A 17-year-old physically challenged teenager, Jeremiah Kwame Badu, who dropped out of school after falling off the stairs and breaking his hands, has been given a second chance at education and a brighter future.

Thanks to a report by Joy Learning TV, Ghana's first educational television channel, Jeremiah's story captured the hearts of many, inspiring the Centre for Disability Entrepreneurship and Public Policy (CDEPP) to intervene.

In September 2023, Joy Learning TV, in a feature produced by Irene Adubea Aning dubbed ‘A Slipping Dream’, highlighted Jeremiah's plight; a story of triumph over adversity.

Jeremiah's determination to return to the classroom, despite his physical challenges, resonated deeply with viewers, evoking empathy and sparking action.

Today, he makes a return to the classroom, confident of turning the lemons life has thrown at him into lemonades.

Through CDEPP, he has been awarded a full scholarship at the Asustem Robotic Academy, along with a new wheelchair, empowering him to overcome mobility challenges.

At a brief presentation ceremony at Asustem Robotic Academy in Accra, CDEPP's founder, Andrew Okaikoi, revealed that Jeremiah's determination inspired him to offer support.

"I discovered Jeremiah on Joy and I said to myself, ‘Jeremiah is the future’. One thing that I was touched by is not the disability because, for me, I don’t see the disability in me. I see more potential. So when I heard him say he wanted to be a designer, I said wow, somebody needs to support Jeremiah. And I think that is the potential that a lot of people living with disability have.

"People with disability are ambitious because of the circumstances they find themselves in. So when you find a person living with disability begging, it’s not because he hasn’t gotten any potential. He has the potential, but society is making him feel differently. So he relegates to the circumstance. So I realised he had the potential and I thought, somebody needs to put a smile on his face", he narrated.

He further promised Jeremiah an electric wheelchair, in addition to the manual one presented, to enhance his mobility.

As Jeremiah journeys to school for the first time after a prolonged absence, his face radiates joy, having once believed his educational aspirations were irretrievable.

“I feel very happy. When I heard that I was coming to this place, I was nervous. I was thinking that I was going to be rejected. But when I came here I saw how they welcomed me with open hands and I can say that things that I didn't know, I would learn them here. Expect the best. I will try my best to do well in my studies. I will not disappoint you.  Thank you very much, it’s like I’m already in my dreams,” he expressed.

Jeremiah’s mother, Dorcas Afi-Anumu’s heart swelled with gratitude, seeing her son's dreams revived, and her biggest burden lifted.

When dreams seem out of reach, hope and perseverance can bring them back into focus with the right support. It is the prayer of many to see Jeremiah achieve his fullest potential and to also give meaning to the adage that, ‘disability is indeed not inability’.