Omneya El Yamany has such a great and inspiring example for people who intend to break their barriers, turn the impossible into possible, and become the best version of themselves.
Omneya was the first wheelchair user in Egypt to skydive, she also joined a 100 km 3 days walk that was held for a cause from Cairo to Ain Sokhna, that’s besides being an athletic and a certified scuba diver!
We had a chat with Omneya and knew more about her “secret powers”, and sharing them with Influencers Today readers to make them reach their best potential.
Influencers Today: At the age of 16, you had an accident that changed your life. What exactly did it change and how ?
Omneya El Yamany: Well, it changed my whole mindset! I believe it made me see the whole world from a different perspective, I started to relate more to disabled people, relate to their feelings, and notice their needs, even me… I’m now totally different person than the one I was before the accident
Influencers Today: This reminds me with one of your great quotes in one of your talks “I spent the best years of my life on the wheelchair”. How did you manage to let this happen?
Omneya El Yamany: Yes, I said that before and I always say it, because I believe that the accident didn’t change my way of thinking only, but also it changed me completely, so I consider it as one of the best times of my life as it gave me many opportunities and helped me to be a better person. I am now braver, smarter, more knowledgeable and successful, more giving to my family and to the community, and I am even physically stronger. You can say that this accident has blissfully unleashed the secret powers inside of me and the best version of Omneya.
Influencers Today: What were the struggles you face until you got your dream job?
Omneya El Yamany: Actually the struggles didn’t start while I was looking for a suitable job.Disabled people are facing daily struggles for having accessible homes, workplaces and streets where they can move freely. In my case, my home was accessible, but it took me so long until I found a suitable university in Egypt, in which I can move 100% independently, and the struggles continued when I was looking for a job, either because of the lack of awareness among people which made them think that a disabled person won’t be able to function efficiently at work, and accordingly some of them didn’t contact me back when they knew that I’m on a wheelchair, or because of the inaccessible workplaces for a disabled person which for example didn’t even have elevators for me to attend the interviews, but thank God, the place I’m working at now is accessible to me and people have enough awareness
Influencers Today: Tell us more about the special bond you have with your dog and a cat; Fifi and Kahrba…
Omneya El Yamany: I spent a long time wishing to have a dog, and while I was going through one of my hardest times, I decided to adopt my dog.The responsibilities I had for it and the love and care it gave me, helped me to get over this phase. After two years, I got my cat, and they both turned out to be the most important things in my life. I feel and treat them as if they’re my kids, because I know they love me as much as I love them, also they give me positive energy and help me to be a more responsible person, besides my belief that a person who succeeds to have such a special bond with animals which can’t talk or express themselves, will always be able to create strong bonds with people, and be more compassionate with them.
Influencers Today: Writing, craftingand photography, which is yourdominant passion? And why?
Omneya El Yamany: There’s no dominant passion, they all complement one another. I love art in all its forms, including sports I consider as an art as well. Each one of them had an important role in my life, as I discovered my love for these various forms of art through the hard times I’ve been through which I used to get over, once by cooking, once by writing, another by photography, and so on. Art in general helped me to be a better person, and each time I was looking for a way to get me out of my hardships, art with its different forms was always my salvation… as the process of art is all about “creating” something new, converting the negativity into something meaningful and constructive, and the same goes with life.
Influencers Today: We are curious, what are your morning and night rituals of our super woman?
Omneya El Yamany: I get off my bed and arrange it, I don’t like staying for a long time in my bed after I wake up, although it’s ok of course to do so when we feel exhausted, as it’s quite important to listen to our body and its needs, then I cense my bedroom, after that I sit either at the garden or with my pets to drink my coffee and meditate for five minutes or more, in silence and without any interruption. At night, I love to reflect, even if I won’t write down my thoughts, but I usually sit in bed and recall everything that happened during the day, think about what I could have done better, to be aware and able to control myself more in the future.
Influencers Today: You fought for building more ramps in several places, what do you think are the changes we need in our streets in Egypt, in order to facilitate movement for everyone?
Omneya El Yamany: I used to call for ramps, not only for disabled people in wheelchairs, but also it’s necessary for elderly people, pregnant women or mothers walking with babies in their strollers. I believe that we need in our country and other countries as well to raise more awareness to facilitate disabled people’s lives, and here I’m not talking about motion disability only, but also for blind and deaf people as well. Thankfully, most of the new districts which were built recently took that into their consideration, and built more ramps, but unfortunately old places like Down Town lack ramps, which makes moving there very difficult. I think the government should consider supplying the vital places such as hospitals, police stations, and government entities, with more ramps in order to allow disabled people to finish their procedures on their own, also owners of shops, restaurants or buildings should take this point into their consideration, in order to allow everyone to move easily.
Influencers Today: What are your goals and dreams which you’re still looking forward to achieving?
Omneya El Yamany: My ongoing dream is to always be a better person than yesterday, so when I look back every year to the year before, I see the baby steps towards achieving this goal, and I wish to be healthy not only physically and psychologically; they are two faces of the same coin.
Influencers Today: You’re an inspiration to many people, but who’s the person who keeps inspiring you, and you always look up to?
Omneya El Yamany: Many people inspire me in different ways, so it is very hard to name a specific person. Each one of us is unique, so accordingly, I think every person has something special about her/him and a point of strength which makes us inspiring to others in our own way, but if I have to name something specifically, then I found Ahmad Al Shugairi’s T.V. shows are very inspiring to me, not the person himself, because I believe that we’re all humans, we make mistakes, so it’s hard for people to be inspiring all the time!
Influencers Today: What’s your advice to people who still believe that their disability will always be a barrier depriving them from proceeding in their lives?
Omneya El Yamany: My advice to people in general and not only to people with disability is not to compare themselves to others! To always create the safe space for reflecting and healing from anything that has been causing you a tangible or intangible “disability”. Last but not least, the whole society should have the awareness to supply people with special needs with the rightful support they deserve, in order to thrive as a community.
