Disability is often socially perceived as a liability. This talk, however, seeks to shift that perspective, towards one that illustrates the human nature to overcome adversity and unfold unique abilities that come along with it. Diego is originally from Ecuador and currently is pursuing a master’s degree in Chemical Nano-Engineering in France, Poland, and Italy with the Erasmus Mundus scholarship.

After suffering exclusion during his undergraduate program on account of his visual disability, he committed himself to change the way disability is viewed by society. Diego is a chemical engineer from the University of Cuenca, Ecuador, where he graduated with honors at the top of his class and received several national and international awards for various scientific projects conducted during his undergraduate program.

As a science student, he has strived to develop ways to increase equity and inclusion in research and academia. Recently, he founded ScienDis, a global network for people with disabilities pursuing a STEM career, with the aim of increasing the representation of this minority in science.

He firmly believes that disability can be an asset that we can tap into to exploit our potential in any discipline This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx