Qatari woman triumphs against all odds (18/8/2004)

Qatari woman triumphs against all odds

By Bonnie JamesHAYAT Khalil Hassan Nazar Heji, a young Qatari woman, is proving herself to be the epitome of willpower and determination.Despite losing her vision at the age of 11 in 1986, Hayat has now completed her masters from the US with nearly 93% marks and started her doctoral studies. “I was in the fifth grade when I lost my eyesight due to retinal detachment,” she told Gulf Times in an interview yesterday. Three surgeries in the UK did not help. “At that time there were no special schools in Qatar for the visually impaired and I had to study in a regular school,” she recalled. Hayat’s family rose to the occasion by taping the contents of textbooks so that she could listen to the tapes and study. Hayat, the fifth child of Khalil Hassan Nassar Heji, a former employee of the erstwhile Water and Electricity department, has six sisters and two brothers. The Ministry of Education provided a special teacher to write exams by listening to the girl’s dictation. “She was ranked 10th in the country in the high school examination in 1994, scoring 95.1% marks in the literature stream,” her father said. It was when Hayat subsequently joined the University of Qatar to do her bachelor’s degree in Arabic that her father employed a special teacher for two months to coach her in Arabic and English Braille, shorthand and maths. With special permission, she used to tape lectures, review them at home and prepare notes in Braille. Her siblings continued helping by taping her textbooks. Hayat completed her course with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.67 out of 5 in June 1998 and joined the Al Noor Institute for Visually Impaired as a teacher. “I taught Arabic and Braille to the students apart from teaching Braille to parents of visually impaired students so that they could help their children,” she said. During her convocation ceremony at the University in November 1998, Hayat met HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad, wife of HH the Emir. “Her Highness wished I should continue my studies and this inspired me to pursue efforts in this regard,” she recalled. In November 2000, Hayat travelled to the US on a scholarship of the Ministry of Education. “My father and a younger brother Hassan, who had graduated from high school, accompanied me,” she said. While her father returned after a month, Hassan stayed back in the US as he was to do his bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering at Drexel University. Learning English at University of Pennsylvania and clearing TOEFL, a process that lasted up to August 2001, was the first step. Hayat then joined St Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, to do her Master of Science in Elementary/Special Education, which she completed in May last year with a GPA of 3.71 out of 4. “The university provided me a reader to tape the textbooks and I also used laptop with speech software and a gadget called BrailleNote as study tools,” she said. BrailleNote combines functions including word processing, e-mail, daily planner, address list, book reader, web browser, media player, stopwatch and scientific calculator. Hayat has joined St Joseph’s for a four-year doctoral programme in ‘Educational Leadership’ in August 2003. “Usually the Ministry of Education takes some months to grant a subsequent scholarship for the same applicant, but in my case the Education Minister HE Sheikha Ahmed al-Mahmoud sanctioned my application in a day,” remarked a grateful Hayat. The lady recalls she has been fortunate to meet helpful people in the US. Elizabeth Allen, an elderly American, with whom Hayat and her brother have been staying till now is one among them. “Elizabeth, who is like a mother to us, even threw a party at her own expense to celebrate my graduation,” Hayat said. Elizabeth’s friends and fellow residents Hope, Anne, Jerry, Brynt and Ron complete the host family in the US. Hayat recalls with gratitude the assistance of Nasser al-Saadi (head of cultural affairs section, Qatar’s embassy, US) and university officials Dr Robert Palastini, James Scott and Vana Miller. After completing her doctoral studies, Hayat wants to return to Qatar and serve visually impaired students. “I wish to present my doctoral degree to Her Highness as a token of my gratitude for encouraging and inspiring me,” she remarked. Hayat was also full of praise for HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Sheikha Ahmed al-Mahmoud and Al Noor Institute’s chairman Dr Saif al-Hajari. Hussaen, the other brother of Hayat, is also visually impaired. The youngster, currently studying law at University of Qatar, also wishes to follow in his sister’s footsteps. Eiman, a sister of Hayat is pursuing her masters in Supervision of Special Education since February last year with St Joseph’s University. Hayat’s formula for success is very simple and straightforward. “One has to have faith in God, ambition to reach the highest levels and work hard,” she added.