Focus on achieving your goals, not fears.

The idea of owning a business has always been a dream of Rayanna Richardson, but the fear that people may judge her appearance and mental status has always been a deterrent.

Richardson, 29, grew up in a single-parent home in Penal with three sisters and a brother. She said her family always had enough to get by, was happy and she often dreamt of big things for herself.

But she has been held back from accomplishing opening a food establishment because of low self-esteem due to societal pressures, as Richardson puts it.

It was during her time at St Dominic’s Penal RC Primary School that her mother and teachers realised that she was not on par with her peers.

Richardson said, “I was not performing like my friends – my speech, my reading, my spelling, my writing and general understanding were not where it supposed to be as a standard four student.

“Schoolwork was always a problem for me. I never understood the subjects, so I never did any homework. My mom was told that I would not be able to write Common Entrance and I would have to go to a special school.”

Her mother, who wished not to be named, said Richardson was always a quiet child and she often worried about her the most.

[caption id="attachment_907384" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Rayanna Richardson hopes to open a food outlet some day. -[/caption]

She said Richardson started exhibiting signs that she was different from her siblings at about the age of eight, but she did not pay much attention.

“She was always quiet and kept to herself. I did not think too much about it, as I thought this was just her personality.

“She would come home from school and never really played or interacted like her siblings. She was always very kind and respectful, though,” her mother explained.

Her mother added that she was shocked when Richardson’s teachers told her Rayanna would not be able to sit the Common Entrance exam and needed to be put in the special-needs educational system.

She said, “My whole world came crashing down. I started to wonder about finances to look after her because things were already so difficult for me as a single parent.

“But Rayanna seemed unbothered, really, and was looking forward to a new adventure. I do not think and she does not believe something is wrong. We agreed that she just learns and interacts differently from what people are accustomed to.”

Richardson was eventually placed in a special-needs class in primary school, but her academic grades remained stagnant and eventually went downhill.

“I stayed at that special-needs class until 2007, and then I came the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD).

“I helped cook a lot at home for my family, and always wanted to take it a step further. I also bake a lot, and it was at NCPD I developed further skills and I fell in love with it, but never took it seriously,” Richardson said.

She also loved being able to create different types of dishes from different cultures. At NCPD, she explained, the instructors wer