| WBU-AP (Over 26 years old) Excellent Work "Braille Fortune" Malaysia Choo Kim Yoon (39/male) |
I was brought up in Braille from young. I started reading and writing Braille from Standard One at the Jalan Batu National Primary School, Kuala Lumpur. The first teacher who taught me to use the Perkins Brailler was Cikgu Beruang(Teacher Bear). I called her Cikgu Beruang because she was very fierce and she was always angry when teaching. She often knocked my head as though she was knocking on a wooden door. "Stupid!" She cried every time she knocked hard on my head. Aduh! My head hurt! Who was stupid? Actually, Cikgu Beruang was stupid! Did she not realize that our heads weren't made of wood? The more the head is knocked, the harder it will be for the lesson to enter the brain. Every day I wasted much time in tears while studying Braille. And so I was not able to learn much! I hate a teacher who is fierce like a wild animal! Fortunately, Cikgu Beruang was replaced by Cikgu Murni. She was loving. She guided and taught me with patience and dedication. "Studying Braille isn't hard; your Braille skill will bring you luck!" She often used such words of encouragement when teaching me to read and write Braille. I succeeded in mastering Braille writing after a brief period. I was able to use the Perkins Brailler. I could also read Braille books well. The different letters of the Braille alphabet(A,B,C,D,E ¥¥¥Z) no longer confused me. Likewise, the mathematical symbols such as plus, minus, times, division, and equals, stayed in my memory. After mastering Braille my lucky star became brighter. I was able to join the Integrated Programme with sighted children. I was able to learn various subjects, including Mathematics, Malay language, English and singing except for drawing. I was very happy because Braille had opened the door to knowledge for me. Without Braille, perhaps I would have had no opportunity for schooling. Braille had saved me from illiteracy. However, I never got first place in the examinations but I was also never at the bottom of the class. At least I was always between number 20 and 40. My teachers were proud of my achievements. At least I beat 20 other students! Besides reading Braille books, I also listened to radio education broadcasts. The programmes included various interesting topics for different age groups and helped to enrich my knowledge. One of my favourite programmes was the Mandarin course. I benefited a lot from this course which was not taught in school. The radio and talking books became even more important when I went on to secondary education. This was because all the books I needed were in Braille. Reference books and extra reading materials were only available on cassette. They included magazines and extracts from newspapers. They were a very useful source of knowledge. I made notes of the important facts in Braille. In this way, the audio materials contributed to my progress and academic success. As proof, I obtained grade two for the Malaysian Education Certificate Examination(SPM). I was very pleased with my achievement as it had been beyond my expectations. Braille has contributed to my progress not only in school. In fact, it has continued to be a blessing to me. In 2005 the Malaysian Association for the Blind organised a Braille writing competition in conjunction with the celebration of Louis Braille Day which falls on 4th January every year. Several categories were provided for the blind contestants to take part. I chose the Lyrics Writing Competition. My composition was entitled "Jasa Braille" which won the first prize. My Braille fortune indeed! I truly appreciate the contribution of Louis Braille, the inventor of the Braille system which has become so useful to the blind all over the world. With the advancements in technology, Braille has also made impressive progress. Today we have gadgets that can produce Braille materials very quickly. In addition, there are computers with Braille display to enable the blind to carry out their daily work. Although I was not able to have a computer with the Braille display, I was not excluded from enjoying the ICT facilities. I was able to have my own personal computer with the help of MAB. My computer is fitted with a voice synthesiser which can read any message received through the central processing unit. This enables me to read my email with the help of Outlook Express, to visit various websites by using Internet Explorer, listen to the radio or read audio books by using the Windows Media player, and to have access to other programmes. I am very blessed because I have access to the Internet which is a world of its own. I can interact with many people and at the same time build up my experience and knowledge. In addition, the ability to communicate is an asset to everyone. Skype(or the Internet telephony programme) has opened wide the door for me to communicate with friends and meet new people from other countries such as Dubai. Thus, Braille has been my loyal companion. Some of my friends prefer to communicate with me in Braille because of my hearing impairment. They use a technique known as Finger-Braille. This technique is based on the Perkins Brailler. You only need to imagine you are using the Perkins Brailler and your fingers become the keys of the Brailler. If you press down with your fingers accurately, I can understand the Braille code which you are using. The process is easy. Braille truly enriches my daily life in many ways. It has contributed greatly to my academic success. It helped me to achieve excellence at each level, including music and creative writing. Audio equipment is an additional source of support but Braille has always been a loyal companion throughout my life. |
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