My name is Salah Kharief. I am from Sudan in North Africa. I was born in Khartoum -Tuti Island - in 1974 into a big family with seven brothers and one sister. When I was two years old, I was mistakenly given an injection which led me to contract polio. I was unable to walk and needed to crawl everywhere. My parents were the first people to encourage me to take up physical activity by taking me to massage therapy. I remember that I did not really like it at that time but it helped me a lot. After that my left leg started moving more easily. Then my brother, who is younger than me, asked me to hold his shoulder and walk around with him. We would go everywhere together. I really liked going out and discovering outside. I used to do whatever my other brothers did, and I had the same responsibilities.
I never felt that I had a disability. In middle school, I was able to do exactly what my classmates did - from playing soccer (goal keeper), to acting, singing, and climbing trees. In high school I was the President of the Music and Theater Club for two years.
I moved to Canada in 2004. Learning English was my biggest challenge. I knew the best way to learn quickly was to practice through making Canadian friends. I started going to the recreation center close to where I was living, and took swimming classes. I also volunteered at the food bank, where my job was to sort food from large bags into smaller packages. I worked at the Normana Center with senior citizens and played drums for them. In addition I became involved with a group called Theater Terrific, an organization of musicians and actors with disabilities. I was encouraged by a Director named Susanna to participate in two productions.
In our community (sudanese), I worked to help newcomers to find housing, employment, schooling and to learn about Canadian laws. In 2006 I moved from Vancouver to Victoria. This took me away from my community but it enabled me to further develop my English. It also made me more independent, as I had been living with my older brother who had moved to Canada ahead of me. I started volunteering at the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Center Society. I became a Youth Leader, assisted newcomers, and also worked at the reception desk. I got a job at a bakery rolling bread. This was something new for me but I learned quickly. After two weeks my coworker called me the "rolling machine". I also joined the Canadian electric wheelchair Hockey Association and was later chosen to work in public relations with the team.
All of these experiences and my involvement have led me to feel that I am not only a part of society, but an important part.
