Meet wheelchair-bound broker in Dubai

Regular visitors to Dubai’s Deira and adjoining areas may have seen him buzz around at 15km per hour in his rechargeable wheelchair.

Meet the thirty-something jobseeker Abdul Aziz Mohammed, who is determined to not let his physical disability prevent him from becoming a good real estate broker, present at every viewing for his potential customers.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Mohammed, who originally hails from Sudan said: “I have been in Dubai for the past eight years, doing odd jobs, especially as a real estate broker. My father was an accountant in a bank in Abu Dhabi where we earlier lived.”

His physical disability is the result of a road accident that he was involved in when he was 10 years old. “This was almost two decades ago, when I was only about ten years old,” he says.

“My father was driving the car and I was in the rear seat. Another vehicle came and hit our vehicle from behind, severely injuring me. I don’t remember the details. My father was not seriously injured, but in the accident, I became handicapped. I cannot walk without support and now I am using the wheelchair to move around,” he said.

“I have been on a wheelchair for nearly two decades now. I am used to it and Dubai roads are familiar now,” he said.

“My father died about 11 years ago and my mother died eight years ago. I have been alone since their death. I am the only child in the family and do not have any siblings here or back in Khartoum, Sudan. I don’t know anything about Sudan, but my friends here have been helpful in getting me some real estate business. I arrange rooms for bachelors and families who are looking for accommodation. In the last two months, I did not make enough money to pay my monthly rent, but I am trying to find some business,” he told this website.

He uses his mobile phone to contact customers and is physically present to show them the rooms. He travels on his wheelchair to reach anywhere in Deira even though it takes time to travel.

“When my father was alive, life was easy, because there was food available every day and I did not face any problems. After my parents’ death, I left Abu Dhabi and moved to Dubai. Now I live in a sharing accommodation with eight other people and the main problem that I face is while going to the toilet. While the roads and Metro in Dubai are friendly for disabled people like me, living in a sharing accommodation is very difficult. There are too many people and I cannot move comfortably,” he said, adding that his ultimate dream is to lead a peaceful comfortable life with a family in a separate room.

“I cannot afford to have my own room because it is quite expensive and I don’t make that much money in a month. Sometimes I make Dh1,500 per month, sometimes Dh1,800 per month, but in the last couple of months, I did not earn much,” he said, adding that his expatriate friends from India, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, help him by giving some real estate business.”

Others in the area recognise him as the ‘man on wheelchair’. “This man is quite a familiar face for residents of Al Baraha area. Almost every day, he moves around the area on his wheelchair. I encounter him almost every day near Dubai Hospital, but I did not know what he is doing here. Other drivers and pedestrians always give him way,” said Rahman, a resident of Al Baraha.

“My wheelchair was donated to me by kind Emirati man after seeing my plight. It can travel at a speed of 15km per hour. I use the pavements and I can easily navigate through different parts of Deira using my small vehicle. Dubai is a disabled-friendly city as I can get in an RTA bus or a Dubai Metro train with my wheelchair. Earlier, I worked as a receptionist in a company in Dubai. Now I am still looking for a permanent job but my survival now depends on the real estate brokerage deals that I can strike with the help of my friends and well-wishers,” Mohammed added.

“I hope everything will be good in the future. I hope I get a good decent job soon,” he said before continuing on his slow and steady journey.

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