As Amanda Kong enters an e-hailing car, wearing dark sunglasses and carrying a white cane, drivers have spontaneously asked if she is a “masseur,” a profession often associated with the blind community in Malaysia.
At social gatherings, people frequently overlook her, speaking about her in the third person as if she were invisible.
At times, people ask my colleagues about me instead of speaking to me directly. Perhaps they assume that because I am blind, I am unable to hear or speak for myself. – Amanda Kong[1]
Amanda, who is visually impaired, often laughs at the stereotypes people have about the blind. However, her laughter also underscores a sobering reality: Malaysia still has a long way to go to ensure an inclusive society for People With Disabilities (PWD).
Succeeding In Education As A Blind Person
Far from being a masseur, Amanda Kong holds a first-class law degree from the University of Liverpool—a path she notes is “less travelled” by the blind community in Malaysia. Her drive to effect change for the PWD community stems from her belief in their untapped potential and the power of advocacy.
Law is a really good platform for visually impaired people like me, because we can use the law to push for our rights and work towards a just and inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. After all, if we don’t help ourselves, who will? – Amanda Kong[1]
Amanda’s journey to success was fraught with challenges, particularly in education. Born blind due to congenital glaucoma, she faced resistance from teachers who were unsupportive of her needs.
They requested that I stop using the brailler (an instrument for the blind to take notes) because it was noisy. They weren’t aware that I couldn’t stop because I would be left behind if I didn’t take notes immediately. Instead, they told me to go to a sekolah khas (special school). However, these schools are more for slow learners and not the physically disabled. – Amanda Kong[3]
Finding suitable tertiary education was another obstacle. After SPM, Amanda contacted many colleges and universities, only to be met with scepticism.
I contacted many colleges and universities in Malaysia to find out if they could accept a blind individual pursuing a law degree. But all of them had the same response: ‘You’re blind. Why do you want to study law?’ or ‘Are you able to?’ – Amanda Kong[3]
Her persistence paid off when Brickfields Asia College (BAC) accepted her, having already supported other visually impaired students.
BAC They asked what I needed and provided soft copies of materials, while lecturers accommodated me by giving early access to slides and notes for conversion into audio format. – Amanda Kong[3]
Amanda credits her success to the support she received and to her mother, who was her “biggest pillar of strength.” During her A-Levels, her mother translated notes into Braille, helping Amanda become the first visually impaired student to earn the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Award for Top Student in the World for A-Level Law in 2013.
She received exceptional support at the University of Liverpool, including a library assistant for converting books into audio format and a mobility assistant.
The university hired and paid these people to help me. – Amanda Kong[3]
Graduating with first-class honours in 2016, she obtained her certificate in legal practice in 2017 and completed her pupilage at Skrine. Amanda was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2019.
Stigma Against The Blind
After completing her pupillage, Amanda faced rejection from law firms due to concerns about cost and inconvenience.
Unfortunately, the laws in Malaysia don’t have provisions for discrimination against people with disabilities. Lack of awareness makes companies unwilling to explore how they can be more inclusive and hire people with disabilities. Many companies are run by the non-disabled who don’t understand what the disabled need, or how to run the company to be disabled-friendly. – Amanda Kong[3]
These setbacks, however, led her to her current role as Community Development Manager at Make It Right Movement (MIRM), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of BAC, where she is celebrated as an exceptional and integral part of the team.
On top of that, she applies her legal expertise through her leadership of the Disability Working Group within the Bar Council Human Rights Committee, where she is actively involved in the redrafting of the People with Disabilities Act (2008).
However, what remains a significant hurdle is the enduring stigma that many still hold against members of the PwD community, which perpetuates discrimination.
When I talk to people on the phone, they often tell me, ‘you don’t sound blind’. What is a blind person supposed to sound like? – Amanda Kong[3]
She also faces challenges when people, upon meeting her, refuse to engage directly and instead speak to her sighted colleagues.
Using Technology To ‘See’
Amanda, with her quirky sense of humour, defies stigma in her unique way. During a trip to Surabaya, Indonesia, she delighted in catching the sunrise and sunset, leaving others intrigued.
We ‘see’ in a different way. I could enjoy the experience, feeling the warmth from the sun and the sounds, smells, and other sensory cues around me, as my friends described the scene to me. I’ve uploaded selfies of myself, with the hashtag #purelyfortheview to challenge conventional perceptions that the blind cannot ‘see’. – Amanda Kong[3]
A cinema enthusiast, Amanda often surprises people.
You might wonder how a blind person watches a movie. In certain countries, they have headphones with audio descriptions for the blind, but unfortunately, not in Malaysia. Here, a friend sitting next to me will give me the audio description. – Amanda Kong[3]
Rather than being hindered by technology, Amanda uses it as an ally. Her smartphone app allows her to type and listen faster than many sighted people.
The screen reader converts text to audio, and the speed of the voiceover is much faster than what people can normally hear. – Amanda Kong[3]
The app has transformed Amanda’s life, helping her order food, hail rides, and stay active on social media.
I can ‘see’ people’s stories on social media because the app reads the captions aloud to me. I can even take photos using the AI function which adjusts the picture for me. – Amanda Kong[3]
However, challenges remain. When using the train, Amanda opts for direct routes due to inaccessible sidewalks and unhelpful station staff.
The roads/sidewalks are so inaccessible, I might walk into a hole that’s uncovered. Station staff also aren’t willing nor aware of how to help the disabled. – Amanda Kong[3]
Amanda, who enjoys going to the gym, has found that there is room for improvement in terms of its facilities.
The gym needs to be more accessible to persons with disabilities. The buttons on the machines need to be labelled using Braille or differently-shaped stickers. Currently, my friends will tell me the position of the buttons, and I memorise it. – Amanda Kong[3]
Can The Blind Community Envision A Brighter Future?
The reality is that the blind and disabled communities at large have often been treated with sympathy rather than empathy. Policy changes and initiatives frequently overlook seeing the individual beyond their disability.
In Malaysia, a common phrase that people with disabilities often hear from those who aren’t, is ‘not to make life difficult for those who aren’t disabled’. This is very different from the West where it’s ‘how can we remove any obstacles to help you achieve your goals? – Tristan Siew, MIRM community liaison executive[3]
With this sentiment at the core of decision-making involving the community, it restricts the growth of individuals.
There are several associations for the blind in Malaysia, but they don’t offer an extensive range of courses. It’s very basic such as reception duty, learning to type and so on. – Amanda Kong[3]
Amanda advocates for better inclusivity and challenges the assumption that people with disabilities need constant support.
Her achievements underscore her independence and capability, despite pervasive discrimination and a lack of understanding in a predominantly able-bodied world.
Equality is about treating everyone the same way, while equity is about recognising and supporting individuals’ challenges with appropriate resources and opportunities.– Amanda Kong[3]
Though the road to better rights for PWDs is long, Amanda believes in the potential for meaningful change through collaboration among the government, NGOs, community advocates, and PWDs.
“Sitting in the dark,” is Amanda’s favourite retort to those wondering what she’s up to. But with her unwavering determination and achievements, she’s shining a light for the PWD community, guiding them out of the shadows and into a brighter future.
