Success is not a skill it’s an attitude – visually impaired teacher Rosemarie Ramitt
DPI, Guyana, Friday, March 8, 2019
Rosemarie Ramitt perfectly fits the description of a woman who can overcome all odds.
Ramitt is a highly qualified teacher at the Ministry of Education’s Unit for the Blind. However, like her students, she too is visually impaired. But, despite her impairment, Rosemarie sets high goals for herself and then achieves them. She credits go-getter outlook to the unstinting support of her parents, Sonia and Reagan Ramitt.
The second of four siblings, it was in Second Form at Annandale High School, she was diagnosed with the genetic disease called, Pan uveitis which causes inflammation in the uvea eye. In other words, Rosemarie’s immune system causes her blood vessels in her eyes to inflame which attributes to her vision loss. Within an approximation of two weeks of receiving her diagnosis, she became completely blind. Eventually, she dropped out of High School because of her condition and migrated to Brazil in search of medical treatment to retrieve her vision. After spending two years with expectations for improvements, she returned to Guyana hopeless, as a result of futile attempts for medical solutions.
While her friends were sitting their CSEC examinations, Rosemarie hid at home, as thoughts of humiliation at her condition overwhelmed her. “It was only in 2013 that I began using my cane,” she recalled.
She eventually, began computer training at the Guyana Society for the Blind. After completing the programme, Rosemarie continued to pursue her academics. She enrolled at the University of Guyana to study Social Work and in 2018 graduated with an Associate Degree. Currently, Rosemarie is still at the university pursuing a degree in Education.
Ramitt plays a very proactive role at the Society for the Blind. She is a part-time teacher for CSEC students and she is an Assistant Technology Trainer. In addition, she exerts all of her efforts advocating for persons with disabilities.
Despite her chronic disorder, she sees herself as an ordinary person with goals to achieve. “I am no one special, everybody is doing what I am doing,” Rosemarie said modestly. She noted that her academic accomplishments are really just steps for her to reach her goals in life. Another goal she has set is to attain a Master’s degree.
Embracing her ability to achieve anything in life, Rosemarie encourages women with disabilities to be independent and work towards achieving their goals. With a peremptory tone, she delivered these words, “There is a common belief in the disability community that says you can’t do anything and so the best thing to do is to sit and stretch out your hands. Don’t do that!! Get up and work for what you want! I know from experience that if you work hard enough for something and you want it badly enough, you’ll get it. Look on the positive side and stop feeling sorry for yourself because it really gets you nowhere.”
As we observe International Women’s Day, let us exemplify Rosemarie Ramitt, a woman who embodies vitality and ambition and fully subscribes to the 2019 theme, “Balance for Better.”
Alleya Hamilton.
Images: Giovani Gajie.