Malaysian sign language teacher breaks down barriers on TikTok

Anissa hopes that with more people being aware of BIM, the hearing-impaired community will be more understood and included in society. Photo: Handout

Being someone with a hearing impairment, Anissa Jailani knows too well how it can affect different aspects of one’s life, including education, employment opportunities, and social and emotional wellbeing.

As such, the 24-year-old TikTok creator, better known as Cik Nis, has dedicated her platform – which has over 596,000 followers and 7.4 million likes to date – towards building a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination by educating viewers on how to sign and communicate with others using the Malaysian Sign Language, or Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM).