When Ali Abul Nasr returned to Egypt in 2013 after completing his studies in sports management at the University of Abertay in Dundee, Scotland, he decided to put together the country’s first national blind soccer team. One of the courses he had taken was on sports for persons with disabilities, and Abul Nasr wanted to put what he had learned into practice.

Having a younger sister who was visually impaired as an infant opened Abul Nasr’s eyes early on to the hardships suffered by people with vision loss, including facing stigma and discrimination. This prompted him to advocate for equal opportunity programs and policies that would empower people with disabilities, allowing them to lead happier, more fulfilling lives. According to him, his idea of assembling a blind soccer squad stemmed from his conviction that “promoting the inclusion of the blind and visually impaired in sport would pave the way for their inclusion in the society.”

In a country where people with disabilities live on the margins of society, putting his idea into practice was no easy task. It took many months of dedication, hard work and persistent coaxing to win converts to the cause. Three years on, Egypt’s blind and visually impaired citizens (estimated by the World Health Organization at 1 million blind and 3 million visually impaired), finally have the opportunity to participate in the sport that, though widely popular in the country, had hitherto been inaccessible to them.

“Participation in the sport has boosted the players’ self-confidence; more importantly, it is helping transform public perceptions of people with disabilities, improving their standing in the community,” Abul Nasr told Al-Monitor.