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JOBSEEKER SUCCESS STORIES
Mah Hassan b Haji Omar was the first Malaysian with visual impairment to be called to the Malaysian Bar in 1988. Previously a Legal Adviser at Bursa Malaysia, he is now the Principal Partner of his own law firm, Mah Hassan & Associates. He is also the president of the Society of the Blind, Malaysia.
“My greatest challenge was to convince my employer on my abilities and that I should be given the opportunity to state my case for employment. I did not want to be prejudged on my physical disadvantage. To do this, I had to appear as normal as possible in my dressing, sitting and talking. I succeeded to draw the interviewer to the positive side of my abilities and convince him that I can be productive and able to improve my performance when fully assisted by IT gadgets such as a text scanner and speech synthesizer.
“My advice to disabled jobseekers are: firstly, to acknowledge that we are in the minority and we must appear normal in order to be accepted into the mainstream; secondly, apart from academic qualification, we have to be effective in our work; and thirdly, we must work doubly hard in our employment.”
Ho Koon Wei is the country’s first deaf linguistics expert. This lady from Batu Pahat had her secondary education at the Federation School for the Deaf in Penang before proceeding to the United States. She holds a Master Degree in Linguistics from the Gallaudet University in Washington DC. Today, Koon Wei is working as an executive at the Majudiri "Y" Foundation for the Deaf in Kuala Lumpur.
"I want to be a role model for other deaf Malaysians to show them that their disability is not an obstacle and nothing is impossible. Our community has the capability to achieve success in various fields but we lack the confidence to do so.
"When I was growing up, I realised the importance of furthering my studies. With my savings and some help from my mother, I was able to attend courses at the Gallaudet University. Now, I want to inspire others to do the same. It has not been easy for me and there were many challenges. But the fact that I have come so far shows that the deaf or others with disabilities can achieve the same success."
BG Lim is an Enterprise Wide Programmer Analyst with Altera Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd. He is affected by a condition known as retinitis pigmentosa which impedes his visual ability.
“It's very important to have self-confidence. It is inevitable that I sometimes feel despair during my work but no matter what, I always convince myself that I can do better next time and gain my confidence back.
“Before attending any interview, I will make sure that I am well prepared and ready. Let the employer knows what we can and cannot do. I will let them know my weaknesses and show my qualities at the same time. Then let the employer judge if I am able to contribute to the company. I always show keen interest in the jobs I applied.
“It may take me more time to learn something new, but I always find ways to go about it. Knowledge is power. It is the best tool to gain what we seek. So you have to be brave to learn new things.”
 Khoo Su Ching was born with congenital cataract. She cannot see totally from her right eye and her vision on the left is 6/60. She studied at the St Nicholas School and joined a normal secondary school under an integrated programme before proceeding to gain her Bachelor degree from Universiti Malaya and an MBA from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Today, Su Ching is an Account Manager at JobStreet.com.
"I used to believe in equal opportunities for the physically challenged people in the job market. In reality, it is not always like what I thought. There are employers who are still skeptical about what a physically challenged jobseeker can do, even if you have the qualification or skills. It is always difficult to convince them on your ability. It is important to portray yourself as very confident in any interview and try to tackle the questions smartly. Being honest in any job interview is also vital to get the job you want. Getting there well prepared, especially with information about the prospective employer is another advantage. At times, I might go to the venue much earlier just in case it is difficult for me to find the company or I would get my family or friends to go with me a day ahead to locate the company so that I will reach on time for the agreed appointment. My advice is always to be positive!"
 Silatul Rahim b Dahman is the Head of the Technology Training Department at the St Nicholas School for the Blind in Penang, a position he has held since 1993. Previously, he had worked at AGK Sdn Bhd, Malaysian Exhibition Marketing Sdn Bhd and the Society of the Blind, all in Kuala Lumpur.
In 2003, Silatul was presented with the Ministry of Human Resources’ Tokoh Pekerja award in the Disabled Persons category. His other achievements included the training of 500 visually impaired persons from Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei in computer technology, and representing St Nicholas Home on various national-level committees such as the Access and Computer Technology for the Blind, Education and Welfare for the Blind, and Blind Professional Affair Service. He has also represented Malaysia to the regional committee for On-Net in Bangkok.
 Lee Hooi Sim had her primary school education at the St Nicholas School for the Blind before progressing to the St George’s Girls’ School. She then studied three years at the Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Universiti Malaya, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours.
Hooi Sim was an Office Assistant at Hitachi Semiconductor Malaysia, and in self-employment by giving tuition to primary and secondary school pupils before joining St Nicholas Home as a rehabilitation instructor. Today, she is a Library Assistant.
Subramaniam s/o Ramiah studied at the St Nicholas Home for the Blind and the Sek Men Keb Haji Zainal Abidin. He holds a Diploma in Electronic Engineering. As a swimmer, he had represented Penang at the Sukan Paralimpik in 1992, 1994 and 1996.
His working experience included a three-year stint with Weng Seng Wood Sdn Bhd in Ipoh. He is presently employed by the Berjaya Georgetown Hotel in Penang.
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