Denied an education due to his blindness, Yahya Boulmane's journey from a small village in Morocco to the streets of Montpellier is a testament to resilience in the face of adversity. After years of struggle and determination, he now stands on the brink of a life-changing surgery that could restore his sight. Yahya Boulemane ‹ › Yahya Boulmane's childhood memories are not of games or friendships, but of a school that closed its doors to him and a classroom window through which he tried to learn. Blind since childhood, he was denied his right to education. Now in his forties, he still vividly remembers the day a school in a village in the Errachidia province turned him away when he was just six years old. The school that never opened its doors «I hope God forgives one of the teachers at the school I wanted to attend», Yahya says, his sadness still palpable decades later. «She refused to accept me in her class, saying she was afraid I might fall or get hurt», because of his visual impairment. Yahya grew up in a large family of 13 siblings, including an older sister who was also blind. That rejection, however, did not stop him from trying to learn. Every day, he accompanied his siblings to school and sat near a classroom window, listening to the lessons and completing the exercises silently. Recalling that period, he says, «I felt a deep emptiness, especially since my parents were illiterate and unaware of the existence of specialized schools for the blind in Morocco. Despite our limited means, I was ready to beg them in every possible way to enroll me in any school, because my desire to learn was overwhelming». In 2009, after a traditional school opened about 20 kilometers from his village, Yahya tried once again to enroll, at the age of 25. His application was rejected «without convincing reasons». Later, during a visit to the city of Nador to see one of his brothers, he discovered that a school for the blind existed. Once again, his age stood in the way of admission. He was instead directed to a traditional school in the city, where he managed to memorize two sections of the Quran using hearing alone. A turning point in Casablanca The year 2015 marked a major shift in Yahya's life. At 34, he moved to Casablanca and made a public appeal on social media, searching for an institution willing to accept him and provide boarding. In the Ben M'sik–Sidi Othmane neighborhood, he earned his primary school certificate, then later obtained a middle school diploma from Errachidia as a private candidate. Through a local association in Morocco's economic capital, he learned Braille, opening a new world of reading, communication, and access to knowledge. During this period, he supported himself by selling old electronic equipment and transporting agricultural products from his region to resell them in Casablanca, securing his daily livelihood through sheer determination. Another decisive moment came when a doctor in Rabat informed Yahya that his sight could potentially be restored through surgery in France. From then on, the idea of traveling for treatment consumed his thoughts. He applied twice for a medical visa to France and was rejected. He also explored the possibility of surgery in Turkey, but the costs were prohibitive. Still, he refused to give up. «If they told me I would regain my sight on the planet Saturn, I would strive for it», he jokes. With all legal avenues closed, Yahya turned to irregular migration. He first contacted a smuggler in Salé, where he was stopped by security forces. He then traveled to Belyounech in northern Morocco, but smugglers there refused to take him aboard after discovering his disability. Realizing he needed another plan, he changed routes and traveled with others through Tunisia to Algeria, where they faced intense pursuit by Algerian security forces. Some of his companions were arrested, and some remain imprisoned to this day. During the sea crossing, Yahya endured one of the most harrowing moments of his life. «It was an incredibly difficult feeling. When you step onto an irregular migration boat, you are also preparing for death. On the boat, emotions were mixed: some screamed, some sang, some recited the Quran… As for me, I recited everything I had memorized». Yahya eventually reached Almería, then Toulouse, and finally Montpellier. There, he faced a harsh reality marked by homelessness and constant movement between social services. His initial requests were rejected. One night, he was bitten by a large rat, an incident that led to his hospitalization. It was there that he met a Moroccan doctor who tried to support him socially, though his medical journey remained complicated by his status as an undocumented migrant. After months of waiting and hardship, Montpellier Hospital finally agreed to take on his case and scheduled surgery for February, an operation that could restore his sight.
