Saliya Kahawatte

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Saliya Kahawatte (2020)

Saliya Kahawatte (born December 6, 1969 in Freiberg , GDR) is a German entrepreneur and author .

Life

Saliya Kahawatte is the son of a German and a Sinhalese ( Sri Lanka ). When he was three years old , the family moved from the GDR near Osnabrück , where he grew up. At the age of 15, he lost most of his eyesight due to progressive retinal detachment . Despite his severe visual impairment, he passed the Abitur at regular school, trained as a hotel manager and made a career in the hotel and catering industry. For years he kept quiet about his handicap, but suffered from this life lie and became seriously addicted and depressed.

After taking a break and studying hotel management, he disclosed his disability in his applications in 2006 and couldn't find a suitable employer. Kahawatte then received unemployment benefit II and decided to make his flaw a trademark. Without any financial means, he founded minusVisus . The company name is a word created from the words “minus” and “ Visus ” and is intended to anchor his handicap in his company name. At the end of 2018 he renamed his company Saliya Projects GmbH .

After his autobiography "My Blind Date with Life" was published in 2009, numerous TV appearances on German-speaking television followed.

In August 2015, Kahawatte received the award "Noteworthy life path of an entrepreneur with disabilities" from the Stiftung Lebensspur eV in Cologne. His first cookbook was published the following year.

His life story was made into a film and was released in German cinemas on January 26th, 2017 under the title Mein Blind Date mit dem Leben . He was played by Kostja Ullmann . In July 2017 his autobiography was published as an audio book.

Kahawatte lives and works in Hamburg .

Other projects

Kahawatte is committed to the social inclusion of visually impaired, severely visually impaired and blind people with the non-profit organization Saliya Foundation eV he founded. In addition, he pleads for more autonomy in everyday life for visually impaired, severely visually impaired and blind people. To do this, Kahawatte uses a digitally-supported camera system on his glasses, the various possible uses of which he has reported in the media.

literature

Television appearances

Selection Germany

  • Is he allowed to do that? - The Chris Tall Show (RTL): November 4, 2018
  • Spectacular (RTL): July 2nd, 2017
  • Menschen - das Magazin (ZDF): April 15, 2017
  • ZDF-Mittagsmagazin  : March 1, 2017
  • 21 Headlines - The Most Incredible Careers (Sat.1): March 1st, 2017
  • Kölner Treff (WDR): February 3rd, 2017
  • People (SWR1): Jan 29, 2017
  • THE! (NDR): January 29, 2017
  • Adventure life - Hoffmann against the rest of the world (Cable 1): January 26, 2017
  • Metropolis (Arte): January 22, 2017
  • 37 degrees (ZDF): 2014
  • Galileo (TV show) (Pro7): 2013
  • Spiegel TV (Vox): 2011

Selection Switzerland

  • Talk daily (Tele Züri): February 16, 2017
  • Top Talk (Tele Top): February 15, 2017
  • 10vor10 (Swiss television): January 30, 2017
  • Aeschbacher (Swiss television): April 29, 2010

Web links

Commons : Saliya Kahawatte  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Author Saliya Kahawatte Description at luebbe.de, accessed on November 14, 2017
  2. ↑ Almost blind - and nobody sees it article on Abendblatt.de from July 8, 2006
  3. ↑ Blind in the top hotel industry - an incredible career Article at srf.ch from February 1, 2017
  4. ↑ I am not allowed to make mistakes Article on Abendblatt.de from May 11, 2008
  5. ^ Saliya Projects Management Consulting, Hamburg
  6. ↑ Saliya Kahawatte's life track at stiftung-lebensspur.de
  7. ^ Saliya Projects, Hamburg
  8. ^ Saliya Foundation eV!, Hamburg
  9. ↑ Article in Focus Online from November 29, 2018
  10. ↑ Can he do that? - The Chris Tall Show on rtl.de, accessed December 7, 2018
  11. ↑ Spectacular on rtl.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
  12. ↑ Menschen - the magazine on zdf.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
  13. ↑ Mittagsmagazin ( Memento of the original from July 28, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on zdf.de, accessed on July 28, 2017 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.zdf.de
  14. ↑ 21 headlines - The most incredible careers on sat1.ch, accessed on July 28, 2017
  15. ↑ Kölner Treff on wdr.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
  16. ↑ People on swr.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
  17. ↑ THAT! at ndr.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
  18. ↑ Adventure Life ( Memento of the original from July 28, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on kabeleins.de, accessed on July 28, 2017 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kabeleins.ch
  19. ↑ Metropolis on arte.tv/de/, accessed on July 28, 2017
  20. ↑ 37 degrees on zdf.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
  21. ↑ Galileo on prosieben.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
  22. ↑ Spiegel TV on vox.de, accessed on July 28, 2017
  23. ↑ TalkTaily - Blind Date with Life on telezueri.ch from February 16, 2017, accessed on July 28, 2017
  24. ↑ Secretly blind in TOP TALK on toponline.ch from February 15, 2017, accessed on July 28, 2017
  25. ↑ Blind in the top hotel industry - an unbelievable career Article on srf.ch from February 1, 2017, including a post from 10vor10, accessed on July 28, 2017
personal data
SURNAME Kahawatte, Saliya
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German entrepreneur and author
DATE OF BIRTH 6th December 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Freiberg