When you hear him on air analysing sports or even commenting on matches, you can’t imagine that he is visually impaired.

In December 2019, Leonidas Ndayisaba (39), clinched a dream job to become a sports presenter for the popular station Flash Radio.

His job is to read sports news and analyse sports events in and around the country.

As a visually impaired reporter, he uses special audio equipment and braille labels to read scripts.

But this all seemed a pipeline dream when at a tender age of three, Mr Ndayisaba was diagnosed with cataracts, a disease that clouded his eye lenses before making him completely blind.

Years later, he overcame several challenges and realised his passion to become a sports journalist, for which he received an award as an outstanding sport presenters in the country by University of Rwanda in 2015.

He started his career with Radio Salus in 2008, a community radio owned by the University of Rwanda operating in Huye and from then, he has garnered a strong following.

At the time he was still a student at the University of Rwanda pursuing a bachelor degree in journalism and communication.

He continued his career to several radio stations, among them City Radio, Voice of Arica and Isango Star.

Mr Ndayisaba, married with one child, provides for the family from a salary he earns from journalism.

Leonidas was born in Nyagatare District in Eastern Province and he lost his sight when she was three, from cataract disease.

“When I was a young, I used to listen to sports show, and I had wished to become a sport journalist in future,” he said.

He attended Gatagara Primary school and Groupe Scholaire de Gahini for his secondary school before joining National University of Rwanda where he graduated with a degree in journalism and communication.

“To be able to find the information I need to prepare the show. I listen to other radio stations and search from Internet and other helpful audio programmes,” he said.

To be accurate in his work, he talks with sources like players, coaches and other people in sports fraternity, he said.

Mr Ndayisaba said following code of ethics like impartiality, accuracy and balanced stories help him gain trust from the public.

He was once awarded for a documentary film which summarised the life of the visually impaired student at the University.

Mr Ndayisaba, however, says he has to gadgets to facilitate him to do his job.

“Most of the times, it becomes a challenge to find the information I need because some sources don’t understand that I can be a professional sports journalist with my disability,” he says.

Besides, media owners as any other employers in general, consider disability first instead of looking at the capacity of doing the job, he says.

Even if the government ensures the rights of people with disabilities are respected, especially when it comes to education, much has to be done to help them find jobs, he said.

“There are provisions of the laws which should facilitate people with disability to find jobs but it is not implemented as it is.

More mobilisation is needed to bring the positive change,” he said.

Didace Niyibikora, a journalist at Flash Radio says it is amazing to see how Mr Ndayisaba delivers at work.

“We arrive at work at the same time very early in the morning. I prepare news and he starts to prepare his sports show. Most of the time, he is even the main host of the show.

He is an excellent example that disability isn’t inability,” he said.