Mohammed

As I was talking to Al-Araby a man riding a contraption that could only be described as a wheelchair-bicycle hybrid parked himself right next to me and introduced himself as Mohammed. He explained that his problems with growth and the formation of his hands began at birth. When I asked him what it is like being disabled in Morocco, he answered with "Al-Hamdullillah" or "thanks be to God," meaning he is grateful for the health that God has afforded him. 

Mohammed went to school until the end of college, or junior high, when his father who lived in the countryside informed him that he had run out of money for his schooling. Now thirty-nine years old, Mohammed doesn't work, but the donations he receives allow him to rent a home in the Karia neighborhood of Sale and provide for his wife and three children.  

Al-Araby

I met Al-Araby sitting in his old wheelchair near the end of the souq in the medina. Al-Araby is 26 years old but appears younger. Although he refers to himself as "handicapped" without specific knowledge of his disability, his muscle movements and speech suggest cerebral palsy. As a child he attended a primary school for the handicapped in the Khamisat area, south of Rabat. The school was founded by a Frenchman and taken over by his daughter and then Moroccans after his death. It was in this period after his death that the school experienced a decline. Previously, the children received niceties like a pair of free shoes every school year. Under the new regime, schoolchildren had to pay to receive shoes. After completing the first grade, Al-Araby was kicked out of school because he "had no one to take care of him at school." His father, who worked, came to the school to demand an answer from the administration. They offered the same answer.

Al-Araby also acknowledges the existence of charity organizations. When he approached an association for help they asked him that he write them a letter, of which he has yet to receive a reply. His old chair, he says, is cumbersome and inhibits his ability to get around the city. He has contacted the disability center in Sale about applying for a new chair but has waited four months so far for a response.

Khaled

I met Khaled on Avenue Al-Mohamed VI, crouched up against a wall with a large folder of papers spread out in front of him. Among these papers were his diplomas from law school, his various forms of identification, and a number of letters and photographs. Khaled was blind and sang as people rushed past. Unlike many of the visionless beggars in Rabat, he was dressed in jeans and a dress shirt and covered his eyes with a pair of sunglasses. Khaled was beaten blind in 1985 by his father. First his injury was to his left eye (presumably nerve damage or retinal hemorrhaging) and then complications spread to his right eye. However, he was able to continue his schooling and he graduated from law school in 2000.

In 2009 Khaled paid a man to take him illegally to Spain where he could continue his education. Shortly after his graduation, he was confronted in the street by Spanish authorities and failed to present proper documentation, resulting in his arrest and deportation back to Morocco, where it was impossible to find work. He saved 800 dirham (approximately $100) to apply for a Visa to France but was denied on the basis that his bank account balance was too low.

As for the role of government and philanthropy in his life, Khaled acknowledges that charity associations exist for the purpose of helping the less fortunate but many of them are hopelessly corrupt. King Mohammed VI has made no specific statements regarding the disabled but can be solicited for assistance in person.

One of the letters Khaled showed me was a letter to the Wali, or Mayor, of the territory of Rabat that Khaled had written on his own behalf to help him find employment.