Disability Inclusion Advocate Gashaw Tesfaw Redefines Education and Leadership in Ethiopia

When Gashaw Tesfaw entered primary school around age seven, he arrived full of hope but soon faced a steep uphill path.

Born in rural Ethiopia, he lost his hearing after a bout of meningitis as a young child. At the time, there were no formal services for deaf children and no trained interpreters at local schools. But Gashaw refused to be sidelined.

With support from a few kind teachers and curious classmates, he made his first attempts at bridging the gap. “Even though I became deaf, I have found ways to communicate during my interactions with others. Beyond writing, some of my classmates have even learned basic sign language from me to make our communication easier and bring us closer,” he recalls.

In Grade 5, Gashaw scored 14 out of 15 on a math test and ranked at the top, despite having barely any preparation. That small win boosted his confidence and motivated him to keep going. That same year, he skipped a grade, completing both Grades 5 and 6 with top marks. But by then, interpreters were no longer available, so he had to navigate the classroom without formal support.

“I was the quiet one. But I was also the most focused,” he says. “I mastered the art of self-learning through gestures, lip reading, and reading everything I could find.” His determination to access better schooling pushed him to rent a small room in a nearby town. Beyond his courage and hard work, with the help of teachers and friends, he persevered.

By 2016, Gashaw passed his regional exam with distinction and entered high school, the only deaf student there. “They had never had a student like me,” he says. “But I saw it as a chance, not a burden. By being there, I was opening the door for others.”

He finished Grade 9 at the top of his class and went on to excel in Grade 10 and preparatory school. Although he still loved to study natural science, the external system forced him to study social science, and he continued again with little to no support.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures brought everything to a halt. “It was a hard time,” he says. “But I stayed focused.”

In 2021, he scored 475 out of 700 on Ethiopia’s national university entrance exam, earning a spot at the University of Gondar and a scholarship from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.

University, however, came with its own challenges. There were only two interpreters for dozens of deaf students, and they were often unavailable or rotated between classes. “I had to choose between watching the board or watching the interpreter,” he says. “Doing both was impossible.”

He had dreamed of studying law and being the first deaf law graduate at the university and in the country, but he changed course. "I didn't believe the country would accept me in that field. I also lacked support, guidance, and encouragement during that time."

So, he chose Management instead and relied on the habits he’d built over the years, such as reading for hours, reviewing notes, and repeating material until it stuck. “What others learn by hearing, I learn by watching, reading, thinking, and reflecting. And those skills made me unshakable.”

Outside the classroom, Gashaw began mentoring others. He advocated for deaf and disabled students, speaking up when they couldn’t. “I developed leadership early,” he says. “Because I was often the only voice for myself in school, in my community, and in public life.”

In October 2024, he graduated with distinction, without full-time interpretation or academic accommodations. “It was like reaching the top of a mountain after a long, steep, and painful climb,” he says. “I was proud, but I stood there alone and realized that what others might have seen as a barrier - or something impossible - had become a proud reality for me.” 

The university and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program recognized him with a special award for his academic performance and leadership potential

But life after graduation wasn’t what he expected.

He thought finding a job with a degree would be easier. Instead, he ran into discrimination. "In one interview, after they found out I was deaf, they said, 'We didn't know about his situation before the written exam.' They meant it wasn't appropriate to test me alongside hearing candidates," he recalls. "And I was quietly removed from the shortlist because they disqualified me due to my disability."

It was a painful truth. “We don’t need pity,” he says. “We need equal chances. We need people to see our abilities, not our disability.”

Today, Gashaw is still searching for accessible postgraduate opportunities. He dreams of earning a Master’s degree and eventually pursuing a PhD.

Though he cannot take Ethiopia’s National Graduate Admission Test due to a lack of accessibility, he hasn’t given up. “I’m preparing,” he says. “And I’m looking abroad, places where systems are more inclusive."

Gashaw now work s as a peer coach at the University of Gondar, and he continues to lead career development training for deaf and disabled students through the Africa Careers Network. “What brings me joy now is helping others find their voice,” he says. “When a deaf student tells me, ‘Because of you, I didn’t give up,’ that means everything.”

Writing has become another tool in his advocacy. “As a deaf person, I’ve lived much of my life in silence,” he says. “But that silence made my inner world rich.” Writing became his way to speak. “It’s how I fight for those who are told they don’t belong.”

Gashaw doesn’t see creativity as expression. He sees it as survival. “They didn’t design the education system for me. So I redesigned myself to survive it, and that’s how I became a creative problem solver.”

His inspiration comes from the memory of struggle: walking to school with no hearing, no interpreter, no assistive technology, but full of determination. "I sat in classrooms full of sound, but learned in silence — because I believed knowledge belongs to the determined, not the privileged." “I use that memory to fuel my mission,” he says. “To help the next deaf child feel seen, supported, and capable.”

“Success isn’t just getting the degree,” he says. “It’s helping someone else believe they can too.” Then he adds, “My story isn’t just about me, it’s about a generation of unheard voices. And I’ll keep writing, speaking, and fighting until those voices become impossible to ignore.”

Gashaw Tesfaw is disability rights advocate, a Deaf Peer Coach, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumnus, and a storyteller from Ethiopia. He earned his BA degree in Management with distinction from the University of Gondar. As one of the first deaf students to graduate without a full-time interpreter, he advocates for disability rights, inclusive education, and access to employment. He mentors graduates through the Africa Careers Network and aspires to become a transformative leader in his community.