Blindness has its daily hurdles, as we live in a world where sight is often considered the primary way to navigate and understand our surroundings. Often the concept of blindness can be misunderstood.
Visual impairment conjures up images of people with limited ability to perform tasks that require accurate vision. However, vision extends far beyond the limitations of sight.
Derrick Shimoli, better known by his stage name DJ Derrick, has defied the odds and used technology to forge his own path and make a career for himself through his passion for music in modern technology.
Derrick Shimoli, better known by his stage name DJ Derrick.
Photo credit: POOL
“My enthusiasm for music started way back when I was only 10. My parents exposed me to musical instruments,’’ Derrick says.
DJ Derrick lost his vision in 1999 but managed to challenge the conventional negative notion of sight.
“I built resilience in 2005 when I joined Kenya Society for the Blind Centre of Adaptive Technology where I was trained on adaptive information and communication technology,’’ he adds
Derrick says that as a visually impaired DJ, setting up for a show involves a combination of preparation, organisation, and the use of special technology, but a lot of muscle memory comes into play.
He goes on to explain how he prepares for a gig, “the first thing is to place the controller at a position I feel is comfortable when I mix, then I look for the universal serial bar pot which is located on my laptop once that is done I use my two earphones, where one is for the screen reader the other one is for the controller.’’
It is said that when you lose one sense, all your other senses are heightened.
On the other side of inspiration beyond limits is Julius Mbura, lawyer whose love of cars is boundless.
Julius Mbura, a lawyer is passionate about cars.
Photo credit: POOL
Mbura, who also lost his sight at the age of ten, says it was a difficult time for him and his family as it meant a new world for them.
“After I was rehabilitated in a special school and got to interact with children who were blind as well, I understood that there is another side of life and I got to embrace and accept who I am,’’ Mbura says.
However, this has not stopped him from pursuing his dreams and with the help of modern technology, extensive study and research, Mbura can easily identify a specific mix of vehicles by their bodywork, lights, bumpers and car spoilers.
“My interest started when I was a young boy seeing big cars and had the dream of driving them one day. I use body lanes a lot and the shape of their grill to identify,’’ Mbura says.
The first assistive technology I recommend is the smart cane for blind people, Mbura says describing it to have haptic vibrations.
He also owns a tactile brail dot watch which he uses to tell time by touch, “my phone also has assistive technology and digital accessibility embedded into it,’’ he adds.
Mbura's passion for vehicles goes beyond his inability to see. As a lawyer, he hopes to live in an inclusive world where every single person is treated equally.
For DJ Derrick, technology has revolutionised the way he interacts with music, with advances in assistive technology, visually impaired DJs can now express themselves with the same precision and finesse as any other DJ.
