Blind dad navigates busy streets with baby

On the bustling streets of Spanish Town, St Catherine, where hurried footsteps and roaring engines create a daily symphony, a remarkable sight stands out. Dwayne Walker, affectionately known as 'Burno the Blind Man', confidently makes his way home, cane in one hand and his 11-month-old son in the other.

Despite his blindness, he navigates the world with an unshakable sense of purpose, proving that fatherhood is not just about what one sees, but how one leads.

"Mi a walk wid mi baby, and people say, 'How him blind and him get pickney?' But mi nuh find dat offensive. Plenty man out deh can see and have 20 pickney and nah mind one. A who deh deh fi dem youth? Mi deh deh fi mine."

Though he has never seen his children, he knows them deeply.

"Before mi youth dem born, God show mi dem inna mi dream. Blindness can mek yuh fret til yuh have pressure, but mi trust God."

Walker, 39, has been blind since he was six months old, yet his determination remains unbroken. His livelihood comes from his work as a selector, spinning records to finance his family. His wife, Staniece Taylor-Walker, who has partial visual impairment, helps to care for their two children, the other being a 10-year-old daughter. Together they defy the odds, proving that love and perseverance can triumph over any obstacle.

"Mi haffi do something, because mi haffi make the family alright," Walker says with conviction.

While some might wonder how a blind father ensure his child's well-being while traversing the busy streets, Walker says the answer lies in faith, familiarity, and experience.

"Mi know the road like mi hand. A me carry my wife, enuh, and she have a disability. She can see a little bit, but when mi inna dis town yah, it woulda look like mi can see, 'cause everywhere mi know," be boasts.

Even as a visually impaired father, he cherishes the moments that come with raising his son. "Mi put him fi stand up, and mi cheer him on. After a while, him just come," Walker says, describing the pride he felt when his son took his first steps.

But there are challenges, too. "Di most challenging part a di car dem and di sidewalk. Di light post dem nuh so bad. When mi youth cry, and mi cyaan see right away what wrong, mi haffi feel mi way around. But prayer and fasting keep mi going."

Kamika Braithwaite, adjustment coordinator at the Jamaica Society for the Blind, acknowledges the struggles visually impaired parents face, but emphasises their resilience.

"Blind and visually impaired persons have significant challenges, especially in finding work, but many of them find ways to overcome these barriers. Fatherhood, like anything else, is about adaptation and determination. With the right support and skills, they can provide for their families just like any other parent."

Beyond being a father and a DJ, Walker is also a street minister, using his voice to inspire others. He boards Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses and preaches the word of God, a ministry he feels called to.

"People out deh need hope, and mi use mi voice fi spread dat. Mi sing and collect mi likkle offering, not fi myself, but fi help others too. If a man want a bag juice, mi buy him one, 'cause mi deh yah fi do di work of God."

Walker takes pride in being able to provide for his family.

"Mi never get a good education, so mi a try give dem one. Mi use to sleep pon grung; mi nah make dem sleep pon grung."

"Fi tell yuh the truth, mi was looking forward to being a dad long, long time. It never come as a shock to me because mi always a work, always a try fi find a likkle work fi myself. Mi feel good knowing mi can forward and buy mi youth Lasco and buy him food. The money might nuh nuff, but it still can do something," he added.

His wife contributes by selling household items in the community, and together they ensure their children are well taken care of.

His biggest wish?

"Mi wish mi did have a working laptop because a dat mi use fi DJ. Mi supporters tell mi fi go pon TikTok, and mi know mi time soon come."