Deaf graduate Sherene McIntyre makes history at JTS

If Sherene McIntyre’s life were to end tomorrow, she would have already been proud to have broken the glass ceiling with one major accomplishment.

That is becoming the first deaf person to graduate from the Jamaica Theological Seminary (JTS) as a trained social worker with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work.

At the age of 38, last Saturday evening, she was proud to walk across the elevated stage at the JTS’ 60th Annual Graduation Ceremony held at the institution’s West Avenue campus in St Andrew, where she collected her unique commemorative item.

McIntyre, who currently works at the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, said she chose to pursue the degree programme because of her passion for helping people, especially those living with a condition similar to hers or worse.

“Social work is a field that educates, trains, and assists those who are interested in joining the helping-profession area,” the deaf woman wrote in her response to The Gleaner after being asked how she felt becoming the first deaf JTS graduate to become a certified social worker.

“I feel elated, not because I am the first deaf student to have pursued it, but because I am now more qualified and equipped to help deaf persons in the deaf community,” she wrote.

McIntyre wrote in responding to The Gleaner that she knew she wanted to become a social worker after interacting with deaf and hearing-impaired children years ago in the classroom when she worked at the Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf as an assistant teacher.

“While working at that school, I realised that deaf children and deaf adults need a lot of help, not only educationally, but also emotionally, psychologically, as well as the socio-economic facet of life. I also realised that I have the passion for doing more for the deaf community, which led me to further my studies to become a qualified social worker,” McIntyre wrote.

“My experiences have shown that though someone has a specific qualification, they may not be equipped to serve a certain group of people. It takes more than a degree and master’s to reach a specific group of people. Helping a community to which you are being called takes patience, heart, and love to invest in them,” she wrote.

Achieving the Bachelor of Science in Social Work was no easy feat. Although the Disabilities Act 2022 came into effect, McIntyre said she was still at a disadvantage with some of her classes and schoolwork.

“Some of the challenges, I would say, were lack of full sign language interpreting service at the university, prejudice by a few lecturers, and financial constraints,” she wrote briefly.

I had obtained all my CXCs from high school except for the mathematics. It was while at JTS I did Foundation Concept in Mathematics,” she also wrote.

McIntyre also wrote to The Gleaner that she first thought of attending the JTS to pursue studies in ministry, but fate had it another way for her.

ASSISTING THE DEAF COMMUNITY

“I also felt God’s tug on my life to go and further my studies. The field of study was supposed to be leadership and ministry, but because I was trying to elude the calling on my life, I selected to study social work instead. This field of study will assist me to become sufficiently equipped to assist individuals in the deaf community,” McIntyre wrote.

Now that she has created history in becoming the JTS’s first deaf certified social worker, she said that she felt elated and intends to continue her social work at the Jamaica Association for the Deaf given that the organisation has a social services division that caters exclusively and with opportunities for the Jamaican deaf community.

“The reason for this is that a lot of deaf persons seek to benefit from the services of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf as they seek various forms of assistance. I believe that through this department, I can provide the relevant support required to assist members of the deaf community to become better versions of themselves and self-actualise,” wrote McIntyre, who began working at the Jamaica Association for the Deaf in December 2021 after completing her major practicum from JTS.

McIntyre also worked at the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities temporarily before being employed by the Danny Williams School for the Deaf in Kingston.

When asked what her daily motivation was, with a smile, she wrote, “I have so many daily motivations, but since of late, this one has been ministering to me daily. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.” Psalm 46:5 (KJV)

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com