Blindness no bar to achievement

Priyadarshani Kahawala Ingiriya Central Group

People who have eyes to see the world are peregrinating in darkness today. But unlike others there are special characters like Ridmi Handapangoda, Damith Suranja Fonseka and Diyath Witanage hailing from Horana and Bandaragama. Their specialty is that they have obtained excellent results at the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level (O-L) 2011. They cannot see the world with their eyes, yet they obtained high results from the exam.

Ridmi Handapangoda was a resident of Horana, Warallahena area. She obtained nine distinctions at the examination.

Damith Suranja Fonseka obtained two 'A' passes, one 'B' pass and five 'C' passes. There were about 200 students who participated for the sports meet of the Special Education Unit. Damith won first places at the disc-throw and iron ball-throw and second place at the 100-metre race event. Diyath obtained three 'B' passes, three 'C' passes and three 'S' passes. He too won first places from 100 meters and 200 meters running events.

They have not been congenitally blind.

Ridmi's specialty lies in all the distinctions she has obtained. She studied with other student in a normal classroom. She sat for the Grade Five Scholarship exam as a normal student. She entered Takshila Central College, Horana, following the Scholarship results.

Ridmi's father, Ajith Premakumara Handapangoda was overjoyed at his daughter's achievement.

"I remember when she was born in 1995. We saw the face of our little new born girl on December 1995. One eye was small, while the other was normal. Our doctor said she would be completely blind in future. She could still pick small seeds of rice. She played with her friends. We tried everything, only to realize later it is useless."

It was a moment of grief for Handapangoda. He did not wipe tears running down cheeks.

"She was all right in studies till Grade Five. But then she told us she could not see anything. Our life changed at that point. But she was courageous. She studied on Braille."

Ridmi came and touched her father's face. She felt her father crying.

"Why are you crying? It's I who must cry. But now you cry. Do not cry my father. You do not have to cry any day."

The moment was ripe for Ridmi to open up her life story.

"I never gave up on anything. I studied the Braille. Horana Educational Zone Special Education Assistant Director, W Rathnapala, Visible Disability Specialist H Somasiri helped me a lot.

I did not have all the books which written in Braille. So I listened to teachers and took down in Braille. At home, my grandfather reads books for me and I note down important facts.

Diyath Witanage

Damith Suranja Fonseka

I studied like that. I had an advanced planning for every exam. I cannot see anything but I have unwavering self confidence. I faced the subjects Mathematics, Science, Buddhism, Sinhala, English, History, Tamil, Agro and Food Technology and Music."

She went to school with her father. Her friends accompanied her to the classroom. No one ever hurt her with a single word.

"Everyone loved me. Principal, schoolteachers, my friends, relations and everyone helped me. My close friend is Sagarika Chathumuni. She helped me a lot. I will never stop my journey. I want to be a teacher one day and I want to give education to students who are like me."

Ridmi's mother, Sajeewa Dilrukshi Subasingha, a teacher at Prajapathi Girls' College, Horana, said:

"Our daughter is a shining light to other students. She also helps me in kitchen the way she can. Whatever she does, it is to make us feel happy. We are living in a dark world. We are seeing only sadness. We cannot explain it in words. Any parent does not want to suffer like this. However she gives us a smile through tears. Even that smile carries some sadness at the end."

Her parents do not want any gifts for their daughter. The greatest gift is if someone knows a doctor or anyone else who can heal her visibility.

Damith Suranja Fonseka studied at Rabukkana Vidyaloka Vidyalaya, Bandaragama. He had studied until grade three without any problem. But from grade three onwards his visibility had weakened bit by bit. He studied the Braille. But he used a normal pen at the exam.

"I know Braille. But I'm still not fast in it. Speed is important at the exam. So I wrote the exam using a pen. A teacher read questions to me. I listened to those questions and then I wrote answers on white sheets. I cannot use papers with rules because I cannot not see. So I used white papers for the exam but I am looking forward to facing the A-L with the Braille system."

Damith's father W Rohitha Nishshanka Fonseka doesn't have a permanent job. His mother, M P Sarojini Hemamali, is also unemployed. Damith had to face a lot of economic issues while facing the exam with resoluteness.

Diyath Witanage studied at Royal College, Horana. He is a resident of Gungamuwa in Horana. He is the only child in their family.

"Diyath did not have any visibility problem when he was small. In Grade Two he faced a brain surgery. Afterwards his visibility reduced. In grade six his visibility completely died." Diyath's mother explained.