WHEN Marsha Barr arrived at work one fateful morning two years ago, she had no idea that her world would soon be plunged into darkness, and although temporary at first, she would later lose her sight permanently.

“I was working at a well-known establishment and I was upstairs preparing to do my work and my eyes just went. I could not see anything, so I took up the phone and dialed my manager’s number and she came up. I could not see anything at the time, so after being there for an hour or so the eye came back a little,” Barr recounted.

Following the incident, Barr explained that she went to an optician where she was told that there was blood at the back of her eyes and so she was referred to see a doctor at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

She said that following the visit to the doctor in November 2014, she underwent her first laser treatment in December of the same year. Barr added that she did more than one laser treatment, and in 2015, also underwent a cataract surgery, never fully recovering from either, she said.

“They said it was my retina that was bleeding… but because they did the laser, there is scar tissue that is on the retina. The laser was supposed to stop the bleeding, but unfortunately it stopped the bleeding but it burned the back of my eyes,” Barr shared.

Despite only being able to “glimpse” objects and persons around her, Barr explained that she is determined not to let her condition get the better of her as she is set to accomplish all her goals and to continue providing for her young daughter.

“I have registered with the Jamaica Society for the Blind, where I did mobility training, computer classes and how to function in the kitchen. It’s a different journey and it’s also challenging, but I put God first. When I just lost my sight, I could not cook or wash or anything, but being here at the society I’ve gained back that function in the home. I still cook, I still wash, I still comb my daughter’s hair for school and I do everything just the same. I even go to every seminar that she has at school. I still function,” Barr said.

She expressed that finding her way around was difficult at first but with training from a representative from the society, she learnt how to use a cane to navigate the roadways. She added that because she “can glimpse a little”, it helps her to better function on the road and so she still manages to find her way and can take public transportation.

“I still take the JUTC (Jamaica Urban Transit Company) bus anywhere I’m going and I still find where I’m going so it’s okay, and some people will look at it differently but I don’t let that stop me or hold me down. I still plan to push on,” Barr said.

She pointed out, however, that as it relates to using public transportation, especially the JUTC buses, people are cold or indifferent towards the plight of visually impaired and blind persons.

“They look at us as if we are beggars or we supposed to go on the road not be properly dressed. Even me being on the JUTC bus, people saying, ‘you blind and you look like this’. We do have our eyes, we just not seeing through them but we still can live our daily lives and I am determined to make a difference to show Jamaica and everybody that have this misconception that we can do it, we can do it no matter what the circumstances,” Barr said.

She continued: “They don’t treat us good, they discriminate, they look at us differently. Even if you are on the bus and you ask somebody what number bus is that, they hardly want to answer you to say it’s a 54 or 53, they don’t want to tell you. If you going down the staircase and you hold on, they still coming up in your face… you take the bus sometimes and you ask for a seat, nobody wants to get up and give you a seat, and that’s not nice. I don’t like that behaviour”.

Barr said that she hopes that this behaviour will change. But until then, she is committed to remaining strong for herself as well as her daughter and keep moving forward.

The 35-year-old mother noted that she is especially thankful for her 11-year-old daughter who, despite her mother’s recent blindness, is not ashamed to be seen with her in public and helps her as best as she possibly can.

Barr, who lives in Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew, explained that currently she is unemployed. She added, however, that since December, she has completed her computer training at the Jamaica Society for the Blind, which she hopes will make her more marketable.

Barr, who once worked in accounting, added that her former workplace is trying to place her elsewhere in the department and so she is waiting on them to see what they’ll do to help.

“It’s rough but my daughter’s father is still there and friends and family, they still help whenever they can, but I still hoping to get back a job soon, because I don’t want to sit home not doing anything, I still can work, I still have the knowledge and everything to work and to function in any workplace,” the mother stated.

She indicated that there are jobs and areas such as customer service, where a blind or visually impaired person can work as they know the keyboard techniques and functions that will enable them to work in the same way as a sighted person.

Barr stated that unemployment is one of the biggest problems facing visually impaired and blind persons in Jamaica as although some have the relevant degrees, diplomas and are qualified, they are not offered jobs.

“We need that to change in Jamaica, not because we don’t have any sight, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get a job. They don’t want to employ us and we need that to change because we can function like everybody else. Give us a try and let us show it to you that we can still work. I need them to stop looking at us like we are nobodies. We are still God’s children, no matter the circumstances,” she stated.

“What I give God thanks for is that all is not gone so I still give him thanks. I still can glimpse a little, I still can go anywhere I want to go, I can still can play a big part in my daughter’s life, so that is my biggest accomplishment. I am still there every step of the way, so I’m still giving God thanks for that,” she continued.