ALABEL, Sarangani – A blind law graduate from this town hurdled this year’s Bar examinations.

Martsu Ressan Ladia signed the Roll of Attorneys during the oathtaking ceremony on December 22 conducted by the Supreme Court.

LADIA (Photo via Joseph Jubelag)

Ladia, who wants to become a trial lawyer, is suffering from retinopathy of prematurity, a disease that causes abnormal blood vessels to grow in the retina, which rendered him completely unable to see from his left eye, and can see very little from his right eye.

Despite this disability, Ladia finished political science at the Holy Trinity College in General Santos City and proceeded to the College of Law at the Mindanao State University-General Santos City.

Ladia recalled how he was able to achieve his dream of becoming a lawyer despite his disability.

Since law school requires a student to read a lot of books and cases and take handwritten exams, Ladia said he instead used his ears as a substitute for eyes.

He used a software on his laptop called non-visual desktop access which read back what is written to him.

Still, things were not easy for him because the narrator does a robotic pronunciation of what it reads which prompted him to cope with hearing adjustment.

He also could not listen using the normal speed, because if he did so, he would be unable to finish digesting all the materials he had to study.

“The remedy is you increase the speed. So when I read using my ears, my screen reader can read 250 to 300 words per minute para ma cope ko ‘yung readings ko,” Ladia said.

Despite these challenges, Ladia was able to hurdle law school and passed the Bar exam in his first take.