Gambian judge presides over 1,000 cases using screen reader

Muhammed Krubally has presided over more than 1,000 cases in the Gambia while blind.

Krubally, 41, works at the Banjul Magistrates' Court where a screen reader reads documents aloud to him. He became the nation's first visually impaired magistrate in 2016, a role confirmed by the Gambia Organisation of the Visually Impaired. He told Al Jazeera that the software makes his job easy. He also uses AI-enabled smart glasses to complete tasks independently. His clerk walks him through daily files, and he tracks proceedings by listening to voices and rhythms.

Krubally grew up in the Central River Region and entered law to defend his own rights. He faced limited resources and discouragement from teachers and classmates throughout his education. He said their discouragement kept him going. His goal was to change the system and make it inclusive.

The Gambia passed the Persons with Disabilities Act in 2021. The law mandates non-discrimination, equality of opportunity, and accessibility in employment and public buildings. The National Human Rights Commission has identified continuing barriers, including discrimination and difficulty reaching services. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare did not respond to questions about implementation.

Schools illustrate the gap between law and practice. Lamin Colley, head of the GOVI Resource Centre for the Blind, said the center teaches 49 pupils aged four to 14. Special-needs teachers assigned to school clusters are meant to support these students, but limited materials and large clusters stretch support thin. Colley said not much has changed since the act was passed, citing insufficient government funding.

Ndey Yassin Secka-Sallah, the country's only visually impaired parliamentarian, said she had to rely on colleagues to know what was being discussed in the National Assembly. She said she would have loved to be independent. Musa Barrow, a media law professor, uses digital tools to prepare lectures. Some students questioned his standards, and he answered that he can do more than sighted people can do.

The 2013 census recorded a disability prevalence of 1.2 percent, or 21,873 people. That figure may understate reality because it used narrower questions than the Washington Group standard. Preliminary results of a newer census released in September 2024 did not include detailed national disability data. The judiciary did not respond to questions about accommodations for Krubally or changes since the 2021 law.

Krubally now mentors young people, including Modou Lamin Dampha, who says the magistrate encourages him to keep going. Krubally said he sees only possibility.