Noah Al-Hadidi was born on November 14th, 1987 in Muscat , Oman. He was a perfectly healthy baby boy, though that was soon to change. When he was seven months old he lost his eyesight as a result of retinitis pigmentosa and it has never returned. When he was 4 years old, under the direction of his grandparents, Noah was burned five separate times on the back of his neck and head by his parents in hopes that this would cause his eyesight to return. This of course did not work and he still bears the five separate scars on the back of his head from the ineffective treatment.
Noah was five years old when his family took him to a hospital in Mumbai, India; at age 6 they took him to a hospital in Dubai. Both trips were in hopes that the doctors could do something to allow their son to regain his eyesight. These attempts failed as the doctors were unable to help Noah.
At age seven Noah received a scholarship from the Ministry of Education in Oman to study at Saudi Bahraini Institute for the Blind in Isa Town, Bahrain. Noah had to leave his family and country to attend school in Bahrain because Oman did not have the resources or faculty available to handle proper education for a blind student. Noah would spend ten years in Bahrain before he had to transfer again to finish out his education.
In 2005 Noah traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and live there for three years to complete his education. While in Riyadh, Noah worked for Nattiq Technologies which develops new technology, devices, and software for the blind. Noah graduated in July of 2008 and had a decision to make; he could either further his education or continue to work. He decided to continue his education and pursue a degree in Computer Science.
In the same month Noah returned to Oman and started writing letters to the Ministry of Higher Education in Oman. The only way for Noah to be able to study is if he was granted a scholarship by his country. After many months of writing and others corning to his aid in support of Noah, his scholarship was granted to continue his education. Unfortunately, the scholarship only covered tuition, not living expenses. So once again Noah did not believe that his dream would be realized; however, weeks later an anonymous donation came forward that covered the rest of the living expenses. In the process of applying for a Visa to enter the United States, Noah decided to sell his mobile phone in order to pay for the cost. He described this as a very difficult decision because, "Being blind, my mobile phone is the main way I am able to communicate with friends and family."
Noah was accepted to Arkansas State University (Jonesboro) but realized when he got to the campus that he would need more training. Disability services referred Noah to Lions World Services for the Blind for more specialized training in mobility with a cane and independent living skills.
Noah will be taking the intensive English language courses at ASU for the summer of 2009 and then start on his major of computer science in the fall . however, Noah had to leave ASU and transfer to Colorado State University (CSU) due to the lack of sources. Noah's goals in life are to get his Doctorate in Computer Science and then either
work here in the United States or
return to Oman and start an educational center for the blind in Muscat. Noah is an outgoing person and always curious to learn new things. he likes to do any kind of sport such as , swimming, biking, hiking, camping, skiing, ise skating, and playing goalBall and Any new information or event would be interesting and helpful to him.
