I was blind from birth. My parents only noticed when I was three months old. My eyes didn’t respond when they played with me. They took me everywhere trying to cure me, but it turned out my optical nerves had degenerated.

I owe my life to education. My parents were farmers in Prae province and didn’t have many assets. So they decided to give me the best possible education they could provide.

I was lucky to be raised in the countryside. Blind kids in town are always kept inside the house, but I had the freedom to roam around without fear.

No one pampers you like your parents. Attending a boarding school for the blind taught me life skills. I learned to share things with others and picked up the skills to take care of myself on a daily basis.

My parents and teachers are my inspirations. My parents never gave into their troubles. They are real fighters. One of my English teachers was blind and another was a refugee, and both taught me to always believe in myself.

Studying with normal kids was really challenging. There were 50 students in one classroom. There were no Braille books for me so I had to use a typewriter and rely on friends and volunteers to read to me.

There’s too much pity in Thailand. It’s at the root of our misunderstandings. We overplay differences between people without really accepting them.

Don’t judge people because they are different. When you see a blind or disabled person, don’t automatically assume they can or can’t do certain things.

When I started out at Chiangmai University, they kept bringing up all these obstacles. They would say, “Can you really study here? We have no specialist teachers for the blind. How can you find your way between buildings?” My reply was that I used to sell lottery tickets on Bangkok’s streets, so this would be easy.

I challenged them by saying that if I failed just one subject, I would quit. I finally graduated with a degree in humanities, despite working a part-time job as a musician. I played guitar at pubs and even sold lottery tickets at the end of each semester.

I dreamed of studying abroad. Back then Thai education had nothing to offer blind people. I wanted to go someplace set up to serve the blind, so that I could also bring back ideas to change our society. I finally got a scholarship to study music in the US.

“No pain, no gain.” My refugee teacher told me this as I was about to go study abroad. Then I had no fears about what I was going to face.

People should be given the chance to fail or succeed on their own two feet. This is what I admire about the Western world. There is no way that Thai people would let the blind take that risk. They are too fearful that we will get hurt.

Failure isn’t scary. Experiencing it can push you to advance yourself. I traveled alone in the US and I gained so much from it. It’s such a diverse society. The more I learn, the more my mind is opened.

I’m inspired to change the perception of disabled people in our society. We want to live as normal citizens, not be seen as people who can only get by with help.

The fastest way to change society is by implementing the law. But that’s not always the best answer. To make sustainable changes, we must get to the root of our culture and alter people’s deeply ingrained attitudes. And that takes time.

My being senator is not only about pushing for faster change, it sends out the message that disabled people can also serve society. Now that I am a part of the United Nations’ Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I hope we can improve our country’s standards for disabled people.

Don’t just accept your fate. Plan for the future. So many people live only for the present. They don’t think that someday in the future they might be disabled and need the things that disabled people need right now.

There’s more to this world than sight. People are consumed by the notion that eyesight is essential to our experiences. Our senses of smell and touch can unlock so much of the world’s beauty.

I have a good family; from my parents to my own family. I love that my Japanese wife and I accept each other and can deal with our problems without ever letting ourselves reach a deadlock.

I always teach my daughter to embrace diversity. Don’t think you’re better than anyone, but try your best to serve society.

Knowledge eradicates inequality. I have developed an electronic publication that gives blind people a chance to access all the world’s knowledge. I dream that people will no longer be limited by their age, disability or illiteracy.

I’ve given up on giving up. I created this motto while I was in the US, and it becomes more apt the more experience I gain. If we can see that there are ways out of our troubles, then we won’t feel as though our backs are up against the wall.