Matriculant beats odds tops province and country among special needs learners
Born with a condition called bilateral optic atrophy, Azraa views it as a part of her and as such, believes it deserves to be shared with the world.
“THE feeling of achieving a goal that you’ve been working consistently over a period of time to achieve is inexplicable.”
This is what hard work and sacrifices, along with late night and early morning study sessions, culminated to for a former matric learner.
Despite being classified as legally blind, Montclair resident, Azraa Ebrahim’s matric results earned her a top position in the province.
She also placed second nationally among learners from special needs schools. The former Open Air School learner received three distinctions and a 79% average.
“When I received my results a sense of relief and excitement came over me. At that very moment I realised that all the hard work had paid off,” she said. Â 
As the saying goes, chance favours a prepared mind and indeed, the 18-year-old had a plan. She said despite the numerous distractions to remain focused, she had to break her main goals up into smaller easily achievable parts.
“I was able to accomplish that in a few weeks. The time that schools were closed due to the pandemic, and the looting, was stressful for me, but nonetheless, I used it to my advantage. I dedicated each day to a particular subject and followed a very strict routine which I had set for myself,” she said.
Born with a condition called bilateral optic atrophy, Azraa has been visually impaired her whole life. She, however, views the condition as a part of her and as such, she believes it deserves to be shared with the world.
“I enjoy educating others about my disability because it is better that they ask questions rather than remain ignorant. In my case, my optic nerves are severely damaged or underdeveloped, leaving me with about 30% remaining vision, causing me to be classified as legally blind.
“A person is classified as legally blind when their vision is less than 6/60, meaning that what the person sees at six metres away, a fully sighted person can see 60 metres away,” she said. Â
The determined lass will this year study law or psychology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. For those wishing to follow in her footsteps, this is what she had to say, “To the Class of 2022, don’t underestimate yourself and your capabilities.
“Life isn’t always going to go your way, but you need to learn to work around the difficulties and view each hurdle as a stepping stone on the path to achieving success. Consistency is key and with hard work and dedication you will never go wrong in life.” Â
Good to know: Bilateral optic atrophy is a condition that affects the optic nerve, which carries impulses from the eye to the brain. Atrophy means to waste away or deteriorate. There is no effective treatment for this condition. In Azra’s case, both eyes are affected.
