the only thing that I
can do is actually walking independently
however if I want to do it I can do it
thank you so much for being here today
hope you’re lovely Thanks
[Applause]
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