Blind lawyer succeeds in the jungle of the visual world

He's a 31-year-old lawyer regarded as a leading achiever by his peers. He's invited regularly by schools and education centres to talk to students about accomplishing their goals.

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He's a 31-year-old lawyer regarded as a leading achiever by his peers. He's invited regularly by schools and education centres to talk to students about accomplishing their goals. Nothing unusual about that, until you discover that Abdullah Luqman has been blind from birth.

The Saudi national, who has been working in the UAE for six years, says there is a strong need to absorb more people with special needs into mainstream society. "In the past six years, I haven't met a single person with special needs working in the commercial sector," he said. "This is indeed very surprising. There has to be more incorporation to create a more evolved society.

"I have been working along these lines, by meeting heads of various schools for children with special needs and institutions. I'm keen to work with the federal government on the new proposed law about setting up quotas for people with special needs in the private and public sector.

"I've been through all the ups and downs including studying in a regular school. I've faced the sarcasm, the teasing and prickly behaviour, so it's easier to understand the needs for a disabled person in the workplace for me."

Luqman is part of the top legal team at Al Tamimi and Co, Advocates and Legal Consultants, in the Sharjah branch. He works with a secretary who reads out all the information to him and types out his dictation.

"I do all the pleadings and litigations, but they're presented in court by another lawyer. Not being a UAE national, I cannot attend court, the licence is not granted. "I would love to be able to practice in court. Law is such a profession that, despite being visually impaired, it does not affect your progress. It all depends on how you can work your information about law and use your powers of analysis.

"That is the reason why I switched from computing to law in 1996. I was working with Unilever in Jebel Ali earlier as a systems analyst. The head of the legal department there, Khalid Elshalakani, encouraged me to take up law. He felt that I would do well."

He then met Assan Al Tamimi, managing partner of Al Tamimi, who offered to sponsor him to study law in the UK. "It was a three-year course, but I completed it in two years. They exempted me from the first year because I already had a Honours degree from UK in computing and a few years of work experience. I also trained with Richard Butler, an international law firm based in London City.

"So I joined the UAE law firm in January 1999. Being a lawyer was comfortable, because I come from a family of lawyers. I give regular legal seminars to companies in the UAE. "My grandfathers were lawyers, my sister, who's also blind, is a lecturer of law in Saudi Arabia."

Luqman was educated at a mainstream school in Saudi Arabia, then sent to Hereford College in the UK to complete his A-levels. He studied for a degree in mathematics and computer science at London University's Imperial College of Science and Technology.

As part of the on-campus recruitment programme, he was selected by Unilever to be a systems analyst at their branch office in Jeddah. From there he moved to Dubai in 1994.

He said: "Up to high school, I was in a regular school. It was very tough and frustrating, with students picking on me. You know how cruel teenagers can be. Even teachers used to pick on me for a while, before they finally understood my problem.

"My parents didn't have much of a choice because there wasn't a school for the visually impaired there at the time. But they were always very supportive and understanding. "My father is the founder of the first English daily in Saudi Arabia - Arab News. We are a big family, I have three other brothers and one sister. All of us take care of each other and have always been there to urge the other on.

"Going to a regular school helped me to a great extent, though it didn't seem that way initially. It toughened me up and filled me with the desire to do better than people without special needs.

"So it's easier for me to cope with people on a regular basis. This idea should be adopted by all schools, there should be greater interaction between children with and without special needs. It will sensitise and prepare them both for the real world.

"Hereford was for youngsters with special needs. I had a pampered time there. I learnt skiing, mountaineering, horseriding and to play football. But at University I was thrown back into mainstream and had a tough time initially.

"So children with special needs should not be protected so much, give them a chance to face some of life's hardships and they will come out better for that experience."

Luqman feels that exposure to life makes for better people. He said that his son Mohammed is a classic example of this. "He's five years old, but well aware of my needs. When he gets a report card or something, he will just wave it in front of his mother, but in my case, he'll bring it to me so that I can touch and feel it."

But Luqman does miss not being able to share all his son's games or teach him things like drawing. He said: "My wife has been very supportive of me, in all my endeavours, especially my travelling back and forth to study law in UK.

"Which is yet another good learning experience – travelling enriches you. In the case of a disabled person, he or she when they're in a new place, they have to understand the location and other details. So they're slowed down, but it all helps to build their sense of determination."

Luqman works long hours at the firm, but he definitely finds time to work on his favourite hobby – restoring vintage Mercedes cars and selling them. "I've restored and sold about four of them to date. I've been changing oil and spark plugs since the age of 10, but I got into restoration later on in life.

"Because I can't see the colours, connecting fuses can be a problem. I blow a few before I succeed. But it's a great experience and gives you a sense of fulfilment," he said.

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