The Gambia's First Blind Magistrate Navigates a System Designed for the Sighted

Magistrate Muhammed Krubally arrives at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court before dawn. His clerk briefs him on the day’s cases, reviewing files and ensuring readiness. Krubally listens, interjects with questions, and prepares to preside. He then enters a crowded courtroom filled with lawyers, witnesses, and family members for a criminal trial. The room hushes. Though Krubally cannot see the assembled individuals, he discerns them through their voices. A lawyer stands. A witness testifies. Papers rustle. His clerk remains close. At his desk, his computer vocalizes information. Krubally utilizes JAWS (Job Access With Speech), a screen reader that enables him to navigate his computer, read documents, and dictate judgments. “This makes my job very easy,” he shared with Al Jazeera. He also employs AI-powered smart glasses for independent information access and task completion. However, technology is only one facet of his work. He relies on auditory cues, retains details, and follows the flow of proceedings, constructing a mental image of the courtroom through sound. When needed, he depends on his clerk. Krubally, 41, states he has adjudicated over a thousand civil and criminal cases since joining the judiciary. In 2016, he became The Gambia’s inaugural visually impaired magistrate. The Gambia Organisation of the Visually Impaired (GOVI) recognizes him as the nation's first person with a visual impairment to hold such a position. For Krubally, this is not an experimental endeavor to test the capabilities of a visually impaired individual; it is his chosen profession, one he has dedicated a decade to. A Determination Forged Early Long before taking his seat on the bench, Krubally grew up in a Gambian village, the second of nine siblings. His childhood ambition was to become a lawyer, partly to defend his own rights and partly to advocate for others, aiming, as he put it, “to be the voice for the voiceless,” especially individuals with disabilities. The journey was arduous. Throughout primary school and university, Krubally faced limited resources and an educational system that presented significant obstacles for visually impaired students, unlike their sighted peers. He recalls discouragement from fellow students and some educators regarding his educational pursuits. Instead of deterring him, their doubts fueled his resolve. “Their discouragement kept me going. I knew what I wanted, and see where I am now,” he asserted. These formative experiences later influenced his decision to enter the judiciary. “I became a magistrate to change the system, to make it inclusive,” he explained. Yet, joining one of the nation's pivotal public institutions did not eliminate these barriers. Rights on Paper, Barriers in Practice The Gambia's Persons with Disabilities Act, enacted in 2021, outlines principles such as independence, non-discrimination, full participation, equal opportunity, and accessibility. The legislation also includes provisions for employment, public facilities and services, information, and access to justice. However, translating these rights into tangible reality remains a significant challenge. The National Human Rights Commission has highlighted barriers impacting people with disabilities, including discrimination and difficulties in accessing services, education, and employment. Al Jazeera reached out to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare for comment on the act's implementation and measures to enhance accessibility, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. The ministry did not provide a response. Krubally confronts these challenges both as a judicial officer and an advocate. As president of the Gambia Federation of the Disabled, he speaks at various forums, both within The Gambia and internationally, advocating for greater recognition of the rights and potential of people with disabilities. “I want to see a world for all; inclusion matters,” he stated. For Krubally, inclusion transcends mere physical access; it encompasses the provision of the necessary means for meaningful participation. The Barriers Begin at School For many individuals with disabilities, the journey toward full inclusion commences long before entering a courtroom or parliament. It starts in the educational system. Currently, GOVI’s Resource Centre for the Blind offers specialized education for visually impaired children before their integration into mainstream schools. Lamin Colley, the head of the school, informed Al Jazeera that 49 pupils, aged four to 14, are enrolled. Following their studies at the center, students are expected to transition to mainstream schools, where special-needs teachers are assigned to support them across school clusters. However, this support system is strained. Colley indicated that limited learning materials and the extensive geographical reach of the school clusters place considerable pressure on the available support for students. A single special-needs teacher, he noted, cannot adequately maintain regular contact with all students within these broad clusters. “The reality on the ground is that not much has changed after the disability act has been passed,” Colley observed, attributing this partly to what he described as insufficient government funding for disability issues in the national budget. Colley remembers Krubally as a studious pupil with a passion for reading, often found in the library, and determined to participate alongside his sighted classmates. Years later, Krubally’s journey conveys a powerful message extending beyond school grounds: “Disability does not mean inability.” Yet, one person's success does not negate the obstacles faced by those who follow. Entering an Institution Is Not Enough Ndey Yassin Secka-Sallah understands the challenges of entering a public institution without the requisite tools for independent participation. Nominated to The Gambia’s National Assembly, she has long championed the rights of people with disabilities. GOVI identifies her as the country’s sole visually impaired parliamentarian. She was also instrumental in advocacy efforts for disability rights and the push for stronger legal protections. Despite her position, the parliamentary institution itself was not fully accessible. “I used to depend on my fellow colleagues to know what was being discussed,” she recounted to Al Jazeera. Her desire was not for preferential treatment but for autonomy. “I would have loved to be independent, without depending on people for help.” Five years after the disability law's passage, Secka-Sallah emphasizes that implementation remains a primary hurdle. She views Krubally’s appointment to the bench as significant but not the conclusion of the struggle. “Inclusion is all we wish for,” she stated. Musa Barrow, another visually impaired professional, teaches media law and ethics to journalism students. Like Krubally, Barrow has encountered assumptions about the capabilities of visually impaired individuals. Some students have questioned his ability to meet the academic standards they expect from a lecturer. Technology has been instrumental in enabling his independent work. He utilizes digital tools for reading, writing, and preparing lecture materials. “Technology has broken that barrier for me,” he said. However, the underlying assumptions held by students persist. His response is direct: “I can do more than what sighted people can do.” Barrow’s visual impairment has also influenced his teaching approach to journalism, particularly when discussing the media's representation of disability. The experiences of Krubally, Secka-Sallah, and Barrow collectively highlight a critical gap: gaining entry into an institution is distinct from possessing the means to participate fully within it. What Does the Law Look Like in Practice? Quantifying the challenge is complex. The Gambia's 2013 Population and Housing Census reported a disability prevalence of 1.2 percent, equating to 21,873 individuals, according to subsequent analysis. However, this figure likely underrepresents the true scale of disability in the country, as the census employed a limited set of questions and did not utilize the Washington Group questions commonly used for measuring functional difficulties. The Gambia has since conducted a new census, with preliminary results released in September 2024. However, the preliminary report did not contain detailed, updated national disability data, leaving an incomplete picture of the country’s disability landscape over the past decade. What is evident, however, is the experience of individuals navigating institutions not designed with their needs in mind: a parliamentarian relying on colleagues for information, a lecturer facing skepticism about their teaching abilities, or children entering mainstream schools with inadequate specialized support. Krubally is intimately familiar with this journey. He now mentors young individuals, many of whom are visually impaired. One such mentee is Modou Lamin Dampha, who describes Krubally as a source of encouragement to pursue his ambitions. “He advises and encourages me to keep going, that things are possible,” Dampha shared. For Dampha, Krubally represents more than just a magistrate; he is living proof that professional aspirations need not be curtailed by disability. Has the Courtroom Evolved? Back in the Banjul Magistrates’ Court, the proceedings continue. Krubally listens intently as the case unfolds, employing his auditory perception, memory, technological aids, and experience to follow the events. His career prompts a more profound question: to what extent has the system itself adapted? The judiciary was approached for information regarding accommodations for Krubally, accessibility measures for judicial officers and court users with disabilities, and any changes implemented since the passage of the Persons with Disabilities Act. No response was received by the time of publication. Krubally has spent a decade adapting to the demands of the courtroom. Whether the institution surrounding him has similarly adapted remains an unanswered question. When asked about his vision for the future, Krubally shifts the focus from the obstacles he has surmounted. “All I see is possibility.”