DEAFBLIND - A LESSER KNOWN GROUP

Looking back, I considered myself fortunate that I was able to tap on my inner strength, and coupled with family support and love I was able to overcome and accept my sudden loss of sight as a result of severe bacterial infection in January 2008. This life changing experience widened my scope of vision in seeing the good, bad and the ugly sides of life. Fortunately, there’s more of the good. I am happy to have befriended many new friends, including wheel-chaired bound, blind and visually impaired and the very much lesser known group, the Deaf-Blind!        

I was quick to realize the importance of assistive ICT which helped me move forward in my new life’s journey following the traumatic experience. I had to re-learn using the computer with the screen reader technology, enabling the text to speech functions, thus, giving access to the blind to use the computer. I started an internet chat list for the blind to come together in the chat room, share and exchange experiences, etc. It was, indeed enlightening that I got to know a few Deaf-Blind friends from the list. I was moved to learn about the life’s challenges brought on by their additional disability; deafness on top of blindness.

Choo Kim Yoon, 44, blind, started his primary education at the Princess Elizabeth School, Johor Bahru. “I live at Salak South New Village in Kuala Lumpur with my mother and brothers. I lost my eyesight at the age of 3 due to high fever. I became partially deaf at the age of 16 due to unknown illness “ Choo said. Despite the deteriorating hearing impairment and through sheer determination, he completed his Form 6 education at the St. Johns Institution, Kuala Lumpur. He continued on and did a stint at the Gurney Training Centre, Malaysian Association for the Blind where he learned Braille, computer skills and obtained a certificate in stenography. Choo said “My current occupation: slotting appeal letters into envelopes, raising funds for MAB.”

Choo lamented “living with multiple disabilities is really tough and challenging. Unable to see and hear properly make communication with other people the foremost problem. People are not always willing to talk with you if you cannot hear them the first time. They don't always have the patience to repeat things to you, instead they will keep raising their voices and shout to you. When people behave in such a manner, it cut off every possibility to establish a friendly conversation with a deaf-blind person like me”. As a result of this negative attitude amongst the people in the society, the deaf-blind community are regretfully neglected and shut out of so many precious benefits which the other parties enjoy, including many potential employment opportunities. “I am thankful to God though because not everybody exercises such a mistreatment against a deaf-blind person like me. There are still open-minded people in the society who are willing to befriend and help me in every possible way. For instance, my close friend at work, learned to communicate with me by the means of finger-brailing. He assisted me in my job and also helped to buy my lunch as well as other materials such as batteries for my hearing aids.”

“NGOS serving the blind, and the government should work hand in hand to create awareness amongst the public of the specific needs of the deaf-blind community. Our specific needs should be recognized and attended to accordingly. There should not be barriers to prevent us, the deaf-blind persons, from participating and contributing actively in all programs that is aimed toward enhancing the quality of life. We must work together to break the communication barrier by implementing a standard sign language that is acceptable and accessible for both parties. One of the potential methods can be the Lorm tactile sign language which is widely used in developed countries and has recently been converted into computerized format. The govt. should provide financial assistance to the deaf-blind individuals who need to purchase such high-tech communication device. At the same time, the govt. must supply high quality hearing aids to the deaf-blind persons and not merely the low-cost ones. In addition, the govt. must realize the importance of computer access to the deaf-blind community, hence must supply subsidised or free Braille display devices to the deaf-blind persons that will enable us to venture into internet business or become creative freelance writer. In short, we, the deaf-blind persons should not be excluded from the fast development in technological access in this country.” Choo’s parting shot, “help us to become fisher men and not merely eater of fish supplied by other men.”

Louis Prem Kumar, 48, has this to say.  “I am a blind masseuse working in Shah Alam, Selangor and also a musician. I realized my hearing started to slowly fade away at 9 years of age.  Then at age ten I started using hearing-aids. About my blindness, the early symptoms of blindness began at age 7 but I continued studies at a sighted school till 14 and had to take up Braille due to vision loss, unable to read print.” Louis completed his Form 5 secondary education at the St.Johns Institution, Kuala Lumpur. He furthered his skills training at the Gurney Training Centre, MAB for one and half years.

Louis said, “My daily challenges: due to my poor hearing, I find it difficult to communicate with people in noisy environments such as busy roads, and big gatherings.  It also drowns my confidence in crossing roads on my own.  Being deaf-blind also kept many people away from knowing me because I could not hear and communicate with them easily. My current employment is as a masseuse. Some clients do not want to take the chances to try my therapy.  They will try after much persuasion and only after they know I am a sociable and friendly person.  It is difficult to go shopping and doing banking on my own due to my additional disability.”

 Louis’ wish list, “Well I feel that the NGO and GOVT could assist us with providing financial aids to enable us to purchase the high tech hearing aids to assist the hard of hearing blind individuals. In cases where hearing loss is extreme, they could assist us with supplying technology such as Braille displays or Braille style computers. The NGO and GOVT could also employ the Deaf-Blind in handwork jobs that does not need much of communication such as packing jobs or even serve at blind societies where Braille is a means of communication among the blinds concerned. The public could also come forward to help the deaf blind in crossing roads, getting into the LRT, Monorail trains and the Commuter trains.”

 More challenging times ahead!

COPING WITH BLINDNESS

Q&A :  A session with a curious teenager:

Question:  Do you listen to the beeping traffic light before you cross the road? Or do you use white canes (mostly) ?

My reply: The white cane acts as `my eyes' whenever I travel out of my house. Yes, the beeping audible sound from the traffic lights helps me in deciding when to cross the road but I still have to rely on my hearing to make sure that there is no oncoming traffic, motorbikes, etc. However, many traffic lights here are not fitted with the audible sound systems and also, there are some faulty ones and not being repaired.

Question:  Do you have an assistance dog (meaning a guide dog)?

My reply: To date, there is no guide dog for the blind here in Malaysia. I am exploring the possibility of forming a guide dog society and hope to introduce guide dogs for the blind in the coming months. I have 3 companion (pet) dogs at home, Joyful, Lady and Prosperous.

Question:  Do you know if Malaysia has `braille tiles' on the foot path?

My reply: You mean tactile guiding blocks.  There are tactile guiding blocks, mainly in KL city areas, in and around transportation hubs, etc. More tactiles are being installed, particularly in public facilities and amenities as the authorities are fast becoming aware about the needs of the blind community.

Question:  How do you feel about people who can see while you can't?

My reply: Have not thought about it. As you will soon learn, all people are only interested in themselves, so, probably, that's why I am concerned only about my self when I am out in the open, making sure I am listening to the sounds and noises

Question:  Do you feel sad? Or grateful because you can feel improvement in your other senses?

My reply:  Sad?.. no, because now, I do not pre-judge a person by one's looks, clothing worn, etc, that is, not judging a book by it's cover. Yes, my other senses do get enhanced over time and this amazes me as I can `filter out' unwanted noise during conversation, enjoy the good food taste and listening to good music.

Question:  Do you feel special now that you are sightless?What does your friends and family think about your blindness?

My reply: My family are happy and proud that I am able to pick myself up within a short period of time, adapt to a new world and life. More importantly, my family got closer, realising the need to be supportive of each other in terms of emotional and love in times of need.

Question:  Do they help you in daily life?

My reply: As said, family's emotional support and love plays a crucial role in my adapting to my new life despite being a new learning experience for all.

Question:  What is the most difficult thing to do when you cannot see a single thing? Do you remember steps in your house? (like : four steps from the living room is to the toilet.. ) Or do you use other blind tools? Please tell me the tools you use in daily life.

My reply: Initially, I have to relearn everything in life and insisted in doing things/chores on my own so, counting the steps helped. Fortunately, we human beings, do have the built-in survival instinct and inner strength. My memory improved and I could remember the landmarks when moving about in the house or outside. The white cane is the most important tool aid used. There are several home gadgets which are available but I don't use them, for example, liquid leveller which enable me to know when the cup is full when I pour water into the cup. Another gadget is a electronic labeller which, enables me to `audio label' any things that I'd like to remember, such as title of DVDs, medicine bottles/packs, etc.

Question:  What is your first impression when you heard the doctor or someone say that you are blind? What is the first thing that rushed through your mind? Did you create barriers during the first few days of sightless eyes?

My reply: Never thought it would be permanent then.  However, when the doctors mentioned the sight loss was irreversible, it was the darkest moment in my life and my thoughts were on my family and how they felt, probably, worse off than me. I was in pain for sometime, physical pain in my eyes and emotionally very down, just like falling into a bottomless pit.   

Question:  And the most curious thing I would like to ask you is: How do you see this email? Someone read it for you? What are you using to read this email?

My reply: I am using the assistive technology, screen reader called JAWS. This allows the text to be converted into speech, thus, reading out loud whatever I select the line or words to be read or type. Technology has revolutionise the lives of many, including the blind. Many blind people uses mobile phones with talking softwares installed and are also computer literate. I use the iPhone which has its built-in voice over screen reader. For computing, I am now switching over to Apple Mac from the common Windows used by the many blind and all other sighted people.     

More challenging times ahead!

ATTITUDE OR INDIFFERENCE?

Admittedly, losing my sight in year 2008, due to a severe bacterial infection, it has been a life changing event, having to relearn practically everything for example, simple things like walking, eating and drinking, which comes a second nature to all. However, I noticed that I have become more observant to the surroundings and the happenings around me. Blindness has not stopped me from traveling and visiting places of interests, local or abroad.

Recently, on a trip flying out to the UK, at our Malaysian airport, people in general or the airport officials, as always, turn a blind eye to offer any assistance to us, my wife Hong and myself. My wife has to push the trolley luggage, and guiding me through the airport and queuing in line to check in and at the immigration. Many a times, I do wonder if it is sheer ignorance or just not having any caring attitude that stop people from coming forward to ask if we needed help. I need to be cautious all the time, not to push the baggage trolley into the waiting passenger in the queue in front of us while moving forward towards the counters. It is always a relief to finally be seated in the plane.

Arriving at the destination, London Heathrow airport, it's a total different experience despite the airport being a very busy airport. The airport staff would quickly approach both my wife and I to enquire if we require assistance and would guide us to the fast track priority lane to clear immigration, etc and even enquire if we need further assistance to retrieve baggage from the carousel.

As a member of the MBPJ OKU Technical committee for the past couple of years, I have been involved in many access audit of accessible facilities for the disabled. Checking out the accessible toilet for the disabled at Heathrow airport, it brings back fresh memories about the similar toilets back home in KLIA airport, the frustrating moments where the doors of the toilets were difficult to close and open.. I had to lift and my wife had to pushed/pulled the door to escape from the cubicle. I do wonder how the individual disabled person, alone, get out from the toilet. He/she would be stuck inside the toilet!

Traveling around London with the underground tubes during peak hours could be a challenge for the disabled but to me, it was quiet easy. Service staff was always around and did not hesitate to approach us to enquire if we needed assistance to get on to the train platforms. People were all over the station, rushing in and out, just alike any other cities around. The caring attitude of the passengers on the train did touch me in many ways. People quickly got up and offering seats to me and even for my wife. Along the train journey, it did occur to me to question why such attitudes are lacking in our own society back at home, civic and moral education shortfalls?

It was heartening to note the elderly and disabled did not stay at home. They traveled on buses and trains, going shopping and moving around, unlike our disabled in Malaysia. Their public transportation are accessible and on time! The curb level and bus floor are almost of the same level, so much so I did not realized I was on the bus until my wife informed me. There are always seats allocated for the people with special needs and there is a space for parking wheel chairs and strollers. Our local public transportation has much to learn and catch up. Just imagine a blind person waiting for a bus, and not knowing whether the bus is turning up or not!

Whilst the local authorities are aggressively pushing for better access facilities for the disabled community, especially in public areas, amenities and transportation, this is certainly laudable but little has been done to educate and raise awareness to the public about the social attributes which are equally important, if not, more necessary in understanding the needs of the disabled community.

I had the opportunity to travel on budget airlines to Glasgow and Dublin. I was happy to note that special attention were given to people needing assistance e.g. in wheelchair, the elderly and like me, the Blind. We were always given priority to board and wheel chair bound passengers boarding the plane using ambulift.. There was no additional fees impose for special assistance.

On the return journey home, while queuing at the check in counter I was surprised to hear a fellow Malaysian airline staff on duty at the Heathrow airport enquiring if I needed any special assistance. Again it was a breeze through the immigration and custom lanes via the fast track lanes for special people like me.

On board the plane, both my wife and I were taken aback by the warm and caring attitude of the cabin crew too. This was in contrast to the outward bound trip from KL to London. I had almost forgotten the 'turning the blind eye to the blind’ which we experienced traveling from KL to London. I could recall vividly, there was unexpected air turbulence while I was in the plane’s toilet and an announcement was made to return to seats and fasten the seat belts. I quickly exited from the toilet to find a friendly voice calmly telling me that he would guide me back to my seat. The air steward has gotten my wife to return to her seat and he waited for me despite the doing a rock n roll due the air turbulence experienced. Kudos to the crew of MH 3 for their caring attitude.

Puzzling till now, is there a different SOPs practiced by our airline, that is, indifference to the disabled persons traveling out from home shores and disabled persons traveling home from abroad. Perhaps, our airline staff need to adhere to the guidelines enforced by the UK authorities, for example.

On a happy note, I was pleasantly surprised to find out there is now a special immigration counter for the elderly and the disabled at the KLIA arrival hall and thus, a step forward in making life for the elderly and disabled more convenient after long hours on the airplanes.

Still, there is still no improvements in the doors of the toilets for the disabled at the KLIA arrival hall.

More challenging times ahead!

WESAK DAY

Wesak day, an important day in the Buddhist calendar, marking the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. Buddhist devotees, throughout the country, young and old and from all walks of life, would throng the hundreds of Buddhist temples located in the country to honour and pay their respect in commemoration of this significant event.

 

My sudden loss of sight in January 2008 as a result of a severe bacterial infection had not deterred me from joining the thousands of Buddhist devotees all over the world, coming together on the day to celebrate wesak day. Both my wife, Hong and I, made it a point not to miss attending this annual historical event. However, for some strange reasons, we have been visiting a different temple over the past 4 years on wesak day and, coincidently, 4 years since losing my sight.

This year, we visited a temple located in Petaling Jaya and partly, as invited guests to an event to commemorate the day, representing the National Council for the Blind, Malaysia. We arrived at the temple at about 9.00am, the temple and its vicinity were already abuzz with people and vehicles. Patience reigned the day, despite the heavy traffic congestion, there were no horn blaring and many volunteers were around to direct the vehicles to the designated parking slots. It was quite a long walk for both my wife and I. we had to walk past the special approved makeshift stalls alongside the road to the temple building. Surprisingly, I did not experience people knocking or bumping into me as we squeezed our way through the large enthusiastic crowds and my white cane leading the way. This is a far cry away from the common bad experiences ,in shopping complexes and malls, people “love” to bumped into me despite my white cane in full view and worse still, no words of apology was offered nor attempts made to retrieve my fallen white cane at times following the “knocks.” There were many helpful volunteers strategically placed to assist the devotees and I truly felt like a real VIP (very important person) and not a VIP (visually impaired person) during my time at the temple. I wish more persons with disabilities would be able to experience and share the joy in attending such events. Everyone, irrespective of age, gender and creed, truly display care and compassion on the day and so much so that I wish everyday will be a wesak day for the persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities should be encouraged to join in the day’s celebrations, a good opportunity in getting the persons with disabilities to assimilate into mainstream society, an important proactive action, that is very much lacking in our society and is badly needed. I have attended earlier specially designed functions where persons with disabilities are gathered together and feted with delicious food and given goodies to bring home and this event would be held, not on the event day, but on a different day, an exclusive event, so to speak. The experience of the actual celebration would be clearly missing and missed. Moreover, there will be no shortage of volunteers to help out if the persons with disabilities are encouraged to be engaged on the day, a day of celebration for all.

 

On accessibility, there is still much room for improvement and as I walked up the steps into the temple, I asked my wife if she noticed any accessible facilities such as ramps and hand rails for the elderly, etc . “None that I could see” she said. Well, I know that there are no tactile pathways for the blind to access the temple independently. I hope the relevant temple authorities would look into the accessible needs and plight of the persons with disabilities, build and construct acccess facilities at strategic locations, thus, enabling the persons with disabilities to enter the temple premise proper to fulfill their religious rights just like all others. I do find the experience of peace, silence and self awareness simply exhilarating, Not forgetting the delicious vegetarian food served and myself sitting and eating lunch together with the devotees and guests. Perhaps, you might think I felt good to be the only blind guest at the vent, well, I really wished more persons with disabilities, blind, wheelchair bound, for example, should be invited and encouraged to attend and share the joyous experience on the historical day itself and not on other days which would not have the unique essence or magic of the day.

More challenging times ahead!

UK Travelogue briefs

Left KL on a warm and dry Tuesday, 22 May on a MAS direct non-stop KLLondon flight. Bumpy flight due to several air turbulences encountered. Arrived London Heathrow airport on the the same evening, 7 hours difference. Warm sunshine upon arrival and fine weather lasted for a few glorious days.

Up in Scotland on 6 June for a few days over the jubilee weekend. Cold in Helensburgh but had a splendid time staying near the hills overlooking a loch. Took a scenic train ride to Oban.

Visited Eastleigh, Hampshire , 2 days back. Stayed in a quaint old English cottage, 500 yrs old!

Visiting Dublin today. Blogging on the go, waiting to board Ryan Air flight to Dublin from London stanstead airport.

More challenging times ahead!

UNIVERSAL ACCESSIBILITY

I attended a talk, entitled"Universal Accessibility to Ubiquitous Services: Supporting the Everyday Life of People with Restrictions." This special accessibility talk was organized by UUID (Universal Usability & Interaction Design) SIG, Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Cyberjaya.

It was indeed a privilege to meet the speaker in person, a renowned accessibility expert, Professor Julio Abascal from Spain.  I invited some of my fellow blind friends and also a couple of wheelchair-bound members from the MBPJ OKU technical committee. Together with the university students in the lecture room, all of us listened attentively to what the Professor had to share, particularly on the accessibility research work done in Europe .

Ubiquitous computing offers stimulating chances to assist people with disabilities and elderly people in managing everyday activities at home. Smart environments aim to support people, providing them with information for their tasks and security warnings when safety issues may arise.

Professor Julio continued to cite how computer technology and interfaces developed can provide better secured protection and monitoring of the elderly and the disabled living, either in community nursing homes or living independently on their own. Devices and sensors installed could help monitor the safety and health of the individual, say, if he or she has a slip and fall, an alert could be triggered to a medical control center.

Professor Julio further shed some insights into some of the current and what’s coming next in the world of accessibility. A mobile device could be linked via interface to the ATM kiosk to allow a disabled to handle one’s banking transaction and thus, accessible to the blind, little people and persons in wheelchair. Here, at home, it is a shame that, the local ATM kiosks are still “out of bound” to the blind as all the ATMs are not accessible and worse still, the blind are not allowed to own ATM cards by certain banks.

A universal remote device that could benefit disabled persons, such as enhancing their independence, indoors or outdoors, is currently undergoing prototype testing. A person in wheelchair or a blind person could, for example, use the mobile device to activate the lift’s control panel buttons remotely when one’s in a lift, switch on/off lights and other electrical appliances and electronic gadgets.

It is laudable that Professor Julio is so passionate in his research work and quest to help improve the lives of the elderly and disabled. He reminded all that Europe has a large aging population and thus, accessibility issues are a concern to all. Perhaps, we need to take heed of Professor Julio’s remark as we are fast becoming an aging society too. There are, certainly, much to catch up locally, in terms of research and development in accessibility. The present accessible facilities and amenities are still very much lacking.

It is comforting to know that Multimedia University is undertaking research work in the field of accessibility  . This is definitely a positive step forward in making a difference to the lives of the elderly and the disabled!                             

More challenging times ahead!

Let your voices be heard! Know your rights! Speak up!

My thoughts and my wishlists for the year 2012..

 

A year of action, paradigm shift for all with the ultimate goal in mind, that is, making a real difference to the lives of the blind and the partially sighted community. An important year too, whereby the community will come together, join hands and stand united, making  their voices heard loud and clear. Today, it's time for the community to impress upon the NGOs/relevant authorities about our needs and not waiting for others to decide what the blind and partially sighted community need. Who is in a better position to know our needs other than ourselves?.. So, borrowing from the well known World Blind Union's slogan, "Nothing about us without us." A timely rallying call reminder that the blind and partially sighted are also human beings with equal rights.

 

The much pacifying phrase, "assimilation to main stream" still, sadly, remains a `feel good' talking point without dedicated action plans. The UN convention resolution for persons with disabilities act which Malaysia is a signatory, has not made much positive impact to the disabled for the simple reason, half measured commitments and exclusions of penalty clauses.

 

NGOs, in keeping up with changing times and rapid technological  revolution, need to be more pro-active and be more effective to stay relevant as leaders and champions for the blind community. More educated and blind professionals, either born blind or adult blind, should be given the due respect and likewise, respect them for what they are, look at their capabilities, not their disabilities. To many educated and professional blind and partially sighted, blindness is considered an inconvenience. More of such persons need to be included in decision making and management roles. A good opportunity for NGOs to walk the talk, providing equal career opportunities while simultaneously, advocating and championing equal rights.

 

Blind NGOs need too, reach out more effectively to the newly blind young and old, parents of children being born blind or progressing going blind and offering professional counseling  which is badly lacking. NGOs need to employ professional counselors and not turning away those requiring assistance, regardless of age and background. NGOs need to develop systems or revamp their systems to quickly rehabilitate the blind to get them back to the mainstream society. Perhaps, a long term plan, such as a 5 year plan to help the blind and partially sighted should be highlighted to all, a yardstick in KPI measurement of NGOs achievements and ultimately, this helps to garner better financial support from the public.

 

NGOs need to be pro-active in advocating for improved accessibility needs, such as access to public transportation hubs, public amenities, access to technology, etc. All blind NGOs need to employ and have qualified accessibility experts to help in making more public locations as barrier free environment with suitable access facilities for all.            

 

Assistive ICT technology, continues to revolutionise the lives of the blind and partially sighted community. Its vital importance in enhancing the independence and empowerment of the community by opening up more windows of opportunities in career choices and making the community a K-economy community cannot be ignored today. NGOs and government blind schools should make ICT a compulsory subject in their syllabus for the education and rehabilitation programs. Efforts too, needed to either lower or subsidise the high costs of the assistive devices which are beyond the reach of many blind and partially sighted community.

 

Truly, an exciting year for the blind and partially sighted. A year where their voices will be heard.

 

More challenging times ahead!  

 

 

 

Dragon Year message

A brief Dragon year message to a friend..

 

We have all gone through the life's challenges and hopefully, we are ready and well equipped to tackel the life's next tasks along the unknown journey path. More importantly, we must recognise that yours and mine, etc are different and therefore, there is no need to compare nor envy others who, supposedly, are more successful in our eyes, etc. At the end of the day, we all will return "home" and the only thing that we will bring along is the experience gained and not any physical nor material things to the other world.      

 

Must be the maturing age getting me to relook and turning to spiritualism for answers/guidance in the next exciting phase of my life's journey.  

 

So, another year of challenges and my take, let it come and let it be. I cannot change the world but I know I can change myself and make 1 or 2 others happy and for me, this is fine. Lesson learnt too, others do not remember me for what i'd have done or said but will remember how i make them feel, be it good or bad..

 

More challenging times ahead!    

 

My First Blind National Convention Experience

I was thrilled when I was invited to attend a national convention organized by the National Council for the Blind, Malaysia (NCBM) recently. However, the thrill turned to trepidation when I was requested to be a speaker on a tough subject entitled “Healthy Financing Breeds Quality Projects". Just the thought of public speaking in the dark to a large audience is still something that is a challenge for me, i.e. not being to able to see the body language and assess the reaction of the audience. Another challenge is to remember my presentation from memory and not reading from Braille notes (I am still Braille illiterate). Glad to share, it all went well on the day. Gauging from the Q&A and comments, I guess I was successful in delivering my thoughts and views on the topic I was presenting.

This experience helped to raise my level of self esteem and confidence as the bricks of my blindness barrier was knocked down even further.

Below is the summary of my presentation:

Topic : “Healthy Finance Breeds Quality Projects".

Introduction: Money is a driver. In everything we do we need money; to survive, to have fun, to care for your family, to help others and even dying also need money. We know for a fact that NGOs get their funding from corporations and public donation to help the society they represent. Without financial support NGOs will have difficulty in achieving and realizing their set objectives It is the norm for these NGOs when campaigning for funds to stress on the dependency of the group they represent.

Times have changed. Corporations and the public are not as ready to contribute as quickly as they were before. Nowadays they are more cautious of giving away money and they are more selective in choosing the causes they desire to champion. Some of the concerns they have are:

a. Abuse and misuse of the funds: A case in mind is the National Kidney Foundation in Singapore which was highlighted in the national news. More recently, another case that was mentioned involved a monk in Singapore where funds were misappropriated.

b. Selection of deserving causes: Corporations are very selective these days. They have professionals and dedicated persons to manage CSR projects (Corporate Social Responsibility). These big corporations not only look at bottom line but also the need to portray their corporate image as a caring company, e.g. giving back some of their profits to deserving community. The project they champion normally has to relate to their business and credo. At times they may require participation of their staff in the projects or become a partner.

c. Stiff competition: there are too many NGOs and sometimes with similar objectives, vying for limited financial resources available. E.g. within our own compound we have NCBM, SBM and MAB soliciting for funds from the same source. It is confusing as to who these groups of NGOs are.

d. Management behind the NGO : the credibility and the professionalism of the people behind the projects or organization comes into play

Gone are the days of simply sending donation requests for contributions. One can still continue to carry on but admittedly money is trickling and not pouring in. Yes, public donation is definitely declining as the public is beginning to question if their contributions are being put to good use.

What does this mean to us, NGOs? We must change with times.

When soliciting for funds you must be very clear in what you are asking for. The corporations and companies you solicit for funds are not interested in your operating costs. However, they are normally more open to sponsor projects and programs and the end result to the society the fund is for and to them the sponsors.

Project base fund raising: Be clear and precise with your objectives, what your project is going to achieve and it must be measurable in terms of target reach and time specific. More importantly, what is it in for the corporation/companies who is contributing the money. No doubt win-win is the key word but in reality they are looking at a bigger win. At times they may require their staff to be involved or they may want to take the lead. These days it is common to deal with CSR personnel from these corporations/companies. Therefore, you need to be professional in your approach as well.

People behind the NGO/project : There is a need to deploy a dedicated professional to manage this serious responsibility. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry, please. This is serious affair if you are negotiating for money.

Branding: It is important to create awareness of your organization and what it stands for. It must be top of mind with all the agencies and corporations e.g. when you think of instant noodles you think of Maggie mee. When you think of BMW cars you associate with class and top level executives. How wonderful it is if NCBM equals champion of the blind and the partially sighted. Solid brand image will definitely give you an advantage in fund raising

At the end of the day, fund raising is still a sales and marketing pitch.

Last but not least I would like end with this acronym: C A R E

C for Consistent – We must be consistent in our efforts to help the blind and partially sighted (BPS) in gaining independence through access to education and skill training.

A for Assimilation – The plan is to assimilate BPS into mainstream society

R for Recognition/ Respect – As an organization, we want be recognized and respected for the work we do. For the individual, to gain respect and recognition for what we are i.e independent, and self reliant

E for Empowerment and Equal opportunity: With the 3 pointers mentioned it will empower the BPS to equal opportunity in career choices

More challenging times ahead!

A DAY TO REMEMBER

December 3, is a day to commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities worldwide. 

This year's theme is “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development.”

Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) marked this day with an event whereby different groups of persons with disabilities came together to have fun and food.  The Mayor of MBPJ officiated this event and presented recognition awards to NGOs and individuals who had contributed to the ongoing `Barrier Free City' campaign.

I was honoured to be one of the recipients of this award.  I am also very happy that I was recognised for my capability and not my disability.

More challenging times ahead!

Picture 1: Receiving the award from the Mayor

Picture 2: Gift and Certificate received

Technology creates career opportunities

Little did I know when I was invited to attend a meeting, as Volunteer Chairman of the Cyber Club of Malaysian Association for the Blind  (MAB), to brainstorm the organising of an ICT and Job Fair event, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of MAB, I would be landed with the task of heading the organising committee.  I was indeed flattered as I was the only non-staff member of MAB in the group.  Heading and managing a team of both sighted and visually impaired, was indeed most challenging.  From a blank page, the 2 months of deliberation and hardwork culminated into a hugely successful and well attended affair.

All this while public opinion is such that when one loses one's sight, one is labeled as a person with disability.  However, the experience of managing, directing the meetings and churning out all the ideas into reality, with the end result of a successful event proves to me that my blindness is not a disability but only an inconvenience.

Here's the write-up of the event in the Malay Mail news online.

`Insight into sightless tech


TalksPE software gives the blind ability to use phones through voice command


Hamzah Nazari


Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011 11:50:00

BRICKFIELDS: As he skillfully scrolls down the blank screen of his iPhone, it could be heard listing applications.
  
"I'm now checking my email… and I have three messages," said Yam Tong Woo.


"Oh! Is the screen black? Can you not see anything?" asked the 57-year-old blind man from Sungai Buloh.


"Sorry, I normally leave it blank for privacy," he apologised with a laugh. He then brought the screen to life with a tap of his fingers and continued his demo.

Yam, blind since January 2008 because of a bacterial infection, is an avid blogger and golfer.

He was the organising chairman at the ICT Day & Job Fair 2011 held at the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) in Jalan Tebing yesterday.


One of the most popular booths at the fair was run by Smartphone Mobility Enterprise executive director Allan Wong.


The 34-year-old blind man from Kuala Lumpur demonstrated how he could use a Nokia N8 phone with a touchscreen to check his calendar or dial a number.

The phone had been installed with TalksPE, a software that would read out the text on his screen wherever he touched.

To select an item, Wong would quickly lift his finger and tap it in the same spot.


The TalksPE software has been around since 2002 but was recently modified to be used with touchscreens.

These phones were of particular interest to Chan Chen, a blind phone user who was looking to upgrade as he uses an old Nokia phone with the special software to send and receive messages, as well as record names in his address book.

"After I save someone's name and number, the phone tells me the name of the caller so I can choose who I talk to," said the 63-year-old masseuse.

Aside from the highly popular mobile phone offerings, other products such as electronic notebooks with Braille keyboards and teaching software for the blind were also demonstrated to show how such products could help the blind be more independent.


Internationally-recognised courses in information technology for the blind were also offered by the St Nicholas' Home Penang.


"The International Computer Driving License (ICDL) is an internationally-recognised course started in the European Union and provides students with a good foundation in Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office," said the home's IT department volunteer David Hathaway, 35.


"A modified version for the blind offered by St Nicholas' provides graduates with the same certification. We simply changed the directions from using the mouse to using keyboard shortcuts," said Hathaway, who moved from the United Kingdom to Penang.


During the opening ceremony officiated by Higher Education Minister's political secretary Mohammad Khairi A. Malik, 10 employers were honoured with plaques for their efforts in providing employment opportunities for the blind.


Among those present were MAB president Datuk Dr Abdullah Malim Baginda and acting executive director Godfrey Ooi.'


More challenging times ahead!

Blogging on the go

My first attempt, blogging on the go via iPhone. My wife and I are now traveling to Penang, 400km north of Kuala Lumpur. Will be stopping at Ipoh to say hello to a couple of old buddies and not forgetting too, the delicious roasted duck.

More challenging times ahead!

White Cane Day Celebration at Kota Damansara Community Forest

A great day out for those who turned up yesterday for the celebration event. Learning, touching and smelling the varieties of herbal plants in the herbs garden was truly an eye-opener. Trekking up a short distance up the forest to "see," touch and feel the sheer circumference size of the Petaling tree trunk amazed all. Yes, Petaling is a species of tree, standing easily 70 feet (21metres) tall. Food was sumptuous, BBQ and variety of catering food available. A memorable day indeed. Thank you all for your contribution in making the day a very successful eventful day.

Not forgetting, the theme of the day.. White Cane Day, I am happy to share my speech delivered at the event yesterday.

`October 15th was declared White Cane Safety Day in 1964 by the late President of USA, Lyndon Johnson. Since then it has been celebrated all over the globe

Today we come together to commemorate White Cane Day. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to the organizers Pet Positive and Friends of Kota Damansara and to MBPJ (Petaling Jaya City Council) for sponsoring the whole event.

1 What does White cane Day mean to me.. A day to educate everyone to respect the person walking with the White Cane, to recognize the person is blind and cannot see you, so give way if you are walking and slow down if you are driving.

The White Cane gives me the Independence in mobility, the ability to move about safely and confidently.

2. Walking without sight can be traumatic and a painful experience especially when the sighted is even more blind than me, For some strange reasons, they tend to bump and knock into me even though I walk with the White Cane. I often wondered whether these sighted people are aware of the significance of the White Cane.

a. I had an unpleasant experience of a sighted person walking right into my path, got tangled with my cane, she fell and my cane broke into two. She got up and walked off without a word of apology. Fortunately I was walking just behind my wife.

b. Another scary experience was when I was learning from my friend Mr Mano who is also blind and he is here with us today, on how to move around Brickfields area. I was struggling to follow him from behind, listening to his white cane tapping/gliding along the tactile pathways, leading us back to the MAB (Malaysian Association for the Blind) complex. All of a sudden my white cane snapped and became wobbly. I panicked and really, really struggled with my wobbly cane, trying very hard to keep paces with Mano. I heaved a sigh of relief when we reached MAB complex.

c. An amusing tale to share traveling with my white cane. When my wife was checking in at LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) enroute to London, a ground service staff came over to me and asked `Sir are you traveling to London?’. I said yes and she left. Next my wife told me someone had put a baggage tag to my white cane. When enquired about it, we were told that the tag was to allow the white cane to be stored somewhere else if it cannot get into the overhead compartment. Did they not realize that no blind person will separate from their cane and moreover white canes are foldable. An example of the ignorance of the public towards white canes.

3. Since then, I have come to recognise and appreciate the importance of the simple white cane. Do not underestimate the mighty cane and the independence it gives to the blind and the partially sighted.

4. As a member of MBPJ OKU (Persons with disability) technical committee, I am happy to be able to contribute towards making Petaling Jaya, a barrier free city with accessible facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities. Here, I must commend MBPJ for doing such a great job. For the blind, it means more guiding blocks pathways at strategic locations, etc. However, let me say this, the white cane still has its important role to play. It is without doubt an important tool that gives the blind and partially sighted the independence to move about to desired destinations safely, and now made possible with more tactile pathways in Petaling Jaya. So, now you understand why I do not leave home without my white cane.

5. However, it would compliment my white cane if I have a guide dog, too. Pet Positive is an NGO offering assisted animal therapy to both elderly and people with disabilities. Animals such as dogs, cats, fishes to name some, have proven to have therapeutic healing effects. Pet Positive hopes to introduce guide dogs to assist the blind.

More challenging times ahead!

    

Blind Golf Inspired!

An inspirational story to share......

I stumbled upon this story about blind golf whilst browsing the internet. That was during my initial experience in using a screen reader software installed into my desktop computer, during the early days of recuperating from a bout of bacterial infection that resulted in my total blindness. What this assistive technology does is, it converts the text to speech, literally reading out aloud whatever is on the computer screen when I navigate around using the different keystrokes on the conventional keyboard.

I could remember vividly those challenging times, practically re-learning the many tasks that I had taken for granted when I was sighted. Re-learning computer skills was one of the most important task which I realised could get me to re-connect with the world, friends, etc. I had to endure several hours of frustrations, as even I had to re-learn touch typing on the keyboard, remembering the various screen reader keystrokes and keyboard layout too. Re-learning the computer was an arduous challenge but I was determined to `master' this new re-learned skill and had to spend many, many hours sitting in front of my computer typing continuously to re-gain and work the muscle memory in my fingers.

Golfing was the furthest thing from my mind then. I was glad that my sons, who knew then that I needed some form of exercise to stay fit, to help in my recuperation after going through those traumatic times, practically dragged me to the golf range to try to hit some balls. It was a disaster as I could not hit due to my blindness, loss of orientation and mobility.

I was glad that during one of my wild search on golfing for the blind, I managed to stumble upon Gerry Kelly's story (append below) that inspired me to get back into playing golf, a game which I enjoyed when I was well and sighted. It did not dawned on me that I would get to meet Gerry one day and to cap it, playing a round of golf with him at the historical Preswick St. Nicholas Golf course, Scotland. This happened on Tuesday, 26th April 2011. Thank you, Gerry and Mary! It was indeed a memorable experience.

More challenging times ahead!

Click link to read. The evolution of blind and visually impaired golf

http://www.scottishblindgolf.com/misc/kelly1.html

Dare to Dream

It was totally unexpected when I was told I was going to play a round of golf at Preswick St. Nicholas Golf Course, Ayrshire, Scotland. Jonathan Smithers, my son-in-law's father went out of his way to arrange a game for me with the Scottish Blind Golf Society when he learned I was going to visit him in Scotland during my recent holiday to the UK. It was my good fortune that the Scottish Blind Golf Society had in their calender, a golf tournament at Preswick during the time when my family would be in Scotland.

`Hello, you must be Jonathan and this must be Eric Yam, from Malaysia’, the first words I heard as we, the Smithers and the Yams, walked towards the clubhouse. `I am Gerry and my wife, Mary’ as our hosts introduced himself. We, then, proceeded to the clubhouse for some snacks before the tee-off which was scheduled at noon on that day. I took the time in between snacks to gather more information about the day's event. Gerry and I would tee-off together, two ball flight, walk the course with our caddie/guides. Jonathan was my caddie/guide for the day, his first experience in this role and Mary was Gerry's. This would be the first time that Hong, my wife, would not be my 'advisor' on the course. It was quite nerve wrecking, with the anxiety and thoughts that were in turmoil in my mind. Worse still, I was expecting a typical Scottish cold, wet weather, strong winds and was been wondering how I was to survive and complete the game. Another concern was that I would be playing with a borrowed golf set.

It was an exhilarating experience standing on the first tee-box, on this historical 160 year old link course, an experience, which I would not forget for a very long time. It was an impossible dream that became a reality. Golfing was the last thing in my mind after losing my sight 3 years ago due a severe bacterial infection, and now I am about to drive my first golf ball onto the fairway in this historical link golf course. Like many other golfers, it's a wish and a dream to play a round of golf in Scotland, the home of golf. The emotions and nostalgia got the better of me and cause my first tee shot to stray out of bound. No complaints though, as the satisfaction overcame the frustration. It was, after all, not a dream but real golfing in action.

Mary was ever so patient and was giving tips, advice and all that was to know about blind golf to Jonathan, a role he took up for the first time in being my caddie/guide. As we walked the course Gerry and Jonathan, too, described to me the scenic landscapes around the course, as we played the holes. I could feel the openness, the fresh scent of the plants, especially the gorse bushes found growing alongside many fairways, emitting scent similar to that of coconut. Every hole has a name and a story to tell. I could clearly recall playing the 16th hole, the Tom Morris signature, par 4 hole, which, I too, had a good drive and a shot to remember in my first ever Scottish golf experience. Not forgetting too, the elevated greens which were at my eye/head level, as Jonathan coolly informed me when my ball landed near and below the greens. He must had had wondered how he was going to advice me on how to play the next crucial shot, i.e. landing the ball onto the green! Kudos to Jonathan we managed.

Surprisingly, the weather was kind, with blue sky and the sun out in full force, and the cool breeze blowing, making the day a truly memorable one for all of us, especially Jonathan and I.

After the game, the Provost of Ayr, was the honored VVIP for the event. Gerry and Mary introduced us, the Smithers and the Yams to the Provost of Ayr. We were treated to a great dinner and I was pleasantly surprised to receive a Scottish Golf Society neck-tie as a momento to cherish from Gerry.
Gerry Kelly as I learned earlier was the founder of blind golf in the British Isles many years ago and truly a remarkable guy to meet. It was indeed an honor for me to have played a round of golf with him. As a matter of fact, I dare say that he was an inspiration to me in re-learning golf after my sight loss. When I first surfed the internet about information on blind golf, I stumbled upon Gerry's blind golf journey. Gerry's story truly reflected his determination to pursue his dreams of playing and introducing blind golf to his comrades in the British Isles. It did not dawn on me that one day I would have the opportunity to meet Gerry and not only that, I would also be playing a round of golf with him too!

I know that with Gerry's inspiration and his much advice to me, it will spur me to work in realizing the first Malaysian Blind Golf society in the near future.

A note of thanks to Jonathan, for without him my dream of playing golf with Gerry at Preswick St.Nicholas would not have been realized.

http://www.prestwickstnicholas.com/

More challenging times ahead!

Simulated In-door Golf

When I first received an invitation to participate in an indoor golf competition, I was puzzled. "What! playing in a simulated computer golf game competition, in an indoor golf club located right in the heart of the city."

However, curiosity took control and I was determined and much tempted to discover more about this indoor golf thingy. Since losing my sight 3 years ago, I have to re-learn almost everything, daily living skills, computer skills, orientation and mobility skills, etc. More importantly, adjusting and adapting to a new dark world, maintaining social interaction with others, living and doing things independently as much to my capacity as I could possibly do in my present circumstances.

On the appointed afternoon, together with another two friends, both visually impaired, very keen to discover more and to experience playing golf, we took the bold step stepping into the KL City Centre Golf club, situated at the Novotel Hotel, right in the heart of the city.

Mr. Hock Tho, the club's founder and owner, was there to welcome us. Hock briefed us about the club business objectives, promoting this indoor golf concept to the many busy top business and top corporate executives. More importantly, Hock stressed that he has never forgotten his social corporate responsibility. Kudos to Hock, giving an opportunity and a fine gesture extended to the visually impaired to enjoy this indoor golf at this premier club. Another unexpected great news was that all the three of us were given a one year honorary VIP term membership to use the golfing facilities to train and improve our golfing skills.

More briefing on the workings of the simulator and the computerize tracking of golf swings, ball traveling speeds and spins, balls traveling distances, putting distances to the pin are projected on the large white screen, located four meters directly in front of the playing area.

Hock handed me a 7 iron club and guided me to position and placed the golf ball in position enabling me to hit it just like at a golf practicing range. The driving range mode was selected via the console controller. I hit some balls and interestingly, all the important information was projected on the screen which was read out to me by my wife, Hong, my caddie for the day. The information allowed me to analyze my performance and to make the necessary corrections and adjustments to my golf stance and position, delivery of a good shot which is every golfer's dream, a neat and perfect shot each time. The initial sound of the ball hitting the screen was something that I got used to and got over quickly. As the game was played in an enclosed cubicle, a U-shaped area, the sound of the club striking the ball did seem to be louder than normal. However, the anxiety in knowing how the shot was delivered, over-rode this noise. Next, for a real experience, a popular US golf course was selected via the console controller and it was all system go, so to speak! The scores were automatically computed for the duration of the game. The feeling standing on the tee-box holding the driver in position prior to hitting the first tee shot to the fairway generated the same somewhat nervous feel similar to standing on any other tee-box on the normal golf course which I am accustomed to now, looking but not seeing. After completion of a few holes, the sound which I dreaded most was the sound of the ball landing into the water.. plonk! plonk! In contrast, the most beautiful satisfying sound was the sound of the ball dropping into the pin hole, a rattling clicking sound click, click, click! Not forgetting the continuous soothing background sounds of birds chirping away happily throughout the game.

Hock had the last words which left us with a `feel good' factor boosting our confidence and wanting to come back to improve our golfing skills.. "You guys are playing on a USPGA fully endorsed simulated golf course that many golf professionals also play on." Hock said.

More challenging times ahead!

The Right to Quality Life

On May 7th, 2011, a workshop was put together by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and the Bar Council of Malaysia to create awareness among people with disabilities of their constitutional rights. More than 50 people with disabilities and their care givers attended this event.

Yes, it is important to know and understand what our constitutional rights are whether you are able bodied or persons with special needs.

When I was invited to speak on this topic on behalf of the visually impaired persons, VIPs, I quickly went around asking my VIP friends what they face in their daily lives. My friends were eager to share their views.

Firstly, banking, which is an integral part of our lives. It is without a doubt anyone can open an account with any bank including the VIPs. Then, it is the norm to progress to owning an automated teller machine card – ATM card. Do you know that persons with visual impairment in Malaysia are not allowed to hold an ATM card? This is downright selective discrimination. In the US and Australia there are already talking Automated teller machines which allow their VIPs to manage their banking transactions on their own.

The right to move around independently is of utmost importance to any human being in any country. This is so true for the visually impaired as well. Needless for me to elaborate and many of you will agree that there's still much to improve in terms of accessible facilities in public amenities e.g. banks, post offices, transportation hubs, etc. Accessible facilities for the VIPs include tactile guiding blocks, talking lifts, audible traffic lights, Braille notices, to name a few.

Web accessibility is another hot topic which I pointed out. In this digital age, even VIPs are learning computer skills to stay connected for social and professional interaction. In US, it is compulsory for all websites to be fully accessible to all walks of lives. It is the right of every American citizen. In Malaysia, many of our websites are still not fully accessible e.g. government and state agencies, some banks and commercial sites. I strongly believe it is our right to equal access to technology and communications.

In relation to equal access, I would like to share a friend's experience traveling on KL CAT from KLIA to KL Sentral. It is commendable that VIPs are offered a special travel fare concession on this train. However, my friend found to his dismay that he was only allowed to travel on the train that made a few stops along the way to KL Sentral and not on the non-stop express train. There is definitely an element of selective discrimination here. Are persons with disability considered 2nd class citizen?

I would like to share my experience traveling as a visually impaired person. Recently I traveled abroad on Air Asia X. When the announcement was made for the old, persons with special needs and family with small children to board first, I was happy to move forward as this denotes the right for this group of people to board ahead of the rest. My happiness was short lived as the airline service staff did not follow through on the announcement and control the crowd. The over zealous passengers scrambled and I was pushed back and had to retract my white cane to prevent any untoward accidents. An old man in a wheel chair was also pushed behind and had to queue to climb the stairs to board the plane. The rights of persons with special needs took a different meaning in this instance with sheer `tidak apa' attitude.

In summary, if the rights issues I have highlighted here today are addressed, I am sure it will greatly improve, enhance and empower our lives. Not to mention, this will also open up the windows of opportunities for employment, help to develop a knowledge base visually impaired community which in turn can contribute to the economy and growth of the country.

More challenging times ahead!

Dogs - man's best friend

Admittedly without shame, my feelings to be with and amongst the speciality breed of canines, GSDs could be described as a bag of mixed feelings, laced with both pride and emotions on the day. As a dog lover since my early primary school days, I could still remember vividly the first dog that became part of my family. Yes, a GSD named Lucky. He was a very obedient and an intelligent dog. Tasks such as fetching the newspapers, shoes, opening/closing doors were his primary duties and these were carried out diligently by Lucky and he was ever so happy all the time.

Years later, another GSD, mamed Mark became a member of my family. I wanted my 3 young kids then, to experience and learn from the special friend about love, communication and unselfish caring attitude, a natural trait in dogs. Mark, of the seiger line breed was with our family for 6 wonderful years. Mark succumbed to skin cancer and died a year later.

I dare say that Dog is the only animal that loves you more than he loves himself. Since losing my sight three years ago, due to severe baterial infection, my three companion dogs had instinctively knew my condition and became more protective and always staying close to my side when I move about in the garden of my home. The presence and the loving kindness demonstrated by the canines are truly therapeutic, especially during those early traumatising days of losing my sight. My canines certainly had a hand and played an important role in my tough battle, picking myself up and marching forward in my new life without sight.

More is needed to be done to dispell the myths about GSDs, particularly their misconstrued ferocious streak. Generally, public tend to be wary and shun away upon seeing GSDs and thus, creating and resulting in negative perception of such loving and the caring breed of canines.

My wishlist.. Proudly walking about independently with a trained guide dog by my side.


More challenging times ahead!

Blind Golfing Handa Singapore experience

It was a great feeling and honour to be invited to participate in last month's Handa Singapore classic, held at the Singapore Orchid Golf and Country Resort. A timely opportunity to create more awareness about blind golf in this part of the world. There were 3 blind golfers involved, an Australian, an Englishman and myself, a Malaysian at the inaugral Asian Tour event. All three of us represented the International Blind Golf Association and we had fun time playing with blindfolded professionals to test our golf skills against the professionals. Several golf professionals from many different countries around the world participated vying for the coveted Handa Singapore Classic Asian Tour championship title.

Standing on the 1st Tee box was very nostalgic, bringing back memories of the times when I tee-off with sight. Now it is teeing without seeing. At the same time with the many media journalists, photographers and the Television crew around got me very conscious about my first attempt in teeing off at the tee box.

Click the link attached to see the highlights showing the blind golfers pitting their skills against the blindfolded professionals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnxe0-8FZoI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

More challenging times ahead!