STEPHEN Campbell and his guide dog Zym will be celebrating this week when he graduates from Queen’s University with a Masters in Software Development.
Mr Campbell, from Cookstown, lost his sight when he was 16 years old. He completed what is described as a "very visually demanding course" with the help of a screen reader – a piece of software that verbally reads the information on a screen. He is then able to input his own coding using the computer keyboard.
During his time at Queen’s, Mr Campbell and Zym lived in specially adapted accommodation at Queen’s Elms Student Village, which included a dog run where Zym could relax or exercise outside.
Looking forward to celebrating graduation with his parents, Mr Campbell said Queen's had helped him to "fully embrace student life" during his master's course.
"The support I received from my lecturers in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, from Disability Services and from Queen’s Accommodation was invaluable," he said.
"And I must say a special word of thanks to Zym, who accompanied me to my lectures every day. At this stage, he probably knows as much about software coding as I do.”
Mr Campbell is currently applying for jobs in the IT sector while Zym is enjoying his retirement after eight and half years as a working guide dog.
