Early detection of cerebral palsy confined Salem Bawazir to a wheelchair. But that doesn’t worry him as much as dismissive social stigmas do. A self-taught man, this 50-year-old Emirati’s grit kept him going. He worked as an HR coordinator for a while, but repeated rejections from prospective employers urged him to finally launch his own business, Creative Pulse, a graphic design company. His business, however, ran dry when even SMEs refused to finance him, doubting his abilities.
Salem Bawazir has fought intolerance all his life, recruiting and training people with disabilities, and raising the awareness of other employees. This poised him uniquely to lead the inclusion programme at Expo 2020, the first person of determination to do so. Interestingly, even the Expo experience did not help him land a job, till much later. He is, at present, brimming with plans of a new business venture, and given his confidence, no prejudice will be able to impede his intent.
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