Reflections on the Youth Ability Summit

By Hamza Jaka

The Youth Ability Summit was an incredible experience.  I’d done international work before, but nothing like this.

It was amazing to be able to share my knowledge with many other disabled youth from America and Syria. We found we had so much in common and so many shared experiences that it felt like we were leaving family behind when the summit ended.

In terms of advocacy work, it was a great learning experience working with Valerie Karr and Victor Pineda, two of the most prominent experts on disability rights and two of my biggest heroes.

It felt a little weird being one of the oldest youth in the summit (I’m 18 years old and normally the young guy), but it was really fun working with the other youth advocates and seeing how much further they are in terms of goals and skills than I was at their age.

Being a comic fanatic myself, it was awesome to create a comic book because it has always been a childhood dream of mine (even though it was really a lot of work). I can’t believe we were able to use the opposing views of famous superheroes (the X-Men and Magneto) in a debate on serious issues—like the inclusion of people with disabilities in society.

Damascus is a beautiful city and I’m happy we got to see the highlights, from the Omayyad Mosque and whirling dervishes, to the Al-Hamidiyeh Souk, and the world’s largest restaurant, Damascus Gate.

I’m glad that I was able to be a part of this summit because you always learn more about yourself, how much in common you share with others, and that we are all human beings with dreams and feelings, not enemies or allies.