AT just age 13, he was diagnosed with glaucoma and by the time he was about to write his Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Examinations, approximately three years later, he could barely manage to see anything on paper. Nevertheless, he obtained passes in eight subjects and today holds many impressive portfolios!

Meet 30-year-old Ganesh Singh, known in the home circle as Kevin, who grew up on the East Coast

Demerara, between Unity and Mahaica. He had a very normal childhood during which he attended Helena Primary School and later secured a place at St. Stanislaus College.
Ganesh became totally blind at the age of 17 and this was when his life completely changed, he recalled in an interview with the Chronicle a few days ago. Prior to this, he said: “I had a very normal childhood. I did everything that everybody did in the countryside. I have no regrets about my childhood and I am happy that I did have a normal childhood.”
But his blindness prevented him from pressing on to doing all the things he wanted to. “All of my dreams were basically shattered,” he said, adding: “I didn’t know of anywhere I could go as a blind person or any rehabilitation programme that was available. So I just isolated myself from society for about four years. Music became my therapy.”

But Ganesh was a thinker and one day he strategised that he would raise some funds and buy himself a minibus, which he thought could serve as his means of income. “I did this in early 2006 and that’s about the same time when my life changed because I started to play blind cricket and come back into society and started to interact with other blind persons. One thing led to another and another.”
Ever since then, Ganesh said he is very comfortable with where he is in life. To list just a few of his current portfolios, Ganesh is a Commissioner on the National Commission of Disability, CXC Coordinator and executive board member of the Guyana Society for the Blind, a computer teacher for the blind, the Public Relations Officer for the Guyana Council of Organisation for persons with disabilities, a voluntary national facilitator with ‘Young Voices Guyana,’ Coordinator for the Regional Youth Network for the Disabled People International North American and the Caribbean Region, an executive board member of the Guyana Blind Cricket Association and a director of the West Indies Blind Cricket Council. He also coordinates workshops for people with disability. Furthermore, Ganesh produces and presents a radio programme every Wednesday night called ‘Disability in You’ which aims to sensitise persons living with disability about their rights.
Asked how he finds the time to manage all of his responsibilities, he said: “I am really a disability rights’ advocate. It’s the passion that drives me. I am very passionate about what I do and what I stand for. I am a people’s person and I am very ambitious. I have a very comprehensive, full life.
“It’s how you adapt to your blindness. It comes by instinct and also you just figure out ways of doing things for yourself. You have to modify certain things to suit you. You have to have this drive and see yourself as being independent and as someone who doesn’t want to be pitied. If you want pity, you would not have the drive to be independent,” Ganesh said.
The main challenge that Ganesh faces, though has to do with his mobility. “A lot of times you have to depend on someone to take you somewhere or you have to go with a taxi. The buses might not go directly to the area where you are going. And plus the attitude of persons towards those with disability. It tends to curtail your progress and the things you would like to achieve.”
But Ganesh said he always manages to get over this type of attitude. “I am no different from anyone else. It’s just that I don’t see and that is what I am really trying to get in the heads of people. We are not different. We just might have physical impairments that might obstruct or limits us to complete our tasks. Once we have assistive aids and the enabling environment, we can do the same things as anybody else.”
Ganesh is urging the public to remember that persons with disability should be included in any development plans.
Ganesh is currently a University of Guyana student having completed his diploma in social work and working towards obtaining his Bachelor’s Degree. He has represented Guyana and the Disability Movement in several countries including Kenya, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, USA, and several Caribbean countries.
He is dating Annie and they plan to be married soon.

(By Telesha Ramnarine)