My White Cane Friend and His Story

I first saw Abubakar Yasin at the historic gate of GC University Lahore. In his hand was a white cane tapping gently on the old pavement, on his back , a student bag and on his face a confidence I rarely see in students who have full eyesight. He was not waiting for someone to hold his hand. He was listening to the rush of students, to the honking of bikes on the road, to the guard’s voice, and then he started walking alone towards his department. That was the first time I understood that a white cane is not a sign of helplessness. For Abubakar Yasin, it is a sign of independence.

This is the story of a courageous boy named Abubakar Yasin. He is a student of graduation at the historical GC University of Pakistan, a university that has produced great names since 1864. He is blind, but his story is not a story of disability, it is a story of ability. He travels alone to GC University every day. He does not depend on his family to drop him. He comes by himself from his home, using local transport, knowing every stop, every turn, every broken part of the footpath. His white cane is his companion on the road. Many of us with eyesight complain about distance and traffic in Lahore, but Abubakar travels the same city alone, daily, and never makes it an excuse to miss a class.

What makes Abubakar different is that he is not just a student, he is a very active student. He is a familiar face in the university. You will see him in the canteen, in the seminar hall, in the library, in the Special Student Center. He is very popular among students and teachers because he never sits idle. He is an active member of the Special Student Center at GCU, which is truly a blessing for such students. This center has given him a platform and he has given the center his energy. Instead of taking his disability as a limitation, he has turned it into leadership.

He has done his internship at the Punjab Assembly, a place where laws are made. How many students with full eyesight can say they have interned at the Punjab Assembly during graduation? Abubakar did it. He went there, understood the legislative process, and worked with full dedication. He is also the Senior Vice President of the Punjab Inclusivity Program. In this role, he does not work only for himself, he works for hundreds of special students across Punjab. He organizes many programs, seminars, awareness walks and training sessions for inclusive education. He speaks confidently on stage, he manages teams, he motivates junior students who have just come to university and feel lost.

In the classroom at GC University, he sits with normal students. There is no separate row for him. He sits in the middle, opens his mind and listens to the teacher with full concentration. He does his homework on time, he participates in discussions, he never says I cannot do this because I cannot see. He uses Braille, that beautiful system of raised dots that brings books to his fingertips. He also uses modern technology better than many of us. He records lectures on his mobile phone, listens to them again at night, makes notes with the help of his friends and screen reader applications. His mobile phone is not for scrolling reels. It is his library, his notebook, his reader. Through technology he stays connected with his class fellows and helps others with audio notes.

And when it comes to daily life, he is amazingly independent. He goes to the canteen like any other GCU student. He orders tea and samosa, enjoys the taste, sits with his friends and shares stories. He cannot see their faces but he knows them from their voices. He can understand people, he can guess their mood from the way they speak. When he sits with friends, he listens completely. While we are half on our phones during a conversation, Abubakar listens with full heart. That is why everyone likes to talk to him. When classes are over, he goes back home alone. He hires a taxi himself. Thanks to modern technology, he can book a ride through an app, talk to the driver and reach safely. He manages everything himself.

Even on weekends, he goes to park and picnic,enjoys life and appreciates nature and God made creations. He roams in the malls and enjoy shopping.

People often feel pity when they see a white cane. I also felt pity on the first day I saw Abubakar. But after spending time with him, I realized that pity is the last thing he needs. He does not want our sympathy. He wants a clear footpath where his cane can move without hitting a motorcycle parked illegally in front of the university gate. He wants teachers to share notes in soft copy so his screen reader can read them. He wants classmates who include him in group presentations, not exclude him thinking he cannot see slides. He wants what every Ravian wants, dignity and equal chance.

His life is a lesson for all of us at GCU. We have eyesight, we have health, we have all the facilities of this historical campus, but we still complain about small problems. We say we missed a lecture because the bus was late. Abubakar Yasin travels alone, studies with normal students, does an internship at the Punjab Assembly, leads the Punjab Inclusivity Program as Senior Vice President, organizes programs, supports the Special Student Center, enjoys canteen life, does his homework, uses Braille and mobile apps, goes home alone by taxi, lives a full university life and still smiles. His smile is not of a person who has lost his eyesight. His smile is of a person who has found his own way to live with courage.

Every year on 15th October we observe White Cane Safety Day. We organize seminars and give speeches about inclusion. After one day we forget. But students like Abubakar Yasin remind us that the white cane is not for one day, it is for every day. It is not a symbol of blindness, it is a symbol of mobility, courage, leadership and self-respect. He is the living example of that courage inside the walls of GC University Lahore. And that is the story of my white cane friend, Abubakar Yasin, the proud, popular and active student of GC University Lahore.