Meet Grace Johnson, a visually impaired lady who just earned her AA Degree in Education from the Advent University of West Africa.
She is a teacher by profession and a mother to five children. Grace has never given up on her dream of becoming an educator and she is hoping to continue her education to a BSC level.
Decontee: How do you feel, being an Associate Degree holder?
Grace: I am grateful to God; I am a visually impaired woman and those who had everything alright on them had many challenges getting school, especially transportation.
From the elementary and journey high level, I always hear young girls and boys saying that they have no funding for school and their parents don’t have money to enable them complete their high school education before even coming to university.
Today, I have an Associate Degree in Primary Education, and I’m grateful to God that I have reached this stage in life even though it is not a BSC.
Decontee: How was life when you were much younger?
Grace: When I was younger, my mother was a single mother and my father left after my mother gave birth to me. I was left with my grandmother because my mother had to hustle around to support me and her siblings. While with my grandmother, she died and I was taken to her brother and his wife to stay. This brought a relief to my mother since she never had the hand to support me.
I started school at the age of 9 when my grandmother was still living but my eyes couldn’t permit me to play in school. During recess time, I would stay in class because of my eyes and I never had the time to play with friends on campus or at home. I managed the first year in school but I didn’t go back to school because the eye problem intensified. I couldn’t sleep at night and my parents couldn’t afford it, so they took me to a nearby clinic for eye drops.
When I was 10 years old, on this particular day, I felt pain in my eye, and before I knew it, blood and water started leaking from my eye. My mother took me to the Phebe Hospital and I was there for three months. I went through all the treatment and I was left with only one eye, but I still couldn’t see clearly.
After the war, I heard about this blind school in 1999 when I attended a program at City Hall and the pastor who hosted the program and his wife came to me and my brother while on our way back home. She asked me to visit them at their center, where they have the blind school. When I got there, I met some blind people teaching and attending as well. She told me to attend the school; at that moment I told myself that I was too old to be in school at 23 years.
I left the place but after one year, I decided to visit them and they brought up the same discussion about me going back to school. I told them that I could only be part of the organization and help with any agricultural work because that is one thing my aunty taught me; how to do house chores. I used to take good care of her house when she goes to work during the day. So I told them I could do anything that has to do with cooking and cleaning than school.
They encouraged me and told me that I could stop in the 6th-grade class if I liked, so I give it a try and I started school in 2001. Everything was new to me, I saw people who were 10 years older than me and I found it difficult to learn blind writing and other things but I got good at it and I developed more interest to forward my education.
I spent six years in the blind school and later went to the indigent school where I was able to learn other subjects. After I graduated from the blind school in 2007, I enrolled at the Lombardia International School System to continue my education. I know attending a school where people could see and write and I being a visually impaired person, there will be lots of challenges getting to school and getting the notes in class.
The disabled people had a bus that used to take us on campus but the program lasted for one year and we started to struggle on our own. But I got used to everything and graduated from the 12 grade.
Decontee: How many children do you have?
Grace: I have five children; three are out of high school and the other two are still there. Their father is not working or doing anything to help support the home; it is just by the grace of God that my church, the Christian organization, that I am a part of and other good people that are helping me and the children.
Decontee: What is your educational level now?
Grace: I am out of high school and I have an associate degree in primary education and I am still hoping to continue my education.
Decontee: How were things like attending the university?
Grace: One day I got a call from a blind friend at Adventist University about the USAID scholarship for Primary education. I was excited and went on the campus to get some information. I applied and luckily I was accepted among the 18 candidates from over 600 candidates who applied and I was the only visually impaired person there. However, I had another huge challenge dealing with WhatsApp chatrooms from my instructor; the first two semesters were difficult but I got used to it and graduated this June.
Decontee: What are you doing for a living?
Grace: I am a teacher. I started as a volunteer in the blind school and I volunteered for seven years before I got employed. I have always dreamt of being an educator and I am grateful that today I am teaching. I have never looked down on myself because I am blind; my condition keep me more motivated to keep achieving.
Decontee: What has been your biggest motivation?
Grace: I’m always motivated by my children, the church, and the blind Christian organization that I am part of. I want to serve as an example for women in the organization; there are so many opportunities that come in the institution but, because of challenges, they don’t make use of them and there will always be challenges in life. I encourage them almost every day that there is no opportunity without challenges so, if you forgo opportunity because of challenges you will still see it ahead of you, so why can I embrace the storm to face the challenges and be successful.
The men are head of us in my organization and the women are still down so, I want to do something and be better in the future so that young women who are coming up can take after me and make use of every opportunity despite the challenges or their condition. I always used myself to encourage my church, telling them that, if I can be in this condition and still acquire education, you can be more than me.
Decontee: Do you have a massage for young women?
Grace: I want to encourage every young person especially girls who are not going to school because their mother or father doesn’t have money. There are many organizations out there wanting to help girls get educated make use of them as long your school feeds are being paid, one thing I want to tell them is that challenges cannot end, it is left to us to end challenges in our lives.
Decontee: Lastly, do you have anything to say before leaving?
Grace: I still have an interest in continuing my education. I just have an AA Degree and want to earn a BSC in Education. Since I want to be a role model for young women, I need to earn the highest education level so that I can be a match to motivate them. I hope to get help so that I can advance my education.
