When walking through The Home for the Blind you come across many people; staff, residents, children, volunteers and visitors. However, there is a young man that caught my attention since my arrival this month. There was something intriguingly different about this young man that made him stand out from the other residents.
He walked with a purpose. His posture and sense of direction demonstrated a clear understanding of where he was going. He didn’t appear blind or visually impaired (BVI) to a normal person like me but I came to find out that he was.
How could that be?
To see someone so independent and self-assured despite their condition was humbling.
This made me even more curious and excited to meet him.
After asking around, I found out this young man’s name was Eddy. Eddy was referred to The Home about 2 years ago. He lived and studied here.
Eddy’s story is unique and admirable.
Eddy’s childhood does not differ very much from ours. He attended primary school, enjoyed playing video games and computer games as a child. He grew up as a “normal child” he called it. He was prescribed glasses at the age of seven, not unordinary for a child at that age.
It was at the age of 16 where his life changed drastically. Eddy was diagnosed with a genetic condition that would permanently take most of his sight.
After finding out the news, he refused to continue attending school. He lost all his friends. He stopped caring about everything in his life.
Eddy expressed that for 3 years his life felt meaningless. He struggled to understand his new life and thus struggled with this transition as a low-vision person. He lacked interest and motivation to do anything due to his new condition.
Having low-vision meant that his eye sight cannot be improved with regular glasses, medicine or surgery. People with low-vision find it difficult or impossible to accomplish activities such as reading, writing, shopping, driving, watching television or recognizing faces.
Eddy could see a little from the corner of his eyes but if looking directly at someone he could only see black colors such as hair or black clothing. This also meant that he would need to use a magnifier glass to read text, use the audio reader to browse the internet, learn braille, and use a white cane when walking in public.
After 3 years of mourning his eye loss, something changed in him. Eddy realized he did not want to live an empty life. He asked his father to buy him a guitar so he could learn how to play. With the support of his father, he hired someone to give him guitar lessons. This was the first step that led him to gain motivation to pursue other things in life.
One of these opportunities was the IT course offered by The Home in 2014. Eddy was one of a few residents who showed interest to learn about computers and technology. He knew this opportunity would open doors for him in the future such as getting a better job and one day obtaining a college degree.
Losing his vision didn’t mean giving up on his goals and dreams, it just meant he had to find new ways of accomplishing them.
Eddy knew the universities here in Malaysia require the entry exam. He was also aware that most universities here do not accept blind or visually-impaired people, except for one. This motivated him to study harder in his IT course and the entry exam. His goal was to apply to most local colleges to bring awareness and accessibility for the BVI community.
After nearly one year and a half of studying for the entry exam, Eddy successfully passed the computer and multiple choice portion of the exam. He not only passed but received high marks! He expressed the IT course helped him a lot because he was able to get comfortable with using a computer during the exam and was able to use the internet to study different concepts that would be on the exam. His numerous hours of studying in the small room of The Home’s library paid off.
Beginning in August 2016, Eddy will be attending his first university course!
He is excited but also very nervous. He has not even begun his courses but already anticipates the difficulties he will face as a low-vision student, such as finding the right bus to take him to college, finding his classrooms, and completing assignments on time. Things that we “normal people” take for granted.
Eddy is a smart young man with so much drive to succeed. I see him achieving amazing things in his lifetime. He has taught me that your circumstance will not determine your outcome. Yes, there will be times of mourning and low-motivation but quitting on yourself, on your goals and on your future is not an option.
Let us all learn from Eddy.
—–
Eddy plans to study Business Information Technology in Penang, Malaysia. He hopes to move overseas and obtain a Master’s Degree or PhD in his field. His goal in life is to become a teacher and give other blind-visually impaired individuals a reason to study. He hopes he can make a difference and empower the BVI community to pursue what their hearts desire and not settle for menial work due to their condition. Keep him in your prayers because I don’t think He has a relationship with the Lord.
