Daniel Otumba knows it takes more than courage to accept a disability, especially one that people might think is ‘invisible’ or ‘hidden’.
Daniel has lumbago, a painful condition affecting the lower portion of his spine. While you may not know about it unless he tells you about it, Daniel has ensured this would not hold him back. The technology enthusiast and author, whose books are available for sale on Amazon, was a student at the IT Bridge Academy, which teaches practical Information Technology (IT) skills to young people with disabilities.
These skills are in high demand in an increasingly digital world. Daniel became part of the first cohort of 37 CISCO-certified graduates from the Academy – based in Nairobi at the National Industrial Training Authority – interning at Safaricom from February 2022.
The IT Bridge Academy has been designed with employability in mind, and many Kenyan businesses have worked with the academy to make students ‘job ready’.
Daniel did his internship in Safaricom’s cybersecurity team.
“The experience you get here is amazing, you have to do a lot of research, and it expands your brain. Because every day, you get to learn something. At Safaricom, we interact with customers; you get to learn new things from the team,” he says
Not far from where Daniel works is Jacklyne Chelangat, a fellow Bridge Academy classmate who is an intern at the IT desk. A few years ago, Jacklyne was a bubbly young woman who loved computers, but a spine tumour diagnosis shifted the trajectory of her life.
“It was hard for me to accept being in the wheelchair, but the moment I accepted my disability, I was motivated to go after these opportunities,“ says Jacklyne.
Part of the cohort is David Nyamai, a technology intern who is trained to design how apps and software look and feel to users, known as UI and UX design in IT parlance. He has been working on the M-PESA App.
David has had to learn UI and UX through sign language as he is deaf.
“Sign language in IT is not universal, and thus it is a bit difficult, but we find ways to explain things,” he says.
This motivates him each day to prove that IT is not difficult for the deaf and that opportunities exist for those interested.
On the other side of the office is Anne Wanjiku, who is stationed at the service desk; her tasks include troubleshooting and receiving calls. She has hemiplegia, a condition that has affected her right eye, which makes it weaker than her left eye and is always excited whenever she receives calls for assistance from customers as she knows it is an opportunity to serve and use her skills,
Watch their story below of how their seven-month internship at Safaricom has been and the support they have received at the workplace.
