GoodHeart | Hopewell High School student in a wheelchair eyeing journalism

Four years ago, Britannia Stephenson was unable to attend Hopewell High School, the institution she was placed at through the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) because the school was not accessible and lacked a ramp.

Today, the teen who uses a wheelchair is in sixth form at the Hanover-based institution and hopes to attend university to study journalism.

“I was able to attend Hopewell High because of a journalist who wrote my story in the newspaper. They were the ones that helped me to be here. Also, l always see them travel and explore and I like to go to new places,” the soft-spoken 18-year-old said. Stephenson said she wants to become a successful journalist like her role model, Kerlyn Brown.

“Kerlyn Brown is a Hanoverian like myself. She is a Rusea’s High School past student and I want to be like her.”

When asked what was next for her after high school, Stephenson, with a smile on her face said confidently, “I want to attend university. This will help me to get closer to the career I want to have in the future.”

She remains on course to achieving this dream, passing four Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects in addition to Mathematics in the City and Guilds examination.

Diagnosed with encephalopathy, Stephenson has been unable to walk since birth. Her mother, Cecilia Hill, said she envisions her daughter becoming a journalist.

“I knew she wanted to become a journalist from she went to primary school. We went on a trip to TVJ (Television Jamaica) studio and the teacher said to her that when you are in the studio nobody would know that you have a disability,” Hill noted.

The mother of four said she wants to see her youngest child making strides in the world of work. “I really want to see her in the working world. I was listening to the news the other day when the lady said they need to go school, be independent and get a job when they get older.”

The proud mother said her daughter is an excellent student. “She does excellent work. She always try to do her homework. She likes to be on time with her work. She doesn’t want to be late for school either. If the car takes too long to come the morning time, you will see her start quarrelling. She likes to be on time.”

While Hill noted that the installation of the ramps made it easier for Britannia to access school, she faces a challenge to finance Britannia’s transportation to and from school.

“Right now the taxi is the only problem I have because I pay $7,000 weekly from our house to Hopewell High.”

Yet, Hill, who expresses gratitude for the help that she has received over the years, is encouraging mothers with children who are disabled not to give up.

“As the Bible says the stone that the builder refuse always becomes the head. Don’t give up. Treat them like normal children. Anything they want to become, let them become it in life. If they want to become a policeman, don’t tell them to become a soldier. If they want to become a dressmaker, don’t tell them to become a farmer. Let them choose for themselves because they have a choice.”

In 2018 after hearing about Britannia’s plight, the Digicel Foundation installed two ramps and retrofitted a bathroom at the school to make the campus more accessible to all. Thanks to the Foundation’s Ramps in Schools project under its special needs portfolio, the school now accommodates two students in wheelchairs.

Speaking at a $2-million grant handover at the school recently, Digicel Foundation’s CEO Charmaine Daniels said, “We are committed to ensuring that our students with disabilities have access to education. No child should be denied an education no matter their physical capability.

“To date, we have built 40 ramps in schools across the island, providing a sense of independence and autonomy to students with disabilities. To make Jamaica the place to live, work, play and do business, we must ensure that we cater to every person,” said Daniels.