For the unfamiliar, Braille is a tactile reading and writing system that consists of dots arranged to represent letters, numbers, and even musical and mathematical symbols.
Rishan Ponraj Sivaraj’s journey with Braille started at the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) when he was about five years old. Born with cataracts and glaucoma, Rishan, now 23, is legally blind.
“I depend 100% on my left eye. I can see light and objects that are near enough, maybe a few feet away. I can also see colours and people, but I can’t recognise who they are,” he shared with FMT Lifestyle, adding that he underwent a cornea transplant in his right eye when he was five but it was unsuccessful.
Naturally, Braille plays a crucial role in his life. “Without Braille, it would be difficult for us to read and access knowledge. So I really appreciate Braille, which helps us be connected with the world.”
Recalling his experience of learning Braille, he said: “The challenging part is reading, as our fingers must be sensitive to the dots and differentiate between them. Learning to write is not as hard as reading.”
He remains grateful to his teacher at MAB, Puan Rosnah, who was patient in teaching him. “During my teenage years, whenever I was free, I always read. I decided if I were to pursue my studies further, it would be something related to the English language,” said Rishan, who has three older siblings.
After sitting for his Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination at St John’s Institution in Kuala Lumpur – he impressively scored a 3.58 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) – Rishan was accepted into Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang to pursue a Bachelor of Arts (English for Professionals).
He began his studies there in October 2020. Tragedy, however, struck the following year when his father, Sivaraj Ponniah, passed away from a heart attack.
“It was really painful to lose him. He was my best friend. It was challenging, but my father’s dream was to see me with a degree. It was something that helped me to pull through and study hard.”
And pull through he did – on Nov 27, Rishan successfully graduated with a 3.44 CGPA. “The feeling of graduating, going up to the stage and receiving the scroll was a very proud moment,” he recalled.
It wasn’t his only one: earlier in August, he received an Outstanding Youth Award from Academic Force, a Penang-based NGO, in recognition of his skills, leadership and STPM achievement, among others.
In addition, Rishan has been participating in Braille reading competitions in English since 2019. This included an international competition in Thailand in early 2020, during which he bagged first place in the junior category.
His most recent competition was held in September. Organised by the Society of the Blind in Malaysia (Penang), Rishan also clinched first prize.
So, what are his thoughts on technological advancements such as auditory devices that convert text into speech? “Personally, although there is software, I still prefer to read on my own,” he said.
Rhetorically asking whether people should stop reading printed books just because there are e-versions available, he added: “Even with tech, one should still learn Braille. It’s still necessary.”
Rishan has truly come a long way from the child who once struggled to accept he was blind. To other young visually impaired individuals, he advised: “Do what you like. Some people may say things to put you down, but be brave and don’t care what they say.
“Visually impaired people can achieve great things like everybody else.”