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'Remarkable' man blinded by explosion graduates

Lilly-Mae Messenger
BBC News, West of England
Reporting fromBristol
University of Bristol Maher Fattouh in his cap and gown smiling for his graduation photo. He is wearing a black mortarboard, a black robe with red and white accents, a white shirt and a dark blue tie with a white pattern.University of Bristol
University of Bristol graduate Maher Fattouh was blinded in an explosion aged 21

A Syrian man who was blinded by an explosion while fleeing his country has shared his story after graduating from the University of Bristol.

Maher Fattouh, 32, lost his sight when a bomb exploded as he crossed the border into Lebanon in 2014 to escape military service under Bashar al-Assad's regime.

After moving to England he earned an English teaching qualification from the University of Cambridge in 2022 before studying for a master's in Psychology of Education in Bristol.

"I'd like to show that a person with massive, massive challenges can live safely and independently and achieve academic excellence," Mr Fattouh said.

University of Bristol Mr Fattouh is photographed wearing a black robe with red and white accents, as well as a blue tie. He is standing in front of a dark brown plinth with a microphone.University of Bristol
Mr Fattouh shared his inspiring story during his graduation

Mr Fattouh, from Damascus, was only 21 when he was told he would never see again.

He could not speak English, and would pay a friend to read to him.

"I'm really proud of owning my story. I lived so many dark periods for so long," he said.

"For a long time one of my dreams was just to open a bank account, because I couldn't as a Syrian."

He shared his story with an audience of 1,000 people during his graduation.

"In my community, the definition of visual impairment is a 'fall into darkness'," he said.

"You won't be able to manage, you will live dependent on others, you may be excluded, you may lose opportunities and life may be miserable and depressing."

Mr Fattouh explained he decided to "disagree with that definition" and "choose an entirely different scenario".

University of Bristol A view of Mr Fatthouh from the back. He has on a dark blue suit under his robes and is facing a crowd of more than 1,000 other graduates and their loved ones.University of Bristol
Mr Fattouh is now working as an academic support officer in London

By 2018, he was teaching other visually impaired people when he received his high school diploma, before moving on to university study in Cambridge and Bristol.

He has now found a job as an academic support officer in London.

Mr Fattouh said he chose to move to Bristol because the cobbles "feel identical" to those in Damascus and the city is full of churches and monuments.

"People are so kind here. If I stopped to wait for a taxi, I'd get many people offering to help me cross the road," he said.

He said the University of Bristol gave him lots of extra support and he "loved" the disability services they offered.

Prof Evelyn Welch, the university's vice-chancellor and president, said: "Maher is a remarkable man who has shown amazing fortitude and resilience to achieve all he has, despite the challenges he has faced."

Mr Fattouh has not been back to Syria in more than 10 years but he hopes the change of government will allow him to return to visit family soon.

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