A disabled person can be a strong voice for political change, including in times of crisis and war, says Nawaf Kabbara, president of the International Disability Alliance.

The British-Lebanese academic has spent most of his adult life in a wheelchair, after a car accident in his twenties damaged his spinal chord. He is one of Lebanon’s foremost political thinkers, having taught for over 25 years at the University of Balamand in the north of the country.

He believes that with the right levels of access, disabled people can pursue their goals. “The more accessible and inclusive an environment is, the less the disability is there. In fact, a person can live his or her life, as long as accessibility is available,” he tells The National.

Prof Kabbara built his name navigating terrains that are tough even for those with full mobility. He organised a peace march for the disabled at the height of Lebanon’s civil war, moving hundreds of people from the north to the south, in a country that had been divided by warring militias.

He was also involved in the negotiations for the UN Convention for Disabled People, which was adopted in 2006.

We spent three days waiting for the fighting to stop. Nawaf Kabbara

He travels frequently for the International Disability Alliance, working with disability organisations around the world, and is trying to arrange access for his organisation to support injured and disabled people in Gaza.

“If I can, I plan to visit Gaza in November, to hold a seminar and conference to make sure disability is a priority in the reconstruction,” he says.

Nawaf Kabbara speaking at the Global Disability Summit in Berlin in April, hosted by the International Disability Alliance. AFP

When we meet at a house in the mountains above his home city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, he is busy turning the space he rented for the summer into a home. He briefs a local gardener on potted flower arrangements for his balcony, one of the simple measures he takes to get past the daily challenges of his condition.

Kabbara knew he would never walk again a few minutes after his car crashed. He was in Saudi Arabia on a 10-month placement in 1979 at Indevco, a Lebanese-owned multinational. He came to and tried to turn down the music blaring from his radio, but realised he couldn't move.

He lost consciousness again and woke up in a hospital bed six hours later. A nurse poked his leg with the sharp end of a nail and asked if he could feel it.