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TECH DOORS OPENING TO THE BLIND
The Star, In.Tech, Oct 14, 2004
HOW can a person with vision problems be a programmer analyst? How can a blind man teach
others web development? And how can a partially blind man be a technician?
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"One is judged by the end result, regardless of whether one is disabled or not," BG Lim, vision-impaired programmer analyst.
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Unbelievable? Perhaps. One of those "Believe it or not" tales we often see on TV? Nope.
You can find all three of these people in Malaysia, and in fact all three live and work
on the little island of Penang.
While most blind people and those with vision problems opt for "more traditional" jobs like
operating a telephone keyboard or giving massages, these three decided to follow their heart
and do what they were really interested in.
It has not been easy venturing into the world of technology. The path has been fraught with hurdles,
but so far the three men have tried their best to clear each.
Help from friends
Meet B.G. Lim. He's 26 and has been suffering from retinitis pigmentosa since he was five years old.
What this means is that his night vision and peripheral vision are not very good.
"It is a genetic disorder that is usually hereditary. Symptoms start with decreased night vision and
later progress to a diminishing of peripheral vision. The rate of decline varies depending on the genetic makeup
of the disorder and also varies somewhat in individuals. According to the eye specialist, my vision will deteriorate
until I eventually become blind," explains Lim through e-mail.
He works as an enterprise wide programmer analyst at Altera Corporation (Malaysia). It is a job he has held for the
past six months. His responsibilities include support and development of his company's intranet sites and electronic forms.
"Due to my vision impairment, I usually adjust my monitor screen to get a good contrast so that it is easier for me to see.
Normally, I would have it set to a black background with white text. This is the reverse of what others normally use.
"I also use a lot of shortcut keys to help me navigate through programs. It's actually better for me to rely more on the keyboard
rather than the mouse as I tend to have difficulty finding the mouse pointer."
Lim says he has tried using software to help him read what was on the computer screen but found it inconvenient as it
required better hardware.
As a result, he has stopped using screen readers to help him in his work.
"At Altera, we have different groups of people working on different sets of items. The things I do mainly lie in the
backend process. Hence, there's a lot of analysis involved, but less data. I may be slower than sighted people, but I'm
given ample time to complete my work.
"Whenever I face difficulties, I have no problem in getting assistance from my superiors or colleagues. Typically I would
ask them 'Can I borrow your eyes?' They normally know what to do when I ask them that."
Lim says that his colleagues are very sensitive to his vision problems and helpful when he needs assistance. He thinks
their kindness is supported by a company policy that forbids discrimination and encourages equal employment opportunities.
"I feel that at Altera, one is judged by the end result of one's work, regardless of whether one is disabled or not.
As long as you can deliver what you are asked to do, everyone has confidence in you."
Lim obtained his degree in Computer Science from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2001. After that he worked as an
applications software engineer with an IT company. This was followed by a job as a software engineer in the research
and development department of JobStreet.com.
There, he developed several enhancements and features for inhouse systems including MyJobstreet and SiVA,
JobStreet.com's applicant tracking and resume management system which won the Best ASP Software award at APMITTA 2001.
Lim believes that if you are good at what you do, your employers will know it.
Using the technology
Silatul Rahim Dahman, 36, went from attending the St Nicholas School for the Blind in Penang to teaching there.
In between, he spent a year in the United States learning DOS and technology at a school for the blind.
"I was trained at the Overbrook School for the Blind (www.obs.org) in Philadelphia. After my SPM, I went there to study
technology for a year,"he says.
Most of the cost was borne by Rahim's parents. In addition, he also had some help from Bakti
(Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers), Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Kedah and other donors.
"Going to study in the United States changed my way of thinking. I was the first blind person in the country to be trained in
technology. I wanted to study computer science at that time, but nobody believed I could do it.
"But because my desire to study technology was so strong, my parents sold a piece of land that they had to send me
to Philadelphia,"says Rahim.
(Rahim informs us that he has since worked hard to save up enough money to buy back that piece of land for his parents.)
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"There has been so much news with the MSC but there is not even a sentence
to ensure that blind users have access to information," Silatul Rahim Dahman, blind teacher.
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As an alumni of Overbrook, Rahim finds himself invited to On-Net's (Overbrook-Nippon Network on Educational Technology,
www.on-net.org) refresher courses now and then. On-Net has a regional office in Bangkok, Thailand.
So far Rahim has gone for training three times — to learn web development and accessibility, Microsoft Office applications,
as well as teaching technology methodology where he was taught how to become a good trainer for the blind.
"I can proudly tell you that I learnt Windows and most of its applications myself. I learn these applications because
I have to train others, but there is no one to train me. So, I have to buy books and get someone to read them to me.
"I also learnt the hard way — through trial and error using the applications,"says Rahim.
Since going to Philadelphia, Rahim has tried getting a scholarship to further his studies. He wants
to get his first degree in assistive technology from the George Mason University (www.gmu.edu) in Philadelphia.
So far he has been unsuccessful in obtaining a scholarship to study there.
Rahim is currently head of the Technology Training Department at St Nicholas. His job involves planning
courses as well as teaching computers to the blind students. They consist of high school students and employed
blind people from all states including Sabah and Sarawak. He also occasionally gets students from Brunei.
There are one-month long as well as crash courses. The lessons typically include wordprocessing, spreadsheet,
database, web design, Internet, e-mail, Braille translation software and speech software.
The most fundamental part of the course is learning to use a screen reader which helps the blind read the
text on a computer, explains Rahim.
At St Nicholas, the screen reader used is JAWS (Job Access With Speech) by Freedom Scientific.
Rahim says technology has improved the quality of life of the blind, as the main problems the blind face are mobility,
employment and accessing information.
"Technology has somehow helped to minimise these problems. We don't have to move around as much. We can
connect via e-mail, as well as read webpages. We can work from home.
"And there is more material available to us now. Previously, we only read Braille books.
Now we have books on CDs, diskettes as well as e-books on the Web,"says Rahim.
Thinking of them
However, the biggest obstacle remains the human factor.
"The public and the Government have to realise and be aware that whenever they come up with new policies
for information and communications technology (ICT) they should have blind computer users in mind as well.
"There has been so much good and bad news with the MSC (Multimedia Super Corridor) but there is not even a sentence
to ensure that blind users have access to information. This contributes to why local developers have not come up
with products for the blind,"says Rahim.
He cites the example of the JAWS software which costs about US$1,000 (RM3,800) per copy.
"How many blind people can afford to buy this for their own PCs? We can encourage the blind to use products
like JAWS. We can teach them how to use it, and we might even promote it. But where are the blind going to find
the money to buy it? It is very expensive."
If local software developers were to produce a screen reader, it would minimise the current dependency
on foreign products and lower the cost of owning and using such applications.
Interestingly, the Thais have come up with their own speech engine which helps them read in Thai, he says.
Maybe it is time Malaysia did the same.
"JAWS is good but it reads English, Spanish and French, not Bahasa Malaysia. We need to put our resources
and expertise together to come up with our own screen reader,"says Rahim.
He explains that among some of the pitfalls to using JAWS to read in Bahasa is that it reads "j"as "h"as it would
in Spanish (Jose is rightfully read as "ho-say.") Unfortunately, in this case "tujuan" is read as "tu-huan"and "jual" is read
as "hual."
Rahim has grown used to this and knows that when the computer reads out "hual" it actually means "jual." But this is far from
an ideal system for local blind people to use.
"How long are we going to depend on this?"says Rahim. In addition to being better at reading in Bahasa Malaysia text,
a locally-developed reader would also be more affordable.
This is partly why Rahim wants to get his degree: So he can help develop local software that will assist
the blind and other disabled computer users.
This blind pioneer in the world of technology finds that he is paving the way for the younger generation
whom he says all want to go into technology.
"Youngsters want to use the computer because that's what all their friends are using,"he says.
"When I joined the workforce, there were not many options ... not much technology. Now, the blind don't need to go all the
way to the United States to study basic computer literacy. In my time, the computer was a luxury rather than a necessity.
"In those days, the blind only became telephone operators. Now, you can become administrators, teachers, and lawyers,"says Rahim.
Hoping for a miracle
Unfortunately, not all blind and partially blind people find doors opening for them; some still have to settle for that
job as the proverbial telephone operator.
Subramaniam Ramiah, 25, is partially blind. He trained at the Perak Institute of Engineering Technology
for three years to become an electronics engineer.
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Subramaniam Ramiah trained as an electronics engineer but nobody wants to give him a chance because of his poor vision. | |
What this basically means is that he should now be able to either work in sales (selling electronics) or become a technician.
It was something he was and still is interested in. While studying, he found the theory part easier than the practical,
but he struggled through it and eventually got his diploma.
Subra, who hails from Ipoh, has worked as a general labourer in the past. He now works as a telephone operator at a hotel in Penang.
Sometimes he is asked to work as a porter, helping to carry guests' luggage or even send items to guests' rooms.
It is a far cry from what he has been trained to do.
Subra says he has done some carpentry work and even electrical work on his own home as well as for family and friends.
He is confident that he can do the work of a technician, but nobody wants to give him a chance because of his poor vision.
The good news is, during his recent eye checkup at the Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital in Petaling Jaya, he was told that he
may have a chance to regain his vision through a cornea transplant.
Subra is now on the waiting list for a new cornea ... as well as a chance to earn his living doing what he loves.
Conclusion
For the blind and partially blind, gaining employment is still a problem today, more so in the world of
engineering and technology.
Says Altera's Lim, "Although we have many bodies and societies for the disabled, there is still plenty
of room for improvement. Connectivity is still an issue. The disabled still do not have a common network to
share our experiences with each other.
"With the country pushing for the use of IT and with the MSC in place, it shouldn't be too difficult for
the Government to allocate a tiny portion of resources for such purposes.
"The Government should encourage employers to employ disabled people by introducing more benefits. I think
many employers are not aware of the existing benefits or in some cases, the benefits are too negligible
and don't seem worth it,"he adds.
As Rahim points out, "Being disabled is not easy. We have to work twice as hard as others."
Copyright Star Publications (M) Bhd
ALSO:
Malaysian solution for Beijing hospital, March 28, 2006
Go online for retro decoration, September 6, 2005
Mobile apps developers show the way, August 25, 2005
Renting a book on the Net, August 9, 2005
The business of blogging, July 21, 2005
Still waiting for the smarthome, July 19, 2005
Appealing to old and young alike, June 23, 2005
Debunking the geek myth, June 16, 2005
What's cool, man?, June 16, 2005
Learning The PC Starts At 60, June 10, 2004
The HTML's On The Blackboard, May 25, 2004
New Technology, Old Methods,Dec 04, 2003
Soaring Into Digital Art, Apr 15, 2003
Santa Goes High-Tech, Dec 24, 2002
Bringing Art Home, Oct 01, 2002
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