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Visual impairment did not stop Khaleesi Sinclair from acing her Primary Exit Profile (PEP) assessment, earning a place at her dream secondary-level institution, the Hampton School in St Elizabeth.

The former student of Morningside Primary and Infant in the parish, who aspires to become an attorney-at-law, was the top student in her school in Language Arts.

"I am elated," she tells JIS ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É.

Khaleesi shares that while some students were anxious and uncertain as the PEP results were being announced, she sat quietly, confident that her hard work and diligence would have placed her at her school of choice.

In preparation for the exam, she says her mother installed a devise on her mobile phone and "I listened to it continuously until I fully got the concepts".

The student, who was guided by a shadow provided by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, says she is "very appreciative" of the six years of love, support and guidance she received at primary school.

"They helped me out a lot," she says of the teachers, fellow students, and her shadow.

Principal of Morningside, Nahalia Lynch, says that Khaleesi, who suffers from optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH), has shown great potential from an early age.

ONH is a condition where the optic nerve is underdeveloped, leading to vision problems that can range from mild blurriness to severe vision loss, and can affect one or both eyes.

"We are just elated. She did extremely well, and for her to be placed at Hampton, I think it is just sheer brilliance," she pointed out.

"This is something to talk about. Everyone is just elated to see that a child that is visually impaired can really achieve so much despite the odds. This is an opportunity to give other children who have special needs hope that they, too, can achieve greatness. I think this is a change in the game, and this is going to give a lot of hope to persons right across the country and even the wider world," the Principal says.

She credits Khaleesi's achievement to the support provided by the school, the Education Ministry and her family. "Her mom and her aunt, they are truly supportive," she points out.

She explains that during the exam sitting, the Education Ministry provided a reader and a writer to assist the student.

"The exam paper was printed in big, bold print because she can see a small amount, not much. So, they made it bold print and coloured just in case she needed to see something, and this needs to be applauded," Lynch adds.

She says Khaleesi's achievement demonstrates that the provisions being made for special needs children are working. She is urging parents to not keep children at home but to seek help from the Ministry and other agencies.

"I hope that the success of Khaleesi will continue to be a testament that... if we work hard, if we continue to be dedicated, if we seek the necessary help and support and get the assistance, that our children can achieve greatness. I really hope that this message goes far and wide, and it becomes a beacon of hope in our society for our children who need help,"Lynch expresses.

Khaleesi's mother, Sherline Bent, tells JIS ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É that she realised that her daughter had vision problems at around six weeks of age. "I noticed that she wasn't focusing at all," she says.

After expressing her concerns at the clinic and being referred to several medical experts, she was advised that nothing could be done to improve her daughter's vision.

To all the persons who have stood with her daughter, from the early-childhood level to primary school, including the education Ministry, Bent is expressing profound gratitude.

"I can't thank them enough. There aren't any words right now to express how thankful I am to them. I am grateful. Morningside, they became a family. Her classmates, oh my God, they were awesome. They didn't treat her any different. They let her feel the love. It was wonderful at Morningside," she shares with JIS ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É.

Grade-six teacher, Michelle Morgan Jones, admits that while she was initially apprehensive about teaching a student with visual impairment, she made the necessary adjustments.

She says she noticed early that Khaleesi is motivated by recognition, and she implemented a reward system.

"I found that the rewards really propelled her and motivated her to work even harder," she said, noting that she consistently scored high marks in class.

Ms. Morgan Jones says she was confident that Khaleesi would do well in PEP based on the work that she presented in class.

She is urging families and educators to never give up on a student, regardless of their challenges, but to do their "utmost to motivate and push them".

"Inclusion is very important, support and motivation are important, regardless of the challenges or disabilities faced," she points out.

Meanwhile, Special Needs Coordinator at the Education Ministry, Toween Campbell-Wilson, tells JIS ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É that the Special Education Unit will continue to support Khaleesi during her journey in high school.

In addition to a shadow, she will receive a special laptop to assist her in her studies.

"We will instal a screen reader and we will be teaching her how to manipulate the device, how to use her screen reader. So, if she is at home and needs to study, and she doesn't have the support of the shadow at home, she can study independently, because the screen reader will read for her what she is not able to see for herself," she explains.

Campbell-Wilson says the student will also receive mobility and orientation training "where we will take her to Hampton and assist her in navigating her space, teaching her how to move about independently because, even though she has the shadow, the aim is to teach independence".

"When she gets to adulthood, she will not have the support of a shadow. And so, while the shadow supports her now, we want to be building independence," she emphasises.

- JIS

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