(Guardian of Trinidad) “I never looked at it as a deterrent. That’s the main thing. If you look at it as a way to stop you, you will not excel. “
Inspirational words by visually impaired student Ryan Khamran who excelled in the CSEC exam. A former Debe Secondary student received eight passes in Maths, English, Literature, Social Studies, Caribbean History, Principles of Business, Office Administration and integrated Science.
At the age of five he was diagnosed with glaucoma and was only seeing shadows. As the years went by, his eyesight deteriorated. When asked how he got on in school, he said, “I did it using my laptop so in class I would either get help or a student would read notes to me and I would type it and that’s how I’d get the notes to review. For exams, I had a reader and a writer. Well, this year was just a multiple choice so I had someone read the questions for me and they would figure out the answers. Khamran’s dream is to become a sports journalist but his immediate plan is to open a business. His Christmas wish is for his business to start.
Yesterday, East Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal presented Khamran, his constituent, a talking watch designed specifically for visually impaired people at Fun Splash Water Park, Debe.
“His achievement is truly a bright light and comes at a time when we are giving recognition in the Christmas period. Christmas as you know is a time of miracles, a time of joy, a time of magic and Ryan is truly a magical student and a wonderful mentor to so many children throughout our constituency and across the region. School principal Romeo Guness said Khamran brought joy to Debe High School.
“I can attest to his resilience. He is an inspiration to his peers and an inspiration to his teachers. ”He said Khamchan never saw his impairment as a challenge but as an incentive to move forward. Moonilal also presented his constituent Ramrattee Mahadeo with a wheelchair.