When Lucas Nadólskis went to the SAT testing center in his native São Paulo, Brazil, he grabbed his exam, sat down and could not read a single word of the test.

“I was like, ‘Okay, don’t panic. What is going on here?’” he asked himself while going through the exam. “So then, I figured out that in the United States, they use a different Braille. So pretty much everything I knew from there, was useless.”

Nadólskis, who became blind at the age of 5, simply accepted the fact that if he wanted to go to school in the United States, he would have to learn English and Contracted Braille. In the meantime, he took the test orally.

It took 10 hours to complete the SAT, and he took it twice. But this was only one of many roadblocks Nadólskis faced before getting to where he is today.

Because he was blind, he decided by the age of 14 that the only way he was going to get a quality education was if he left Brazil.

“It’s the price for you to be someone,” he said. “Why am I like that? Because I needed to… I have a goal in my life, and I want to achieve that.”

His disability, however, made that reality even harder to achieve.

“The process wants you to give up,” Nadólskis said.

Now studying computer science at the University of Minnesota, Nadólskis said the combination of accessible technology, encouragement from the Disability Resource Center and computer science advisors and his own persistence and determination made his success a possibility. He said that is something he would have never gotten if he had stayed with his family in Brazil, where accommodating technologies and systemic support were missing.

Growing up in Brazil, he said, was a complete nightmare. Without the same resources and cultural attitudes as the U.S, his mom had to give up her job and essentially become his own “personal disability resource center.”

She Brailed his books and translated his answers for the schools he went to. But getting into those schools was another problem altogether. Nadólskis said he was rejected from some of the best institutions in São Paulo just because of his disability.

“Do this to a 10-year-old child, your world is gone,” he said. “So when I say I want to do something in education and accessibility it’s because I know what it’s like to be in the skin of someone with a disability in a Third World country.”

By the time he was 12, he was set on leaving Brazil to continue his schooling. He had to learn English, Contracted Braille and the special characters for math and science in Braille.

After learning English in a high school, he then spent a majority of his time in Miami to study nonstop as well as learn orientation mobility and independent life skills. Nadólskis found out he was accepted to the University in March 2014.

“If you tell someone at a university in Brazil that a blind person wanted to study computer science, they will laugh at you,” Nadólskis said. “I was talking with both of [my advisers], and they were like, ‘Okay, so let’s do it.’

“Welcome to the American point of view.”

Nadólskis uses a refreshable Braille display keyboard and the screen readers on his computer, phone and watch. Utilizing these technologies, he is able to read his textbooks, take notes and code his assignments, just like any computer science student.

“When we are coding, sitting in front of the computer and typing, it is one of the times that if you are blind, you are not behind someone who is not blind. You are on the same level.” It was a truth he realized when his father first gave him a computer at age 10, and it holds true as he learns about code, computer graphics, proofs—everything.

Nadólskis doesn’t let his disability slow him down too much. The rapid speed Nadólskis’ screen reader voices the lines he has coded together with the sheer amount of time he spends studying has helped him keep up.

Still, his “best” may still only be average when compared to those who are not blind. While not enough to discourage him from this career path, it has contributed to his view of life.

Nadólskis said he holds an unpopular opinion about being blind: He doesn’t believe that he can do everything.

“No, you cannot do whatever you want,” he said. “I feel like that is worst because you are not empowering people. The best thing is to be aware that the world will not adapt for you; you need to adapt for the world.”

But that exact viewpoint of the world has given Nadólskis the drive and motivation he needed to pursue his goals. He wants to succeed, and he is grateful for the opportunities he’s gotten through perseverance and good fortune. Being able to study his passion? That’s huge to him.

“I want to do stuff that I cannot do, but I also do stuff that other blind people cannot do,” Nadólskis said. “Do I have the life that I want? Not 100 percent. Do I have the best life that I could have? Yes.”