Imenwell (center) shows his results with his parents Isak and Christina. – Photo by Peter Boon
SIBU (July 13): Visually impaired Imenwell Isak, 20, from Kuching, managed to overcome his limitations after scoring cummulaltive grade point average (CGPA) of 3.5 in his Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) 2022 examination.
The SMK Matang Jaya student is determined to pursue his dream of becoming a teacher to serve the community, especially to provide motivation to those with physical disabilities (PwD).
Imenwell hoped that he would be able to enroll into University Malaya.
“I was told the university has good facilities for OKU including those with vision impairment,” he told reporters, met after the results announcement.
According to Imenwell, he took four subjects for his STPM 2022, namely Pengajian Am, Bahasa Melayu, History and Business studies.
Asked about his preparations, he admitted that his disability required some assistance, particularly in reading, from a text-to-speech device.
This, he added, had somewhat slowed down his preparations.
However, he said he did not see this as a stumbling block, but an opportunity to aim for good grades in STPM.
Delving deeper, Imenwell revealed that he was diagnosed with glaucoma at the age of 16 years.
“I sought treatment late as there were no glaring symptoms – occasionally, I had blur visions but thought that there was nothing serious until the condition deteriorated,” he said.
According to his father, Isak Ngau, 46, the text-to-speech device was bought from Korea and cost over RM2,000 in the market.
Isak, who is currently teaching at the Kuching blind training centre, recalled how his son had to miss out lessons previously while undergoing treatment.
“I am very delighted that he is able to get such good grades in the STPM examination,” said Isak, who travelled from Kuching to Sibu with his wife, Christina Nyoheh, 45.
He said he wanted to show to his son that they were solidly behind him and celebrated his achievement.