Janelle sees what she wants to see

At the age of 13, Ramdass knew there was something seriously wrong with her eyesight, but nobody knew what it was.

She was unable to copy notes from the board like everyone else in her class, she couldn’t bear strong light and, even when someone was close, she noticed their features appeared fuzzy. That’s when she decided to have her eyes examined.

“I always had problems with my eyes. I found colours difficult. Reading too. Then I couldn’t see anything really, and the situation was getting worse. My peers in school started making jokes about me because I couldn’t see properly,” Ramdass said.

“Blurred vision was the next problem. And I couldn’t make out anything from a distance,” she said.

Not long after a succession of eye exams, a specialist told Ramdass that she had an incurable eye disease and classed her as partially sighted, news that would send most people into tears.

“The specialist told me I had an eye disease called Macular Dystrophy,” she said.

Macular Dystrophy is a disease that affects the eyes and eyesight. Macular simply refers to the area of the eye affected, and dystrophy means a disorder where cells are damaged or don’t develop normally. The disease affects the retina, the layer on the inside of the back of the eye that detects light. In particular, it affects the central part of the retina known as the macula, a highly specialised area responsible for detailed vision and the ability to distinguish between different colours. The end results of macular degeneration are loss of central vision and deterioration in colour vision. There are several different types of inherited macular dystrophy, and the exact loss of vision depends to some extent on which type you have. However, Ramdass says she was never told what type she has.

Ramdass, 29, does not look like she is visually impaired. She has beautiful, bright eyes, she is sure of her self, and is extremely confident. For months after her prognosis, Ramdass was in limbo, depressed and tormented about her dilemma.

“I didn’t feel good about myself as a young person. I felt alone,” she said.

Knowledge is power, so Ramdass began to research and learn all she could about the disease that punched out most of her vision.

In 1992 it was recommended that Ramdass register with the Blind Welfare Association.

“The association supported me a lot. It’s quite ironic because after I finished school I ended up on job training assisting the librarian at the association,” she said. And what is even more ironic, today, Ramdass is a full-time employee at the Blind Welfare Association teaching computer literacy to a class of totally blind individuals. To some, it may seem as a case of the blind leading the blind, but Ramdass is fully capable and uses a programme called “Jaws” for the visually impaired. Jaws is a software that reads the computer screen and tells you which keys you have typed, and it comes with great functionality that enables its user to use many computer programmes, including MS Word, Word Pad and the Internet, with relative ease and freedom.

“I enjoy what I do. I am gratified because I gained a lot of strength from the association. The people I work with make me grateful for the limited sight I have,” she said.

Being visually impaired or blind may cause many of us to feel vulnerable, but Ramjass told Newsday she has only one major problem.

“I have faced many awkward situations because people don’t realise that I’m visually impaired, so in most cases I have to tell them. I’ve asked the association to produce coloured wrist bands so the public would be able to identify us,” she said.

Ramdass’ sight may be limited, but she has a clear vision for her future. “My goal is to own a bridal boutique. I want to open a store where brides can get every possible thing for their wedding without the hassle,” she said. When asked what she wished she could do but is unable to because of her impairment, she said, “I would love to drive and I would really love to read to my daughter without having to hold the book up close to my face,” she said.

Blind people and sighted people share more similarities than differences. Blind people possess all the same basic psychological, social, and physical needs that all people possess. They hold the same ambitions and dreams as others, and are nourished by the same hope and assurance that they will achieve these aspirations. Janelle Ramdass is proof of this.