I learned how to read when I was 13. I'm visually impaired and just got my Ph.D. at 36.

• I was born with macular dystrophy, which can cause partial or total loss of vision.
• My family didn't prioritize education when I was growing up, but I kept advancing grades.

I grew up in disadvantaged circumstances in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Guyana. I was born with an eye disease called macular dystrophy. It's a genetic disorder that severely limits your central vision and causes progressive vision loss. There's no cure for the condition, nor can it be fixed with glasses.

Perfect vision is considered 20/20; my vision is currently 20/200 and 20/100 with glasses. Adding to my already disadvantaged situation growing up was that my country provided no disability-support services.

Education wasn't a priority when I was growing up

I grew up with my grandmother, and even after she died and I moved in with other relatives, education was never considered a priority in my household. My grandmother was consumed with providing us with the basic necessities, so she didn't have the headspace to accommodate an added responsibility that she may have considered secondary. Although I was expected to attend school regularly, I wasn't forced or encouraged to complete homework or study. I also attended my neighborhood school, where many teachers were not as qualified as those in more well-off areas.

Having a degenerative eye condition with no proper educational support in school or at home proved tremendously difficult. I would sit in front of the class and still couldn't see the information on the blackboard. Teachers also didn't have the tools to support a student with a disability.

I love reading

Despite my low-proficiency level in reading and not being able to see the blackboard, I advanced grade levels. In high school, I was embarrassed when a teacher noted that I couldn't read, and I became determined to learn how to read well. I borrowed books from the school's library and struggled through them.

I soon realized I loved reading, although I couldn't pronounce many words. As I got older, I kept reading and pushing myself academically despite my vision limitations. I attended college in Guyana without support for my eye condition, but I still graduated.

I have a Ph.D. now

When I moved to America in 2015 at 28, I was determined to further my education by completing a master's degree. I was skeptical about whether I could do it, though, because my eyesight had deteriorated further. But I soon found out about the Americans with Disabilities Act, which stipulates that universities need to provide disability-support services to students.

At the school, I was given extra time for testing and access to my professors' presentations before my classes. With these added accommodations, I started to thrive. I graduated in December 2019 with my master's degree and then started my Ph.D, both in education. in January 2020. I continued to sign up for disability support because I knew I needed those services. I successfully defended my dissertation in 2022.

Having a disability, growing up in an economically challenging situation, and not having the foundational learning needed for academic success can be disheartening. Yet there's space and opportunity in the world for us to thrive when we are willing to keep the faith, advocate for ourselves, and push to reach our academic dreams.