Despite being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy within months of her birth, 18-year-old Rajni Persaud, with the help of her family and friends, never allowed her disability to discourage her from achieving her goals.
Cerebral Palsy is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time. Symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing, and speaking.
Following her birth in 2000, Rajni was hospitalised twice, and a few months later, she was diagnosed with the disorder.
Those months were some of the most difficult months in her mother Usha Persaud’s life, as Rajni was born with a twin who died immediately after being delivered. “All I had was faith,” Usha recalled, during an interview with Sunday Stabroek at Coldingen, East Coast Demerara. She went on to say that she is very grateful that her daughter is alive and has not been ill since then.
Rajni, now a student of the University of Guyana (UG), did not allow herself to be defined by her disability. As a student of the Enterprise Primary School, she gained a spot in the school’s top 10 students, after sitting the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). She attained 507 marks and secured a position at St Joseph High School.
This, however, proved to be a challenge for the small family due to transportation costs, as the school is located in Georgetown.
Rajni opted to attend President’s College (PC) instead, considering that the school was closer to her Coldingen home. Her time at the school proved to be one of the best experiences of her life and there she excelled in the business stream, gaining eight Grade Ones and three Grade Twos at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, once again copping a spot in the top 10 students at the college.
Last year, with the help of Ganesh Singh, from the National Commission on Disability, Rajni secured a scholarship and went on to pursue a Diploma in Accountancy. According to her mother Usha, she has performed excellently in her first semester.
Rajni’s passions, however, lie in the world of technology, as she one day hopes to design her own software. “I love software designing and programming, it’s very interesting,” she related.
She then disclosed some of her experiences at UG. “I am unable to use the computer lab and that’s one of the few difficulties I’m facing at UG,” she said. Regardless, she loves attending the university, especially because the students and lecturers are very helpful and do their best to accommodate her. “If one of my classes is upstairs, the lecturers would move the class downstairs if they can,” she explained.
Usha explained that when Rajni received the opportunity to attend the university, they did not know what programmes were offered, which resulted in Rajni pursuing a Diploma in Accountancy, instead of what she really wanted to study.
During her spare time, Rajni watches television, plays games on her laptop and occasionally, her mother would take her to Giftland.
For Usha Persaud, although life has proved to be a challenge for her, she is determined to continue playing the role she assumed since Rajni was in primary school. “I am always there with her, all the time, ask anybody,” she joked.
The mother went on to say that during the time that Rajni was in nursery school, she was assisted by Ms. Cheryl, who was Rajni’s teacher. “I never had to go to the nursery school cause her teacher told me she would take care of her,” she said. It was after Rajni began attending primary school that Usha gave up her job and began taking her to school every day.
She related that the most constant and difficult challenge her family has faced in relation to Rajni is transportation. She said that although Rajni receives a stipend from the scholarship division, it still is not enough, as transportation costs can be as much as $9,000 a week. Usha further disclosed that her husband, who is a carpenter, is unable to acquire a job sometimes, especially during the rainy season. She then said that without the support of her husband and only son, Rajni would have never made it this far.
“It’s very difficult. Only people who have a child with a disability can say what I am going through, especially with transportation, cause every day we have to go with taxi,” she commented.
Despite that, however, Usha cherishes the experiences she has had with Rajni and the impact those experiences have had on her. “Even though I had no secondary education, I learn a lot through my daughter, but the best part of it all is when the grades come out,” she confided.
“I believe that she can do whatever she want and I have to live with her cause it’s my daughter and someday something will happen,” she added.
