“Being blind does not mean that it’s the end of the world, neither does it mean that a blind person cannot achieve his or her fullest potential,” says Mrs Ingrid Donna Daphnee Waithe-Peters.
Though this name might be unfamiliar to many, the face is a well-known one. Peters is one of the more accomplished visually impaired Guyanese and is an inspiration to other visually impaired persons in terms of what they can achieve.
Peters’s impairment had its origins at birth. She was born with congenital cataract and went totally blind by the age of 16. Born in Guyana, Peters left these shores in 1966 at the age of seven to attend Trinidad’s Santa Cruz School for the Blind where she was taught braille. Since most of her formative years were spent in Trinidad, she refers to herself as a “Trini-Guyanese,” her accent being quite representative of this. Peters was one of 15 locals who were sent to Trinidad by the Government of Guyana. According to her, she had no difficulty learning the skill and attributed it to the fact that she acquired it at a tender age.
Peters related in a recent interview with Sunday Stabroek that her experience in Trinidad was an enjoyable one. She spoke of the many friends she had made while there and of going to parties and having a wonderful time. Peters and the other Guyanese, who were sent to Trinidad to study braille, would return home to Guyana to their families for the various holidays until it was time for school to resume in Trinidad.
Having completed her studies in Trinidad, Peters returned to Guyana in 1976 and was offered a job at the David Rose School for the Handicapped where she was appointed a braille teacher. In 1980, she was sent to the St Rose’s Complex, an initiative of hers, to aid in teaching blind children to read braille since at this time it was too expensive for the government to send them to Trinidad. Peters and a group of colleagues decided that cost should not be a factor hindering blind children from having an education, hence, the idea of teaching braille at the St Rose’s Complex recommended itself.
Peters told this newspaper that she had a love for children and a passion for teaching. In 1985, she attended the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), where she received training to become a teacher. However, her ambitions at first met some opposition. There were those who contended that she would not be capable of getting a college education, and the administration at the CPCE was doubtful that she would be able to keep up with the class or even have course work assignments completed and submitted. But Peters said she knew she had the ability to achieve her goals and despite all the opposition, she pursued what she really wanted.
Since she was blind, she said, she had to be a keen listener in the classroom. Her assessments were conducted orally. The woman who also described herself as a “live wire” said she quickly formed friendships and had persons look out for her interests. She explained that if she missed a class, she was able to call her colleagues who were very supportive and helped her catch up.
Peters graduated from the CPCE in 1987, but according to her, “that was not enough.”
In 1988, she decided to pursue a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Guyana. Here again, she met overwhelming opposition from the administration, but as she had done before, she fought for what she really wanted. The view held by many at the university was that because she was visually impaired, she would be unable to pursue any degree, more so one in the arts. However, she overcame objections, although the administration allowed her to do painting only in her first year. This entailed painting on specific bordered surfaces, and according to her, she did just fine. However, for her remaining years at university, she was involved in tie-dying and ceramics. In 1992, she graduated with a degree in Fine Arts.
Peters credited Mrs Valarie Goorsammy, a lecturer at UG as playing an instrumental role in her life, and recognizing her potential and giving her encouragement. In addition, Goorsammy who is also a Pastor, has played a vital role in her being a Christian and attending church.
Today, the wife and mother of two is the Head of the Allied Arts Department at St George’s High School and says she has no challenges at work or otherwise. She would require assistance only for crossing busy corners adding that the response from the public for this was overwhelming. “My cane guides me well,” she said. She would only accept assistance from her family when it was absolutely necessary.
As it relates to marking her students’ test scripts, Peters revealed that other teachers at the school would assist in this regard. However, she prepared her own test questions.
Asked how she copes at school, Peters replied, “just fine.” She said that “children will be children and should be given a chance to be.” She further observed that they would try to do mischievous things, as was the nature of children and they would run away from her, but that this was not an advantage-taking trend because she was blind, but rather because they knew that they had misbehaved.
Peters told Sunday Stabroek that even though she does not know her students by face, she can identify them by smell. For instance, she can tell who is walking into class late by the scent of their cologne.
Asked if she feels uncomfortable or a sense of restraint because of her blindness, Peters responded, “No, not at all.” She added that she knew the situation both ways, since she had once been able to see and was now without vision.
Married for 17 years, Peters said she has had her full share of a social life and now wants to see her children achieve their goals in life. She manages her home well and cooks even better than her two sons, Kashief and Karreem, and her husband Sederick, who all have their vision. She added also that they enjoyed her cooking and were very supportive. She said it was easy moving around her house since it was arranged in a specific order.
Asked how she was able to achieve so much, Peters said God had always been and was still on her side and that she had the remarkable support of her family.
Her story is living testimony to many other visually impaired persons that they can achieve their goals in life.
