Kerryann F. Ifill (born 20 December 1973)"Alumnus of the month: July 2008"
University of the West Indies is a Barbadian politician. She served as President of the Senate of Barbados from 2012 to 2018. She lost her sight due to

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens (anatomy), lens of the eye that leads to a visual impairment, decrease in vision of the eye. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colours, blurry or ...

s at the age of four. She initially had to leave school, before attending a school for the blind from the age of six."Homemakers: Senator Ifill's full of firsts"
, Allison Ramsay, ''

Barbados Advocate The ''Advocate'' ("Barbados Advocate") is the second most read daily newspaper in the country of Barbados. First established in 1895, the Advocate is also the longest continually-published newspaper in the country. History The Barbados Advoca ...

'', 25 March 2012 In 1999 Ifill became the first blind person to graduate from the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

, gaining a degree in Sociology and Psychology from

Cave Hill Campus Cave Hill, St. Michael, is a suburban area situated in the parish of Saint Michael, Barbados. It is located about 4 km north-west of the capital city Bridgetown, along the west coast of Barbados. The University of the West Indies at Cave H ...

in her native Barbados. She went on to obtain an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

Durham Business School Durham University Business School (DUBS) is the business school of Durham University, a collegiate university, collegiate Public university, public research university in Durham, England. The school holds triple accreditation from AACSB, Associa ...

, in England. She had initially considered studying law, with an aim to become a lawyer, but believed she would be unable to achieve that as a blind person, a belief she subsequently regretted. In 2008 Barbadian Prime Minister David Thompson appointed her to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and subsequently to the position of deputy President of the Senate. On 14 March 2012, Prime Minister

Freundel Stuart Freundel Jerome Stuart, OR, PC, SC (born 27 April 1951) is a Barbadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Barbados and the leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) from 23 October 2010 to 21 February 2013; and from 21 February 2013 ...

announced that, the following week, he would appoint Ifill

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Senate. She became the first woman to hold that position, and the first person with a disability, as well as the youngest ever holder of the position, at the age of 38. She succeeded

Branford Taitt Sir Branford Mayhew Taitt, KA (May 15, 1938 – February 15, 2013) was a Barbadian politician who served as a cabinet minister and former President of the Senate of Barbados. He served as Minister of Trade, Industry and Commerce from 1971 to 197 ...

(in office 2008 to 2012). Ifill also serves as President of the Barbados Council for the Disabled."Persons with disabilities are contributing members of society"
, ''The Barbados Advocate'', 5 March 2012

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ifill, Kerryann 1973 births Living people Presidents of the Senate of Barbados University of the West Indies alumni Alumni of Durham University Blind politicians Barbadian blind people 21st-century Barbadian women politicians 21st-century Barbadian politicians