Special needs for special kids

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SPECIAL CHILD: Fang Ling was born with vision impairment but she is smart and has a good ear for music.

IT was late into the night.

A shadow was seen drifting slowly in the dark across the Kuching SMK Batu Lintang dorminatory for the disabled.

Once in a while, the dark shadow made strange unintelligible noises.

At other times, a one-sided conversation seemed to be going on.

When first light broke, the shadow of the night faded away — and everything returned to normal.

So rumours began making the rounds that the dormitory was haunted.

“That was no ghost at all. It was my son,” laughed Amber (not real name), 49, whose son John (not real name), 11, has multiple disabilities — visual impairment, attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistism.

As SMK Batu Lintang is the only school in Sarawak equipped with facilities for children with visual impairment, Amber sent John there two years ago, hoping her son would not only receive formal education but also learn to be independent.

To her disappointment, John, being hyperactive, proved too much of a handful for the school to manage even after one staff was assigned specially to him.

With much regret, the school sent him back to his parents.

SILENT SACRIFICES: Fang Ling’s father, Yap Yak Bee and her mother Tang Chui King. It takes a lot of sacrifices to bring up a special child but both parents are taking the challenge in their stride.

“John can’t travel in a plane. He can’t stand loud noises. He sleeps during the day and plays at night. He really had a very hard time staying at SMK Batu Lintang,” Amber explained.

John is now staying with his parents in Sibu, attending Sekolah Perbandaran (SUDC) No. 3 at Jalan Bandung — the only school (or class) in the Division offering primary education for visually impaired pupils.

According to the School Supervisor of Sibu Education Divisional Office, there are three teachers at SUDC, of whom two have been specially trained to teach visually-impaired students while the third is an assistant teacher.

In 2012, there were nine pupils, including John. This year, only seven remain after Yap Fang Ling, 14, left and one pupil had passed on.

Trying time

Fang Ling, born with impaired vision, was ‘drifting’ before finally settling down at SUDC No 3. She tried SMK Batu Lintang before but it did not work out.

“Usually, the school (SMK Batu Lintang) will not allow parents to stay but they made an exception for me. We stayed at the dormitory for two weeks.

“When it was time for me to leave, I couldn’t bear the thought of letting Fang Ling stay behind all by herself. She was only six or seven then. Both of us left eventually.

“But off and on, we went back to SMK Batu Lintang for about three months each time. While there, we learned to use the braille typewriter,” said Fang Ling’s mother Tang Chui King, 46, who operates the family’s grocery in Selangau.

Fang Ling attended primary three and four at SJK Tong Ah, Sibu. She just sat in class and learned through listening.

Understanding her situation, some teachers modified their teaching methods to accommodate her while others tried asking the other students to read out the contents in their books so that Fang Ling could pick up, Tang recalled.

Living in Selangau, a town 45 minutes from Sibu, Tang had found it very difficult sending Fang Ling to school everyday. So arrangements had to be made for her to stay in Sibu with relatives and for the latter to send her to and from school everyday.

It was a tedious process, especially when her parents also had to look after their grocery business. It was even tougher for them when it came to helping Fang Ling with her studies.

“We tried reading out the contents of the syllabus to her as much as we could. She would type out what we read in braille and use it for revision later.

“Sometimes, I couldn’t even pronounce some of the words in the book. All I could do was to spell out the words for her,” Tang said, admitting that was the toughest part.

Although the school fee was reasonable, expenses incurred in engaging domestic help as well as sending Fang Ling to school could be quite high.

But her parents did not complain.

“We could still cope. Of course, we tried saving where possible. For example, the papers Fang Ling used to type her braille notes were recycled from those left at the dumpster.”

CONFIDENCE: When it comes to study, Fang Ling is confident as she is well prepared.

Turning point

Joining SUDC No. 3 in 2010 was the turning point for Fang Ling. It was cikgu Saptura who discovered that though blind, Fang Ling is very smart and academically gifted.

Cikgu Saptura, specially trained to teach visually impaired secondary school students, soon noticed that Fang Ling was no ordinary student and with the right guidance, she could even be “a high flyer.”

“She was the one who reminded me repeatedly that Fang Ling has potential and is exceptionally good in her studies.

“Whenever we missed class, cikgu Saptura would call to remind me to send her. She is the one we really have to thank for Fang Ling’s progress,” Tang said.

Under the tutelage of the three teachers at SUDC No. 3, Fang Ling completed six years of primary syllabus between 2010 to 2012. She passed her UPSR with flying colours — 4A and 1B — last year and is now doing her secondary education at SMK Sungai Merah.

Young Fang Ling has three wishes — to have the opportunity to continue her secondary education (study law later), to receive some guidance on playing the piano and to own a braille Bible.

So far, she has been fortunate to have her first (secondary education) and second (playing piano) wishes answered.

The first wish was fulfilled when the Education Department set up a secondary school integration class for visually impaired in Sibu after being informed of Fang Ling’s situation — that she had tried attending SMK Batu Lintang but was too young at time to stay at the school all by herself and that there is no such class in Sibu.

The second wish came true when her former pastor showed her how to play the keyboard.

“Fang Ling started playing on a toy keyboard. We noticed she could play any melody she heard.”

Realising she may be musically gifted, her parents bought her an electronic keyboard.

“Although without any formal piano lessons, she had been playing for the Sunday School class. Her former pastor who knew a bit about playing the piano was the one who taught her the basics,” Tang recalled.

That was enough to open the world of music to Fang Ling.

The pastor gave her a collection of hymes and songs and she learned to play them by ear. Now playing the piano has become Fang Ling’s favourite pastime.

As a Christian, Fang Ling’s third wish is to own a braille Bible. And that wish is about to come true too as a Borneo Post executive has already ordered a copy for her.

A probable setback is the Bible comes in 40 volumes, measuring 6 feet high. The Borneo Post is yet to get a confirmation whether Fang Ling’s family can manage the storage of the Bible.

NEW TEXTBOOKS: The Education Department has set up a secondary integration class at SMK Sungai Merah for Fang Ling and others like her in Sibu.

Different learning curves

Comparing the cases of Fang Ling and John who had both studied in SUDC No. 3, one cannot help but notice that the former, who excels in her studies, seems to be getting all her wishes fulfilled while the latter, although attending class regularly, seems to be making little headway.

No one should be blamed for John’s slow progress as the learning curve of every handicapped child is different although the same set of rules or principles apply when an educational institution is involved.

While one “special” child may fit into SMK Batu Lintang or SUDC No. 3 perfectly, another child may find difficulty doing the same.

As such, it would be impossible for the government or any benevolent NGOs to cater specifically to the needs of every disabled individual.

The best any institution can do is to provide a centre for one form of disability but at the end of the day, the same general guidelines or rules still apply.

Fang Ling’s case has been easier because her natural gifts are obvious and distinctive. On top of that, she suffers only one form of handicap.

And when society, as a whole, steps forward to lend ready hand to the handicapped, one sees a glimmer of hope for Fang Ling and “special” children like her who are mostly marginalised and overlooked.

John is not as obviously gifted and his handicaps seem more complicated. And while society celebrates Fang Ling’s success, what about John and disadvantaged kids like him?

Apart from his own home, is there a place in our society where John will not be mistaken for a ghost?

While Fang Ling is blessed with intellectual gifts – notwithstanding her visual impairment — let us be reminded there is still much to be done for all our “special” children, including John.