Disability Employment Success Profile: Maxwell Nana Gyesi, Graphic Designer from Ghana

Name?
Apostle Max/Maxwell Nana Gyesi

Age?
30yrs

Where do you live?
West Africa Ghana

How and when were you injured?
“At age 5 I still don’t know how it happened because my parents were not able to document hospital report. All I heard from them was that I became paralyzed suddenly one night and I couldn’t walk again.”

What is your level of injury?
Paraplegic

When did you first work post-injury?
“During university.”

How did you get involved in graphic design?
“I completed University with HND in Accounting. Due to luck of Job opportunities in my country however and those who are unwilling to employ, you don’t have wheelchair accessible working environment. In order to move on in life, I followed my husband to become full-time graphic designer and I now work from home. I will take online classes to better my designing skills.”

How long have you had your current job?
3 years

What kind of job accommodations do you require to be able to do your job?
“I need a better laptop, electric wheelchair or disability designed car, and a customized chair so I don’t put much pressure on my spine.”

Please tell us what you do in your job. What kind of tasks do you do on a daily basis?
“I’m the CEO of Apostle Max Design. I design all kinds of graphics with a specialization in Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc.”

Would you recommend this job to others with spinal cord injury? Why?
“Yes, because it’s requires no active movement.”

Is there anything else you’d like to add about your job and disability employment in general that we did not ask?
“I would love to travel and live in Europe or Asia. That’s my dream.”

— Follow Maxwell at @apostle_max_design