Australia Awards recipient scoops International Student of the Year 2016

Nigerian Australia Awards recipient, Dr Emmanuel Ita Bassey, who is pursuing a Masters in Disability Studies at Flinders University, has walked away with the South Australian International Student of the Year 2016 Award. The Award was conferred by the South Australia Governor, His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC, and Study Adelaide SA Chairman, Mr Bill Spurr AO, at Government House on Friday, 28 October 2016 .

Dr Bassey, who is a former clinician, lost his sight to cataract disease several years ago and has established a visual rehabilitation unit in a tertiary eye hospital in Nigeria to save people from travelling up to 2,000 km for treatment.

He says he would like to go back to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital Clinic in January for at least six months to continue with his work there, and apply his knowledge to help more people with disabilities, not just those with visual impairments.

Dr Bassey says that when he lost his sight, he could not practice medicine anymore. That is why he is in Australia to study Disability Studies.

He has now applied to Flinders to commence a PhD in Disability Studies in July 2017 to continue helping Nigerians with adult-onset visual impairment and many other disabilities.

Studying at Flinders as an Australia Awards scholar, Dr Bassey has received a letter of commendation from the Flinders University Chancellor and been recognised by the Golden Key International Honours Society for academic excellence. He is also Acting Secretary of the Nigerian Computer Association for the Blind.

Australia Awards – Africa has granted many professionals in eligible countries the opportunity to gain skills and knowledge that will help them make a difference in their countries and around Africa, engaging people with disabilities and women in particular.

Picture by www.blogs.flinders.edu.au

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