AT just the age of 11, Anthony Robinson felt helpless, lonely and depressed when he realised that he would have to live the rest of his life as a blind person. He did surgery for cataract when he was 9 years old, but his sight lasted just two years after. 

Anthony, called ‘White Boy,’ was born and raised at Plaisance on the East Coast Demerara to parents Jennifer and Malcolm. His father died and so Anthony was raised with his five siblings by their single-parent mom.
He attended St. Paul’s Primary and spent up to Grade Six. Just two weeks before writing the Common Entrance Examination, he lost his vision to the point where everything he saw was blurry. “After I did the surgery, my vision gradually deteriorated. I see blurry. I am not in that darkness. I see sun glare and can make out colours but not faces.”
After realising that he was blind, Anthony recalled how he felt sad about everything. “I had some weird thoughts like my life was hanging on a string; like I couldn’t do anything for myself. I felt lonely; out of the world.”

Eventually, though, Anthony said he met other blind persons and realised that some of them were suffering more than him. “I met people with a worse condition. They made me build up confidence. I thought to myself that I have a life to live and I have to accept that I am blind. From then I moved on to be an independent person in life.”
Growing up, he wanted to work in the army. “I don’t know why I wanted to be a soldier. Currently, I still have my plans. Not to be a soldier but a lawyer. I want to pursue my study in law.”
This year, Anthony will be writing the CSEC Examinations. He is not satisfied with the grades he got in Business, Accounts, Social Studies and English last year, so he is trying again to do better. “I am very confident because I am studying. I have a lot more information this time. Many persons did well last year but those who didn’t do so well have a chance this year to do better.”

Anthony went to St. Roses Unit for the Blind but while there, never thought that he would be afforded the opportunity to write the CSEC Exams. “However, I met Ganesh Singh. He had a dream about helping blind persons to pursue their education and he came up with the thoughts last year,” Anthony told the Chronicle.
Explaining how he makes out to study, Anthony said his laptop is equipped with‘speaking software.’ “It helps you to study and does all the talking for you. The teachers do up the notes, put it on their flash and then give it to you. They also explain in class. Then it is left up to you to go home and study.”
Asked whether he believes he will achieve his goal of becoming a lawyer, Anthony said: “I have the passion. I have the dream. The vision is there. It’s just the support that I need. Finances could be one of the major supports. I also look forward to good responses from people.”
Currently, Anthony’s mom helps him care for his expenses, along with some of his good friends. He also benefits from the government’s social assistance programme, which he firmly believes can be improved. “For the past five years, we have been receiving $5,900. I know to myself that the government can do better than that,” he said with a broad smile.
Anthony focuses on the positives in his life and tried to remove all “pebbles” from his path. “Persons at times are curious and I don’t know if they enjoy experimenting on blind persons but I prepare my mind to reach anything that comes in my way; any pebbles in my way.”
Furthermore, he said some persons try to confuse blind persons and that robbery is one of the major challenges they face. “They target we blind people. Only last week one of my blind friends lost his laptop and everything else. There are also wicked people out there to mislead you when you are using the roadways.”
At times, however, Anthony is fortunate to stumble across good people who might take him straight to his destination. When he is on his own, though, his ears work over time for him. “A blind person depends on their ears. They listen a lot and focus to know when to cross the road, etc. I also count the corners to where I am going.”
Anthony said it is also a ‘risky business’ for blind persons to get to the Guyana Society for the Blind located at High Street, since it is often lonely and a lurking spot for robbers.

(By Telesha Ramnarine)