At a very young age, the mantra “I can do anything” was etched onto the mind of Julie Lewis and she forged ahead with that which resulted in her being among the list of the 2018 recipients for the Medal of Service. Julie is now 53 years old and a seasoned broadcaster but what makes her exceptional is the fact that she has been blind for almost all of her life.
Julie is the ninth of her mother’s 11 children and was diagnosed with congenital cataract just before her first birthday. She recalls being able to see a few colours and the outline of her parents and siblings’ faces but was never to fully see what they looked like. As Julie aged her sight deteriorated but that did not deter her parents from allowing her the liberty of enjoying a “normal” childhood. She was allowed to play in the yard with the neighbours’ children and he siblings and recalls constantly bumping into them and even walking off bridges into the drains.
“I would get up and get going again. My mother and father never stopped me and I am happy because I was taught to be independent from a young age,” she related.
When it reached time for Julie to attend school, she was not spared or hidden away because of her condition rather her parents ensured that she attended classes every day. She recalls being in school and not being able to see on the chalkboard or even being able to write but her parents had no choice and insisted that she remain in the regular school.
Being a Georgetown girl, Julie first attended the St. Stephen’s Primary School but because of the challenges her parents were forced to enroll her in the David Rose School for Handicapped Children (now David Rose Special School) where she was introduced to more intimate teaching sessions and utilized resources available to make learning for a blind person more conducive. For the first time she was able to fully understand how to read and write while being exposed to Braille and Mathematics along with all the other subjects her “normal” counterparts were learning.
In 1977, it was decided that blind students had the abilities to be integrated into the regular classrooms and Julie was the first fully blind person to be placed in a CXC classroom. She was placed at the St Rose’s High along with two other visually impaired students and she was able to attain five passes at CXC. Surprised at the level of her success, Julie went on to become the first blind person to take on “A Levels” and was even more successful when she wrote History and Literature and even copped top honours in History. In 1994 she would graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies from the University of Guyana.
It was after that her career in the media began. She joined the Guyana Broadcasting Company in October of 1984 and have been there ever since. She started as a reporter and was promoted through the ranks and today she is Senior Announcer/Producer. Julie noted that had it not been for her blindness then she would have been holding an even higher position.
“The only reason I haven’t achieved more is because of attitudes and societal challenges. For example at work I know I could’ve been higher up the ladder had I not been blind because I have the qualifications, I have the experience and we still are grappling with people attitudes and people putting themselves in your place and coming up short,” she notes.
Nevertheless, according to Julie, she is not the least bothered since she is living the best life doing what she feels is her purpose. Julie said being recognized for her service is one that came as a surprise but is a decision she is pleased with.
“This award is just a big shock. I never gave it a thought that one day I would be recognized since I would be awarded for anything because as far as I am concerned I was just doing what was expected of me, what I could accomplish and that’s about anything,” Julie said.
Today Julie lives all by herself and cooks daily. She says she frequents the market where she enjoy a good bargain. When asked where does she see herself in the next five years Julie said “still here doing what I love.”(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
“The only reason I haven’t achieved more is because of attitudes and societal challenges. For example at work I know I could’ve been higher up the ladder had I not been blind because I have the qualifications, I have the experience and we still are grappling with people attitudes and people putting themselves in your place and coming up short.”
