12-YEAR JOURNEY FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED DOCTORAL STUDENT
B LINDNESS
is no hindrance to excellent academic performance. Blind or low-vision students face unique challenges and barriers when it comes to higher education.
They will have difficulties performing daily tasks of a student, like processing reading materials, handling assignments and going to lectures. However, this does not mean that pursuing education to the highest level is impossible.
In the recent Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) 46th convocation ceremony, Al-Amril Othman, 49, received his PhD scroll after 12 years of determination and hard work.
Blind since birth, Al-Amril hasn’t let his disabilities held him back to be successful. He had pushed through every hurdle and obstacle thrown his way in pursuit of education.
Al-Amril’s road to success wasn’t all smooth sailing. He had to take Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) two times before securing a spot in Universiti Malaya for his degree. According to Al-Amril, he lacked motivation and principle during that time.
He pursued his master’s degree and PhD in UKM under the Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation in History.
Under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr Mohd Samsudin, he overcame the odds and finally gained his PhD after 12 years.
“People don’t take this long to complete a PhD, but I finally did it. I gained momentum to complete my research in the last few years.
“My PhD years were tough. I went through a different kind of challenge compared with my undergraduate and postgraduate studies,” he said.
He said he had a difficult time finding a help- er or a reader to help him with his thesis.
“I need my helper to identify suitable resources for my research. It is usually not an issue if the reading materials are accessible in the library and in Braille. However, if the materials are available online, I need to assign someone to read it to me.
“If the material is fit for my research, I will jot it down using Braille as I can’t memorise all the information. That will help me remember and it will be easier for me to get back to the notes later.”
Al-Amril said other than traditional tactile system, such as Braille, he wrote his thesis using computer with voice recognition software. The software will detect spelling errors by reading the text back to the user.
“There were times I thought to myself that I want to stop doing this. I was going through personal problems that I could not share with anyone, even with my family or my supervisor.
“Sometimes, I avoided meeting my supervisor to discuss about the progress of my thesis as I was afraid that I could not contribute anything to the discussion,” he added.
His supervisor, Mohd, said moral support from the community was also important for Al-Amril.
“Here in UKM, Al-Amril is never alone. He always has his peers, colleagues and students to support him in no matter what situation.
“For sure there were ups and downs in his journey completing his thesis but, he is a high-spirited and sharpwitted person. I have learnt a lot from Al-Amril being his supervisor. I always take advantage of his best qualities to push through and complete his study.
Having served UKM as a History lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities from 1995 until now, Al-Amril claimed that he is now more confident to give lectures and write academic research papers.
For me, time is not the problem for someone to be successful.
What’s important is to keep going and never stop until you reach your goal. AL-AMRIL OTHMAN Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) PhD holder
His passion for teaching started at a young age. He constantly heard about campus news when he was in high school and was determined to work in a university as a lecturer. That was his main motivation to continue his study to this level.
Before joining UKM, he worked at the Malaysian Association for the Blind for three months as an admin executive.
“As a visually impaired lecturer, I do not have full control of my lecture. However, I don’t blame the students if they are not paying attention or they are doing something else in my class. Rather, I see it as a challenge for me to come out with different methods of teaching and learning.
“Usually, I try to involve the students by conducting forums, debates and open discussions. This way, the students can engage in the class activity.
“My hearing is sensitive and I can hear when students are talking, even at the back of the class. My solution for this is that I play songs related to the lessons to keep them focused.
Married with one child, Al-Amril is blessed to have a supportive family to help him achieve his dream. According to him, his parents are the pillars of his strength to keep him going in life.
“I like the tale of the tortoise and the rabbit, where the tortoise beat the arrogant and fast rabbit in a race. Although the tortoise is slow in movement, he still wins the race with consistency and determination.
“For me, time is not the problem for someone to be successful. What’s important is to keep going and never stop until you reach your goal,” he added.