Deaf or hearing-impaired Grab drivers are becoming a norm in Malaysia

Nor'Ain Azizan shows the sign used in her car to indicate to passengers that she is hearing-impaired.

Joey Kow works as Grab driver five days a week. “I enjoy it because it enables me to meet people and earn a living,” says Kow, who also works at a bakery. Kow might sound like any Grab driver, but she’s one of 500 drivers and delivery-riders in Malaysia who are differently-abled.

Born deaf, Kow communicates using sign language. But that doesn’t pose any problem for her as a driver. “When passengers encounter a deaf driver, they are usually amazed – or shocked but in a good way,” she says though an interpreter.