Blind student’s fight for inclusion and an accessible campus at University of Lagos

Abiodun Oyeniran taps his walking stick rhythmically as he makes his way across the University of Lagos campus. He lost his sight at 21 and has spent years getting to know his way around. Now, he knows its winding pathways by heart, saying: “If you are walking with someone else, it might not have been this easy. I’m used to, you know, walking independently.”

Now 28 and studying sociology, Oyeniran is doing more than just earning a degree, he’s fighting to make campus more accessible for the visually impaired. In Blindsided, Radio Workshop’s latest podcast episode, we follow Oyeniran on that journey.

After learning how to navigate campus with a cane, Oyeniran began pushing for change.

He discovered that blind students were losing marks because exam scripts went missing. To remedy this, he started Children of Selflessness, a group that helps blind students take exams by reading questions aloud and submitting their papers. He says it felt like the “human factor” was missing.

The group grew quickly, reaching 400 volunteers and providing vital support for about 40 exams each week. But when a post went viral on X, the university introduced a new inclusion policy, and it banned Children of Selflessness, claiming that volunteers encouraged cheating – a charge Oyeniran and others rejected.

He says the issue was that the university didn’t discuss its decision with any of its visually impaired students, adding: “This policy was just implemented. We didn’t know about it. The visually impaired persons who will be affected by it, we didn’t know at all.”

For Oyeniran, the ban feels like social isolation dressed up as inclusion.

While the policy allows assistants to type exams, shutting down the volunteer group is a step backwards for the independence that blind students have worked hard to build.

With graduation looming, he’s left with an urgent question: “What will happen to other visually impaired students when I’m gone?” DM

Listen to Blindsided on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.