Looking into eye care
MORE often than not, we take our eyes for granted as we go about our daily tasks. Ever wondered what would happen if you were to lose your eyesight?
Students and faculty members from SEGi University and Colleges in Kota Damansara got a glimpse into the world of a visuallyimpaired person through its Eye Guide You (EGY) campaign. Organised by 26 Bachelor of Mass Communication and Bachelor of Corporate Communications SEGi students as part of their coursework, the campaign aims to create awareness on the importance of eye care, and to get people to appreciate their sense of sight.
EGY will also raise funds for the Malaysian Foundation for the Blind (MFB) through a bazaar, as well as interactive games and activities, such as mini golf, mini football and a maze race, in which all the participants were blindfolded!
There was also a Braille test, where participants had to read a sentence typed in braille.
“Technological advances and the reliance on gadgets have caused many to take eye care for granted. And yet, our eyes play a huge role in our daily lives,” said SEGi vice-chancellor Prof Dr Patrick Kee at the launch of EGY.
Prof Kee cited unsafe practices in handling gadgets and computers, (not going for) routine eye checks and (consuming) insufficient nutrition for the eyes as examples of such neglect.
He added that infrastructure and resources to assist the visually-impaired in their daily lives, be it in education, public transportation or the service industry, are far from ideal.
“It is hoped that with more empathy and dedication towards social inclusion, developed from efforts such as this campaign, the visually impaired can live independent lives and not be marginalised.”
There are 285 million visually impaired people in the world today, shared MFB CEO Silatul Rahim Dahman, who added that one person in the world goes blind every five seconds and one child goes blind every minute.
Silatul Rahim himself was born with normal eyesight but lost it after he contracted chicken pox at the age of five. He shared that he met many people who tried to quash his dreams because of his disability.
“When I told my teachers I wanted to study computer science, they said I couldn’t because I needed eyesight to handle a PC. They encouraged me to make baskets or become a telephone operator instead,” he said.
Silatul Rahim ignored their remarks and became the first blind person in the country to obtain a diploma in computer science in 1991.
“We would like to see this society and country be more inclusive, in business, education, politics and transportation. When our needs are well taken care for, we can be a part of society and contribute to our nation,” he said.
During the day-long EGY campaign, participants were given free eye screenings and enjoyed performances by local recording artistes such as Caliph Buskers, who are visually impaired, and Cat Farish.
MFB brochures on “how to assist a blind (person)” were also handed out, emphasising the campaign’s 3A slogan — Approach, Ask, Assist. The students managed to collect over RM56,000 worth of sponsorships, in cash and products through EGY.
“It is not just about providing students with an education. We want to instil holistic learning. They need to have empathy, so they will be conscious of these issues when they go out and make business decisions (later on),” said Prof Kee.
“We organised this campaign to give back to society,” said EGY project director Ian Schubert, who added that although the event was not held on a large scale, it was a start.