Damion Rose is a 40-year-old blind man who spends much of his time giving back to the blind community, teaching them various technological skills he was able to acquire through learning the braille system.

Rose shared with Our Today that, at age two, he lost his sight after undergoing surgery that went wrong. He then went on to learn braille at the Salvation Army School for the Blind at grade one, a decision that changed his life.

“It was exciting because I remember being at home and my sister and brother were reading. They were coming from school with their books and reading and I always wanted to do the same. And mi a say ‘how mi a go get fi read?” he recalled.

Determined that he would not let his disability get the best of him, he studied diligently.

Rose said that learning braille was an “eye-opening” experience for him, as he was able to finally learn about the various things that his siblings would study, challenging them to a battle of knowledge.

“Blind persons should learn how to read and write braille because that is our gateway to the world,” he told Our Today.

After mastering the art of the system, his success led him to matriculate to the Calabar High School where he graduated after five years. Rose then went on to do a two-year course in Information Technology.

“Braille was what got me interested in everything because reading books you would start to read about computers and a lot of different things. When the computer age came around I said ‘yes, mi read ’bout dis already, mi wah see how it work,” he shared.

When he learned every detail he could about technology and found ways to maneuver the smart devices, he decided to share his knowledge with others in the blind community, seeking to help them navigate this new normal.

He shared that “it’s not that [blind people] are just existing, we exist and we make our contribution to society. That is one of the misconceptions that I want people to get over”.

The Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB) later heard about the great things that Rose was doing for his community and asked him to join the team in 2018, teaching the visually impaired to use smartphones.

“For me, hearing somebody call you and say ‘yuh nuh know weh yuh just do fi mi, yuh just give mi back mi independence…’. Dem thing deh feel betta than when yuh get a million dolla,” he exclaimed.

At the JSB, Rose said he spends much of his time teaching people who need rehabilitation because they got blind when they were adults. He described his role as a dream job, adding that it is always a joy to help other in need.

“Fi know seh you have helped somebody and you can see that you made a change in their life, it feel great. Dem probably was depressed before because dem nah see a way out, but with learning to use the phone or computer they can do their own thing,” he shared with Our Today.

In addition to this teaching role, Rose is also a receptionist and audio producer at the JSB. He is also an event deejay and often uses his audio skills to edit podcasts and jingles.

– Send feedback to [email protected]