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NO HANDS, NO PROBLEM - Disabled woman writes with her toes
Shanique Brown (right) and her mom, Paulette. - Contributed
Despite not being able to use her hands to properly write, among several other things, 23-year-old Shanique Brown did not count her existence a total loss. Instead, she grabbed life by the toes, using her feet to write her way through school.
Paulette Brown, mother of the toe-scripting wonder, said although Shanique was an afflicted child since birth, being prematurely born at six months, she continued to defy the odds and set new standards for herself.
"She was born at six months and two weeks at which time I was told that she had jaundice," Paulette recalled. However, fearing that something more sinister may be plaguing her child, she took her to an independent doctor. It was there that she was slapped with a horrible truth. "That doctor told me that Shanique had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy," she said, a condition that affects muscle control and coordination, along with other vital functions which may involve motor skills and muscles, for example breathing, bladder and bowel control, eating and learning.
They told me that the fact that she was born prematurely might have had something to do with it and they told me about the disorder and what I should expect."
But on some levels, Shanique has already passed expectations. As a youngster, she was able to go through the formal schooling system, attending Linstead Primary and Junior High School. Paulette explained that while Shanique occasionally used her hands, it was her toes that mainly took notes, completed assignments, you name it. "In some cases, teachers would arrange for her to be given extra classes to help her keep up," Paulette recalled.
In 2006, Shanique enrolled with the HEART Trust/NTA in St Catherine, participating in a computer course. She was good at being toe-to-toe with the other students. "Right now, she not only uses her hands on the keyboard but her feet as well," the smiling mother said. "There are some things she does with her hands but to me it looks painful, it seems that she is most comfortable when she uses her feet to do it, for example when she writes."
Now, having done the computer training course at HEART, Paulette said Shanique has set her eyes on another goal. "She wants to enrol in a housekeeping course this year, she said she wants to give it a try," Paulette noted.
The mother said she is confident Shanique can ace the course and when she does, then a next opportunity will await her.
"I plan to develop a section of the house here in Linstead into a rest stop. You know, somewhere that visitors can come stop over for a night, get a room to rent, things like that. A registered business, 'Shanique's One Stop', the proud mother said.
Wanda how many words-per-minute shi can type wid har toes?
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