Two disabled A-Level students attribute good results to caring schools

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SINGAPORE: Whenever he feels overwhelmed by setbacks, Brendan Lau would remind himself of this mantra: “You are the master of your own destiny.”

It is a philosophy that has spurred the 20-year-old, who is deaf, to chase his dreams. And on Friday (Mar 4), one dream - to do well in his GCE A-Levels - came true, with Brendan scoring As in five subjects, including economics and history, and a B for project work.

Brendan has been deaf since he was an infant, as a result of drugs administered for a pre-existing gastrointestinal problem.

After taking a year to pursue biomedical engineering in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, he decided to explore other subjects.

He headed to Millennia Institute (MI) where he discovered his passion for history, current affairs and learning about different cultures.

Describing his school as having a “culture of care” - Brendan recalled how his teachers would painstakingly transcribe the subtitles of videos screened in class, while two of his classmates took up sign language so that they could communicate with him daily.

As the vice-chairman of his school’s Young Diplomats Society, Brendan prepared materials for debates on issues, such as climate change, social inequality, and the rise of terrorism in the region, during mock United Nations conferences.

Although he was actively involved in such debates, Brendan said at times, he would be left out of dialogues and conferences held outside the school because the organisers were not prepared to accommodate him, or were unsure how to do so.

“When I see my peers going off to get all these experiences while I’m stuck in school ... it’s very frustrating,” he added.

However, that did not stop Brendan from signing up for an exchange programme, where he co-hosted four German students in Singapore by communicating with them on a special writing board. He also took part in a 10-day trip to a small German town.

On his role model, Brendan cited Claudia L Gordon, the first deaf African-American female attorney in the United States, whom he first saw in a YouTube video.

“It was very enlightening for me, and solid proof that we are the makers of our destiny. She grew up in unfavourable circumstances, but if she was able to overcome all those barriers, I don’t see why I can’t .”

Brendan, who hopes to study political science at the National University of Singapore, wants to work in a non-governmental organisation to champion for “greater recognition of disadvantaged groups”.

“I want to make a change in society,” he added.

"I ALWAYS REMIND MYSELF TO STOP WALLOWING IN SELF PITY"

Another student who demonstrated similar tenacity was Pioneer Junior College’s Charmaine Tan.

The 22-year-old was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, which caused her to have progressive tunnel vision, and is now totally blind.

A vomiting spell in secondary school led Charmaine to discover she had end-stage kidney failure, and her poor health caused her to go in and out of hospitals. She now goes for dialysis three times a week.

After four gruelling years at the junior college, Charmaine managed to pass her A-Levels, which she described as a great surprise. She passed all her five subjects, including getting an A in history and B in economics and General Paper.

As one who was “quiet and socially awkward” and struggled with low self-esteem during her growing-up years, Charmaine said she used to be too afraid to seek help from her classmates.

However, thanks to their encouragement, she managed to come out of her shell.

Her teachers, too, went the extra mile, such as helping her to use the iPhone’s voiceover function, and would send her soft copies of notes, which she would read through with an audio software program on her computer.

The bubbly young woman now often takes part in activities organised by Runninghour, a club that promotes the integration of people with special needs through running.

She is picking up tennis at Soundball, a group that promotes blind tennis, and will also be training as a guide in Dialogue in the Dark, an experiential walking tour, to help lead visitors through different settings in darkness.

“(Participating in these activities) gave me a lot of confidence ... I know I can run and do sports like everybody else ... I always remind myself to stop wallowing in self-pity,” Charmaine said.

This year’s GCE A-Level results were the best since the examinations under the modified curriculum started in 2007.

About 93.1 per cent of the 13,582 students received at least three H2 passes, with a pass in General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry.

Last year, about 91.4 per cent of the 14,185 students scored at least three H2 passes.



Read the original TODAY report here.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/....html?cid=FBSG


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