Nicole Toameh, a journalist at An-Nahar newspaper, tells her story: “The beginning was when I received my baccalaureate degree from Beirut Ahliya School. Before that, I was in a special school for the blind, but since middle school, I also went to a regular school.”

“When I received my baccalaureate degree, I wanted to specialize in music, and journalism was not on my mind, but I ran into my visual impairment, which prevents me from obtaining any degree in music like other students, because there are many theoretical subjects that I will not be able to study,” Tohme explains, complaining that “there were no professors qualified to teach Braille notes in Lebanon, which led me to abandon the idea.”

Tohmeh adds: “At the time, I felt the need for someone or something to speak about my suffering and raise my voice against what happened to me,” she said, adding, “I wanted to make a statement, and that’s what made me want to specialize in journalism and make my voice heard.”

Tohme recounts: “In the beginning, I didn’t think about the obstacles that could stand in my way. “Journalism was an adventure I wanted to take, so I went to Our Lady of Louisa University (NDU) in Zouk Mosbeh. “I was the first person who wanted to specialize there, with a special condition and a visual impairment.