Individualistic and selfish!

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

WHILE HER second-place finish brought much-needed capital injection of $600,000, and proved to be a high point of her life, participation in the 2010 Digicel Rising Stars Competition turned out to be one of the more challenging chapters for Simone Camale Hamilton.

On Thursday, Hamilton told members of the Rotary Club of Kingston that her sheltered upbringing did nothing to prepare her for the challenging environment of campaigning for votes across Jamaica. Afflicted some 10 years with transverse myelitis, a neurological condition caused by an inflammatory process of the spinal cord, she uses a walking stick, at times reverting to a wheelchair.

Delivering the keynote address at the club's weekly meeting held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in St Andrew, Hamilton explained that for every 10 or 15 persons who admired her courage and strength during the competition, a naysayer would counter with something like, "'No, she naaw go mek it,' some even venturing to ask, 'Why you enter the competition?'"

The low point for her was when a man, after admiring the strength of the contestants, turned to her and said, "'You don't have any business being here.' Of course, I was taken aback," she admitted, "and I said, 'Excuse me?'

'"Because of your disability you don't have any business being in the competition,'" the man charged.

vocal capability

When she questioned the correlation between her disability and vocal capability, the man continued his attack, saying that she was benefiting from the judges' sympathy and not being judged as harshly as the other contestants.

"So I said how would you rate Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles? He said, 'but they didn't enter a competition'. But they are competing technically speaking, with others in the music industry, I said. So he didn't have an answer.

"So, I say, 'You know what, you can say all that you want to say' but I refused to be limited by my limitations and I refused to be distracted by my detractors," spontaneous applause from the audience caught him off guard.

At least that man was honest about his discrimination and she could deal with it. Hamilton is more concerned about the far-reaching impact of the subtle discrimination still being practised by employers and policymakers. She pointed out that even where persons are qualified for jobs, they very often are denied employment opportunities, without being told the true reason. The physically-challenged young woman pleaded with employers to stop linking a person's capability to their disability, as has been done over the years.

Having completed two years of a Bachelor of Arts programme at the Jamaica Theological Seminary, Simone is now preparing to resume her schooling in January. However, she will be taking up a part-scholarship at the University College of the Caribbean where she will be pursuing a course in education. She says the scholarship offer came after officials from the college saw her on television speaking about a desire to get into teaching.

The issue of the failure of successive governments to pass the necessary legislation to give Jamaica a national building code, also draw Hamilton's ire. She reiterated the many challenges faced by persons like herself who must either spend excruciatingly long periods going up stairs or subject themselves to being lifted.

Simple things such as accessible restrooms continue to be difficult for wheelchair users. The talented singer appealed to developers to do the right thing and make the extra investment in making buildings more accessible and comfortable for persons with disabilities.

"As a nation, we are fast becoming very individualistic and selfish," she charged.