Grow in the Dark

A donation of RM2,000 were raised by Grow in the Dark committee for NCBM

2 April 2018 was a dark day in Sungai Long Campus, but for a good reason. Grow in the Dark was a half-day event organised by the Media and Creative Studies final year students, as their final year project.

Present at the opening ceremony were National Council for the Blind (NCBM) Executive Director Moses Choo Siew Cheong, UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, Faculty of Creative Industries (FCI) Dean Dr David Tneh Cheng Eng, FCI Academic Development and Undergraduate Programmes Deputy Dean Thinavan Periyayya, Head of Media Department Anthony Gandolfo Miranti Jr, staff and students.

Joining to make the event more substantial were platinum sponsor KOOCAN, silver sponsors Spectruck, Acson and JustPlantMY, and private donor Amos Tan. Unlike other visually impaired awareness campaigns, Grow in the Dark took an unconventional approach by showcasing the strength and achievements of the visually impaired community rather than imploring sympathy.

Prof Chuah during his opening speech

Prof Chuah said, “Although it is your final year project, I am glad that you are doing it with an underlying purpose. This is indeed a very good project.  I understand that there will be a donation given to the NCBM. Even if it’s a small amount, I believe, it will benefit its recipients endlessly. In the past, FCI students have also organised events for cancer patients and single mothers. All these deeds are not so much about the money, but the spirit of giving and doing good for others. I am very happy that the students have chosen to do this project.”

Choo during his speech

Choo applauded the incentive during his speech. He said, “Overcoming the stereotype, debunking myths and highlighting the strength of the visually impaired community is what I do. In short, I call this advocacy. I want to thank the organising committee for helping me with this event. Without them, I will not be able to carry it out effectively. The fact that the organiser has named the event ‘Grow in the Dark’ is indeed very positive and very well thought.”

“Grow in the dark is the theme for our event. We focused on showcasing the strength of the visually impaired. They showed us that being blind is not a hindrance to achieving success in life. We always assume them to be weak, helpless and one in need of sympathy but through this event, we wish to prove otherwise,” said Project Manager Chin Yee Leng.

A duet performance by Godfrey Ooi and Lim Ah Pen from NCBM

Grow in the Dark was supported by NCBM which serves as an umbrella body for five major voluntary organisations, namely Malaysian Association for the Blind, Society of the Blind in Malaysia, St. Nicholas’ Home, Sabah Society for the Blind and Sarawak Society for the Blind.  The body devotes to provide a wide range of services for blind and visually impaired persons to assist them in regaining their confidence to fully participate in the society. This includes counselling, vocational training, job placement, rehabilitation, advice and sale of equipment for the needs.

Choo also conducted “What’s Braille?” workshop to introduce braille system to the audiences. Other than reading, Choo also provided traditional braille writing tools for the audiences to experience braille writing themselves. “It’s the hardest way to write braille yet it is the cheapest,” he said.

Participants trying their hands on the traditional braille writing tools

Other than that, he also shared his personal biography since he was born to the man he is today. Working his way up, he started by becoming a phone operator to an administrative manager despite being blind. He ended with a song that inspired him in facing obstacles while climbing the corporate ladder— The Journey by Lea Salonga.

To lift up the atmosphere, the event was intervened by lucky draw sessions, Emica: Meet and Greet, and a drama.

Vendors selling food and goods in the dark

By the end of the day, Choo hoped that the society will understand that the blind community is no different from the rest. “Those who are visually impaired are just like you except that we are not able to use our eyes fully or partly. We too have good days and bad days. If you think we are living in a dark world then you are entirely wrong. Spend a day with a blind person and you will realise that we may be living with blindness but we enjoy the day just like all of you do. We joke, we travel to places. In fact, I just came back from a jungle adventure, riding a four-wheel drive.”

“Our brains are normal, our emotions are just like you, maybe even better than you, especially in the dark,” said Choo humorously.