Disability. One little ten letter word that has the power to drive so much fear into some individuals as it conjure up images of vulnerability that few want to consider or be confronted by. Yet it is the reality for thousands of Jamaicans who have their own set of challenges which they have to deal with daily. Most rise to the occasion; few do it with not only dignity but panache and grace. This is one such story.
A man with a vision of how he will transform technology available to our youth in the education system, Keith Smith is committed to furthering the development of his country, one gigabyte at a time. As the Chief Executive Officer of e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited, he has his
finger on the pulse of what is required and how it will be done. Such is his passion when he speaks about his job that often times his colleagues and friends forget that he is visually impaired. This he shared with
BUZZZ Magazine was as a result of poor lifestyle choices complicated by diabetes.
The problem arose around 2012 in Trinidad while he was playing golf and some funny things started floating across his vision. The doctors at first said there was nothing to worry about but it persisted. What he did not know was that this was the progressive tearing of his retina. Eventually surgery was warranted on his left eye but alas the effort was futile. A year later the other eye started giving problems.
“I remember it was carnival weekend and I was at the breakfast party and I suddenly noticed that I couldn’t see. On another occasion I was driving home when my wife called me to pick up ice at the gas station so I turned into the station and drove straight into the back of an F150. That was when I realised how serious it was and that was also the last day I drove.”
In 2015 he went to the Bascombe Palmer Institute in Florida where he was assured that while they could not rectify the left eye, the right was still viable. He was to have surgery again at a cost of US$20,000. “My friends formed a network to cover the surgery so it really takes a village to care.
“I knew they did not need my eyes, they wanted my brain..”
Even when I claimed back insurance my friends told me to keep it as my housekeeping money because I was not working. I wasn’t broke but I was definitely cash flow challenged.”
“I was considered functionally blind. I was to recover in 6 to 8 months and up to 2 years later there was no improvement. During Christmas, I had the last of my surgery to remove the silicone as well as the cataracts and afterwards they discovered that I had advanced glaucoma. So now I’m introduced to a new experimental drug which was $US240 a bottle. It became one issue after another.”
“From 2014 I was unemployed. During all of this, I struggled with the glare of the sun so I did not go outside. I became a house rat. I’m the father of four and my younger children were about to do GSAT so I had to snap out of it, figure out how to be positive and continue to be a role model for them.”
Changing his mindset was one thing, changing the opinion or perception of others was a whole different ball game because when he started trying to secure work and went to interviews, as soon as he actually turned up in person, it became apparent they had an issue with his disability. Soon the calls got less and less. That was when he discovered what it was like to be an aging blind man.
But he never gave up searching for the right fit for him. A job was eventually advertised, he applied and was shortlisted. Later he discovered it was e-Learning Jamaica. After completing the psycho-metric test he had to attend a panel interview and what should have been a relatively quick and simple question and answer session, lasted two and a half hours. Keith left knowing that he had gotten the job. “I knew they did not need my eyes, they wanted my brain. It was the Tuesday before Christmas when I got the call so I could not have gotten a better Christmas present.”
“…I have an open door policy once I’m available, plus staff can ask any question they want no matter how touchy or difficult.”
On his first day he called a staff meeting. “I found a very scared team that was marginalised and trust level was low as was the morale and motivation. The company was struggling to get the best out of people. As a low vision disabled person, my eyesight has not affected my performance. I have nothing but 100% support. I came on board with the objective to improve staff engagement and morale. We began offering permanent positions or long term contract as this provides staff with stability and job security is a priority for anyone who needs reassurance and peace of mind. I have an open door policy once I’m available, plus staff can ask any question they want no matter how touchy or difficult.”
An all too familiar scenario, being discriminated against was hard at first but once again he rose above the narrow mindedness of people who should know better. “I won’t lie, it hurt initially. The perception is because I am visually impaired that my brain is impaired. Even in my social life you realise you do not get the reactions and responses you used to so it was both covert and overt. Some of your friends stop being your friends. In the early days it hurt and I was bitter. You think people would know better. Now, I’m long past that. I have accepted that this is who I am so I pity the people who are missing out on how awesome I am.”
Every company needs to have a disabled person on their team or you will be writing off a talented community of people. It is time to make an effort to engage the disabled in meaningful discussion.”
Smith who previously worked with some of the biggest and best companies in the world as a technology guru said that at one point he felt that he had everything figured out career wise but it is e-Learning Jamaica with its 46 employees that has had the most lasting impact on his life and he is committed to staying the course. “My salary at e-learning Jamaica is probably the lowest I have ever earned but it is where I need to be at this stage in my life.”
“I’m very calm and unbothered by the small things in life. I am more interested in how I engage with others.”
Being disabled he shared, has certainly shaped his life, all for the better in his opinion. “A lot of people think it was the worst thing that has happened to me and for a while it was. There were literally dark, lonely days. Now I consider it the best thing to happen to me. It has made me a better leader and a better person. I’m very calm and unbothered by the small things in life. I am more interested in how I engage with others. I now realise how fortunate I am. I went through a period of not wanting to go out in public so I literally had to build back my personal self confidence. It was a tough period but it has made me listen more and pay attention and have an affinity with people at all levels, not just management. I know what adversity is like and how discrimination feels.”
“I love life. I was recently at the Buju concert and at Reggae Sumfest. As a KC old boy, I’m at their Manning Cup matches and was recently honoured with a District Grand Lodge Award from the Free Mason Association. The relationship between my wife and I has gotten better. She is proud of me as I have reinvented myself as not a lot of people who go down get back up. Indeed people are amazed at my resilience. You have to understand that in September 2018, I was unemployed and had just sold my house. My career could have come to a permanent end but now I use a different set of skills to reinvent myself and if talking about my story motivates others, it is worth it. More employers need to be more sensitive.
“2019 has been an amazing year and the good news has not stopped. I have achieved most things and am satisfied with the outcome. God has a plan for me. I had to go on this journey. I had two mini strokes before this. I honestly don’t think I would have been alive today if not for this but it took this for me to realise my true purpose.”
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Disability. One little ten letter word that has the power to drive so much fear into some individuals as it conjure up images of vulnerability that few want to consider or be confronted by. Yet it is the reality for thousands of Jamaicans who have their own set of challenges which they have to deal with daily. Most rise to the occasion; few do it with not only dignity but panache and grace. This is one such story.
A man with a vision of how he will transform technology available to our youth in the education system, Keith Smith is committed to furthering the development of his country, one gigabyte at a time. As the Chief Executive Officer of e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited, he has his
finger on the pulse of what is required and how it will be done. Such is his passion when he speaks about his job that often times his colleagues and friends forget that he is visually impaired. This he shared with
BUZZZ Magazine was as a result of poor lifestyle choices complicated by diabetes.
The problem arose around 2012 in Trinidad while he was playing golf and some funny things started floating across his vision. The doctors at first said there was nothing to worry about but it persisted. What he did not know was that this was the progressive tearing of his retina. Eventually surgery was warranted on his left eye but alas the effort was futile. A year later the other eye started giving problems.
“I remember it was carnival weekend and I was at the breakfast party and I suddenly noticed that I couldn’t see. On another occasion I was driving home when my wife called me to pick up ice at the gas station so I turned into the station and drove straight into the back of an F150. That was when I realised how serious it was and that was also the last day I drove.”
In 2015 he went to the Bascombe Palmer Institute in Florida where he was assured that while they could not rectify the left eye, the right was still viable. He was to have surgery again at a cost of US$20,000. “My friends formed a network to cover the surgery so it really takes a village to care.
“I knew they did not need my eyes, they wanted my brain..”
Even when I claimed back insurance my friends told me to keep it as my housekeeping money because I was not working. I wasn’t broke but I was definitely cash flow challenged.”
“I was considered functionally blind. I was to recover in 6 to 8 months and up to 2 years later there was no improvement. During Christmas, I had the last of my surgery to remove the silicone as well as the cataracts and afterwards they discovered that I had advanced glaucoma. So now I’m introduced to a new experimental drug which was $US240 a bottle. It became one issue after another.”
“From 2014 I was unemployed. During all of this, I struggled with the glare of the sun so I did not go outside. I became a house rat. I’m the father of four and my younger children were about to do GSAT so I had to snap out of it, figure out how to be positive and continue to be a role model for them.”
Changing his mindset was one thing, changing the opinion or perception of others was a whole different ball game because when he started trying to secure work and went to interviews, as soon as he actually turned up in person, it became apparent they had an issue with his disability. Soon the calls got less and less. That was when he discovered what it was like to be an aging blind man.
But he never gave up searching for the right fit for him. A job was eventually advertised, he applied and was shortlisted. Later he discovered it was e-Learning Jamaica. After completing the psycho-metric test he had to attend a panel interview and what should have been a relatively quick and simple question and answer session, lasted two and a half hours. Keith left knowing that he had gotten the job. “I knew they did not need my eyes, they wanted my brain. It was the Tuesday before Christmas when I got the call so I could not have gotten a better Christmas present.”
“…I have an open door policy once I’m available, plus staff can ask any question they want no matter how touchy or difficult.”
On his first day he called a staff meeting. “I found a very scared team that was marginalised and trust level was low as was the morale and motivation. The company was struggling to get the best out of people. As a low vision disabled person, my eyesight has not affected my performance. I have nothing but 100% support. I came on board with the objective to improve staff engagement and morale. We began offering permanent positions or long term contract as this provides staff with stability and job security is a priority for anyone who needs reassurance and peace of mind. I have an open door policy once I’m available, plus staff can ask any question they want no matter how touchy or difficult.”
An all too familiar scenario, being discriminated against was hard at first but once again he rose above the narrow mindedness of people who should know better. “I won’t lie, it hurt initially. The perception is because I am visually impaired that my brain is impaired. Even in my social life you realise you do not get the reactions and responses you used to so it was both covert and overt. Some of your friends stop being your friends. In the early days it hurt and I was bitter. You think people would know better. Now, I’m long past that. I have accepted that this is who I am so I pity the people who are missing out on how awesome I am.”
Every company needs to have a disabled person on their team or you will be writing off a talented community of people. It is time to make an effort to engage the disabled in meaningful discussion.”
Smith who previously worked with some of the biggest and best companies in the world as a technology guru said that at one point he felt that he had everything figured out career wise but it is e-Learning Jamaica with its 46 employees that has had the most lasting impact on his life and he is committed to staying the course. “My salary at e-learning Jamaica is probably the lowest I have ever earned but it is where I need to be at this stage in my life.”
“I’m very calm and unbothered by the small things in life. I am more interested in how I engage with others.”
Being disabled he shared, has certainly shaped his life, all for the better in his opinion. “A lot of people think it was the worst thing that has happened to me and for a while it was. There were literally dark, lonely days. Now I consider it the best thing to happen to me. It has made me a better leader and a better person. I’m very calm and unbothered by the small things in life. I am more interested in how I engage with others. I now realise how fortunate I am. I went through a period of not wanting to go out in public so I literally had to build back my personal self confidence. It was a tough period but it has made me listen more and pay attention and have an affinity with people at all levels, not just management. I know what adversity is like and how discrimination feels.”
“I love life. I was recently at the Buju concert and at Reggae Sumfest. As a KC old boy, I’m at their Manning Cup matches and was recently honoured with a District Grand Lodge Award from the Free Mason Association. The relationship between my wife and I has gotten better. She is proud of me as I have reinvented myself as not a lot of people who go down get back up. Indeed people are amazed at my resilience. You have to understand that in September 2018, I was unemployed and had just sold my house. My career could have come to a permanent end but now I use a different set of skills to reinvent myself and if talking about my story motivates others, it is worth it. More employers need to be more sensitive.
“2019 has been an amazing year and the good news has not stopped. I have achieved most things and am satisfied with the outcome. God has a plan for me. I had to go on this journey. I had two mini strokes before this. I honestly don’t think I would have been alive today if not for this but it took this for me to realise my true purpose.”
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