The Voice - Student Newspaper

ESL student reaches out to disabled Afghanis

By Dost M Fahim Khairy
Freelance Reporter, The VOICE

It was hard for me to enjoy my new life as I imagined before entering America. Lack of new language made me suffer a lot. My knowledge of English was not enough to communicate with people. My family and I lived through the long-term war in Afghanistan, then three years in refugee camp in Pakistan. Between 1998 and 1999, I lost my father, and then I myself contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome that suddenly left me 80 per cent paralyzed while working as a food aid monitor with the United Nations.

Our desolation and dismay life did not change exclusively when we immigrated to the United States/Arizona in August 2003. After I received a power wheelchair, I excitedly registered in English classes. During my first semester, I didn't learn a word. I supposed I was an adult and it was impossible for me to learn something new. I stayed home almost two years. Lying down in my bed like a dead body, made me tired of my life. I assumed my fate has been changed and my youthful world ended up in a lonely hospital bed. The only hope was my new American friends. They kept visiting me. I found them kind and good listeners. They were the right people in my wrong time.

After a while I decided to go back to Glendale Community College (GCC). This time I promised myself to learn at least a word each day with the spelling and pronunciation. Things even got better when I met Mark Ferris, the Coordinator of Disability Services of GCC. Ferris told me to walk in to his office anytime as he is without a client. The ESL teachers implicated my issues. I started to exchange emails with them. They had replied to my each email even if sometimes they didn't catch my points. All these hardships loaded me great constructive experiences and I have learned that without a goal nothing could happen.

I am currently taking grammar four, writing four and reading RDG 071. Since I came from a country where the 70 per cent of the population are illiterate and live in poverty, I have been determined to give the benefit of my valuable education for the people. In order to coach them develop a better life. I formed a non-profit organization www.friends-rc.org to transfer my disability experiences to my country. My mission is to help handicapped Afghans achieve their educational goals, empowerment, independence and equality within society.

Last summer, I was able to travel back to Afghanistan with three American journalists who pursued my path to film a documentary. I knew there were some optimistic changes and developments, which have occurred following the removal of the Taliban. My desire was to provide evidence of positive change, enabling Americans to feel proud of their efforts. Now some of our video pieces are available in New York Times, The Time, Phoenix Magazine and the Pulitzer Center. During my trip, I got married to the love of my life in my hometown.

Without learning English, I was an ineffectual and depressed person, yet GCC changed my life, it has given me a very small piece from its massive diamond treasury, that transferred my lonely life from a hospital bed to an independent and active married man.