Ebit Lew’s tablet a lifeline for students with autism
ASINGLE mother gave a sigh of relief after she received a tablet donated by preacher Ebit Lew, describing it as a lifeline for her three children with autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Haslinah Hassan, 40, who lives in a public housing scheme in Jalan Hang Tuah here, said her eldest son, Muhammad Nur Izzat Ismail, 13, a student at SMK Yaacob Latif under the Special Education Integration Programme, was disappointed and almost lost his passion for learning when the secondhand desktop computer she had bought in October stopped working.
Haslinah has two other schoolgoing children, Putri Nur Alya Batrisyia, 9, and Putra Nur Irfan Basir, 7. Her youngest son, Putra Nur Izzuddin Yusuf, 3, who also has autism, goes to the San Peng community rehabilitation centre.
“My schoolgoing children are very interested in technology and the Internet. After the desktop broke down, they used my mobile phone,” said Haslinah, who also suffers from a learning disability and ADHD.
However, everything changed when she saw a post on Lew’s Facebook page on Thursday, with the preacher offering to donate 100 tablets to students in need so that they could follow online classes.
“About 6pm that day, I wrote in the comments section of the post. I told him about my children. I also applied for a tablet,” she said, adding that she was contacted by Lew’s staff 45 minutes later, and received the tablet at 9.30pm the same day.
Much to her delight, she received a laptop computer from another contributor on Saturday.
Haslinah, who has been a single mother since 2019, is unable to work as she has to tend to her four children, and relies on the Social Welfare Department’s allowance of RM400 a month, besides assistance from Baitulmal and other donors.
“I am touched by the contribution of Ustaz Ebit Lew, and will make sure this device is used as well as possible,” she said.
According to Haslinah, her eldest and second child could now use the tablet and laptop to follow the home-based teaching and learning while her third child could use her mobile phone.
Lew’s post on the giveaway was shared by more than 22,000 Facebook users up to yesterday afternoon.
Lew, in a subsequent Facebook post, said within half a day, he had received 43,000 messages from those who needed a tablet for their children to follow the home-based teaching and learning.
“There are quite a few who are disabled, unemployed, orphans and those with low incomes.
“Please forgive me, as there are many more who I couldn’t help,” Ebit said in the post.