BORN with achondroplasia (a type of dwarfism), Yeoh King Lim had it tough growing up.
He faced many struggles and was often stereotyped, teased and talked about because of his appearance which eventually took a toll on his mental health.
“Because I was born different, children and even adults laughed at my physical appearance. It became a norm in my life.
“I kept all the sadness, grudges, and anger within me as I was scared to voice them out. I felt my self-esteem wasting away.
“People often criticise the differently-abled for how they look, or how they behave,” said the final year Public Relations and Marketing student of Taylor’s University.
After receiving help, he managed to overcome his poor mental state and has since become an advocate on mental health.
A firm believer that mental health for the differently-abled is just as important as anyone else, King Lim and four of his classmates Clara Teo Nian En, Janice Chai Xin Hui, Khoo Jian Sheng and Tan Chee Xuan, launched a digital campaign in conjunction with World Mental Health Day on Oct 10 to raise awareness and educate people on mental health among the differently-abled community and their caregivers.
Dubbed “Unmask Your Wounds”, the online campaign was part of the team’s Final Year Project which ended on Nov 6.
Throughout the campaign period, the team hosted weekly Instagram Lives (Unmasked Lives) and Podcasts (Unmasked Thoughts), where the team spoke to people from the differently-abled community, caregivers and professionals from the mental health field.
“We hope that the campaign has helped highlight the mental health issues faced by the differently-abled and has led to the creation of a network for caregivers.
“Mental health is often seen as invisible wounds or wounds that are often plastered – hence the name of our campaign, ‘Unmask Your Wounds’.
“These wounds don’t heal and may get ‘infected’ over time. Seek help before it gets worse,” advised King Lim.
Taylor’s University School of Media and Communication lecturer and project supervisor Philip Gan said the campaign addressed issues that have often been overlooked.
“We hope the campaign has inspired people to show empathy, compassion and understanding towards the differently-abled individuals. We also hope their caregivers know they’re not alone in their struggles.”
Although the campaign period has ended, the team encourages the public to unmask their stories while connecting to others using the movement hashtag #UnmaskMyStory and #UnmaskYourWounds.
The team will continue creating content on social media and is planning to collaborate with students from other universities to run mental health and differently-abled community events to create an inclusive, understanding and accepting society.
For details, visit Instagram: @unmaskyourwounds or Facebook: Unmask Your Wounds.
He faced many struggles and was often stereotyped, teased and talked about because of his appearance which eventually took a toll on his mental health.
“Because I was born different, children and even adults laughed at my physical appearance. It became a norm in my life.
“I kept all the sadness, grudges, and anger within me as I was scared to voice them out. I felt my self-esteem wasting away.
“People often criticise the differently-abled for how they look, or how they behave,” said the final year Public Relations and Marketing student of Taylor’s University.
After receiving help, he managed to overcome his poor mental state and has since become an advocate on mental health.
A firm believer that mental health for the differently-abled is just as important as anyone else, King Lim and four of his classmates Clara Teo Nian En, Janice Chai Xin Hui, Khoo Jian Sheng and Tan Chee Xuan, launched a digital campaign in conjunction with World Mental Health Day on Oct 10 to raise awareness and educate people on mental health among the differently-abled community and their caregivers.
Dubbed “Unmask Your Wounds”, the online campaign was part of the team’s Final Year Project which ended on Nov 6.
Throughout the campaign period, the team hosted weekly Instagram Lives (Unmasked Lives) and Podcasts (Unmasked Thoughts), where the team spoke to people from the differently-abled community, caregivers and professionals from the mental health field.
“We hope that the campaign has helped highlight the mental health issues faced by the differently-abled and has led to the creation of a network for caregivers.
“Mental health is often seen as invisible wounds or wounds that are often plastered – hence the name of our campaign, ‘Unmask Your Wounds’.
“These wounds don’t heal and may get ‘infected’ over time. Seek help before it gets worse,” advised King Lim.
Taylor’s University School of Media and Communication lecturer and project supervisor Philip Gan said the campaign addressed issues that have often been overlooked.
“We hope the campaign has inspired people to show empathy, compassion and understanding towards the differently-abled individuals. We also hope their caregivers know they’re not alone in their struggles.”
Although the campaign period has ended, the team encourages the public to unmask their stories while connecting to others using the movement hashtag #UnmaskMyStory and #UnmaskYourWounds.
The team will continue creating content on social media and is planning to collaborate with students from other universities to run mental health and differently-abled community events to create an inclusive, understanding and accepting society.
For details, visit Instagram: @unmaskyourwounds or Facebook: Unmask Your Wounds.
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