A visually impaired student and her IT dream

RMIT Vietnam’s Opportunity Scholarships 2022 brought My, together with five other students who either have a disability or experience financial disadvantage, a life changing opportunity through accessing higher education at RMIT.

Coming from an impoverished family in Bac Ninh City in which three members including her father, younger brother and herself get cataracts, My’s life was even harder when the glaucoma disease took her vision at grade 3.

“I had to pause my study for two years,” My recalled.

Thanks to her patience and determination, My learnt how to use all Braille systems within only a month and was able to resume her learning journey at an inclusive school.

“It was a bittersweet moment for me as I could continue my study while having to try my very best to eliminate my teachers’ doubts about my ability to study,” My said. 

Despite the barriers of lacking appropriate learning materials and assistive tools, My achieved good results for 12 years, and especially in 2019, she graduated from secondary school with distinction and the highest rank.

It was only when My realised how IT skills can generate positive impacts on many aspects of one’s life, her dream of acquiring a Bachelor of Information Technology started to form.

“I learned some basic IT skills at Bac Ninh City Blind Association, and it turned out to be an important milestone in my life,” My said. “IT has brought me to an equal education and great academic sources, which helped me perform well at school. It was also helpful when it came to extracurricular activities such as attending a book review event.”

The aspirational girl realised that IT could not only support people with visual impairment in their study and life, but also minimise the distance between them and others.

“Many might be surprised at my decision of learning IT,” My said. “But I believe in my choice and my ability.”

However, there’s currently no universities in Vietnam accepting visually impaired students to undertake this major, said Chairman of Bac Ninh City Blind Association Pham Thi Huyen, who witnessed how My progressed over nine years.

“RMIT Vietnam’s Opportunity Scholarship is a wonderful chance for My to realise her dream,” Ms Huyen said.

“Thanks to her talent, diligence, passion for learning and a clear goal for the future, I do believe that My surely has the ability to succeed at university.”

And now excitingly commencing her journey at RMIT Vietnam, My believes “the scholarship and other skills that an international education environment can offer me will help me achieve my dream of becoming a programmer who can create accessible tools for visually impaired students and more”.

Story: Ha Hoang