KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 (Bernama) — Several graduates with disabilities can proudly smile today while receiving their degree scrolls at the 45th Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Convocation Ceremony, because they refused to let their disability stop them from achieving their dreams despite naysayers.
One of the persons with disabilities (PwD) graduates, Mohamad Ridzuan Zakaria, 27, who has suffered from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since childhood, obtained a degree in the Bachelor of Arts (Malay Language and Linguistics).
He said that doctors diagnosed him with ADHD, due to complications in the womb, and that it had caused him to suffer from memory problems and difficulty socialising with friends while in school.
“On campus, many people doubt my abilities and some actually asked if I have ADHD, but it is okay. I understand that not many people are aware that there are ADHD individuals here in Malaysia,” he said when met by Bernama at the Dewan Pusat Kesenian dan Kebudayaan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, UPM, today.
To refute the common perception of ADHD among the community and friends, Ridzuan took the initiative by participating in various activities on campus such as becoming the president of the Silat Gayung Association and entering poetry recitation competitions at the college level.
Mior Mohd Firdaus Mior Mohd Fadzli, 25, is another PwD graduate who received a degree in the Bachelor of Arts (Malay Language and Linguistics). He lost his right leg after being involved in a motorcycle accident in 2012.
He recalled that initially he only suffered a broken right leg, but then it turned black and had to be amputated, resulting in him having to wear a prosthetic leg in 2014.
“Honestly, I was scared and refused to go out on my own and use a prosthetic leg. Alhamdulillah, in the end, I feel okay because there are many people helping me, and there is also a disabled service and support unit providing vans for disabled students,” he said.
During his study, Mior Mohd Firdaus had served as the secretary of the UPM PwD Students Association, and was involved in many discussions to improve services for disabled students and at the same time protect the group’s well-being at the university.
Also stealing the spotlight at the convocation ceremony was Bachelor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (Hons) graduate Kelvin Niyok, who became the first Penan individual from Long Meraan Baram village to obtain a degree from a public university.
Kelvin, 25, said that the Penan ethnic group as a minority tribe in Sarawak, lagging behind in terms of education, but his success today was a source of pride and a catalyst for the youths in his hometown.
“I still remember how we (Penan children) struggled to get an education, and having to ride four-wheel-drive vehicles for five hours using a logging road to get to primary school.
“The most memorable thing is that once there was a broken bridge and we could not cross the river because of strong currents. We had to spend the night by the logging road. Only the next day we could continue our journey to school,” he said.
He also expressed his hope to help and contribute agricultural knowledge to the Penan community in his village, as he has an education in the field besides working as an agronomist in Miri, Sarawak.
Among the crops that can be cultivated in his village are oil palm, paddy and rubber, apart from collecting forest products and taking them outside for sale, he said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
