Despite being born hearing-impaired, Dr. Esraa El Bably did not let her disability get in the way of her dreams. The route to becoming Egypt’s first hearing-impaired dentist was a challenging one as many dental schools had previously denied her admission.

On being hearing impaired and her journey, she has stated, “We’re all different, we all have our own weaknesses. But, weaknesses can be turned to strength. As long as you are strong, and you don’t care what others think, the whole universe will bend in front of you.”

With the many obstacles stacked against her, she defied all odds by achieving her dream of becoming a successful dentist; becoming Egypt’s first hearing impaired dentist, operating her own dental clinic in Cairo, give speeches at the United Nations, and she has received an award of recognition by Egyptian President El-Sisi, among many more inspiring achievements.

Recently for Women’s History month in March of 2022, she advised USAID in Egypt alongside participants from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, in a webinar providing key insights on how to be more inclusive, increase acceptance, and provide reasonable accommodations for everyone to fully participate in USAID in Egypt and U.S. Embassy in Cairo’s programs.