“Ackson is a young man whose journey is both challenging and inspiring. At 23, he has already faced more obstacles than many do in a lifetime, yet his spirit remains unbroken. Born without any disabilities, Ackson’s life took a sudden turn when he developed Cerebral palsy (CP) after a severe illness just days after birth.
Despite this, Ackson completed his grade 12 education—a significant achievement, given the inequalities he faced in the education system, such as the limited extra time provided for exams inadequate for someone like him who, due to his condition, requires more time to complete written tasks. But Ackson’s determination saw him through these challenges.
His school years were also marked by personal hardships. Ackson had to run away from his biological father’s house because of verbal mistreatment by his stepmother. These experiences could have easily deterred him, but instead, they fueled him to forge on.
Ackson’s resilience caught the attention of our advocacy team during a door-to-door sensitization campaign in Lusaka’s Kabanana compound. Since then, he has become an integral part of our advocacy training on intellectual disability. But Ackson doesn’t just participate—he leads. Whenever someone speaks negatively about him or other people with disabilities, he draws on the training he received from Special Hope Network and turns the moment into an opportunity for advocacy. He engages in conversations about disabilities, debunking harmful myths that associate disabilities with witchcraft.
Running a mobile money booth, Ackson experiences the harsh realities of stigma and discrimination daily. Yet, he continues to advocate for greater understanding and inclusion, believing that who better to champion the cause of intellectual disability than someone who lives with it every day?”
