Blind since birth, Ruth Yong overcomes challenges to earn a master’s degree and pursue her passion for teaching.
FOR Ruth Yong Wang Theen, completing a master’s programme in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is both an academic and personal milestone.
What makes her achievement even more remarkable is that she has been blind since birth.
Yong, 35, has long been passionate about teaching, while English has always been her favourite subject.
She previously obtained a degree in communication and psychology from Monash University Malaysia, but her interest in language education developed through a volunteering opportunity during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when she began teaching English to refugee students.
The experience deepened her passion for teaching and language education, eventually leading her to enrol in the TESOL programme at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus.
Yong said her time at Swinburne Sarawak was meaningful and fulfilling despite the challenges posed by her disability.
“As someone who is fully blind, pursuing postgraduate studies required me to find ways to navigate materials and learning environments that were not always accessible.
“Nevertheless, I was determined to complete my degree and make the most of the opportunity,” she said.
Studying part-time and largely remotely gave her the flexibility to balance her studies with other commitments.
She completed the programme over five years, typically taking one or two units per semester.
Her perseverance paid off when she earned a High Distinction for her thesis, titled “Exploring the Motivational Factors and Barriers in English Language Acquisition among Refugee Students in Malaysia”, an achievement she is particularly proud of.
“Completing a master’s degree while navigating accessibility challenges has been a significant personal and academic achievement.
“My research was also closely connected to my experience as a volunteer English teacher for refugee students, which made the project particularly meaningful to me,” she said.
Throughout her academic journey, Yong overcame challenges with the support of her lecturers, peers and university staff.
The experience taught her to be resilient, persistent and resourceful, as well as to be open to seeking help when necessary.
One hurdle was accessing study materials that were incompatible with her screen reader, NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA). Scanned PDFs and documents containing visual elements were often difficult for the software to interpret.
To address this, she sought assistance from the university’s librarians, who helped convert materials into accessible Word documents or locate text-based versions.
The university also adapted its teaching resources and methods to accommodate her needs.
Lecturers worked with librarians to redevelop materials into accessible formats.
Assessment materials and marking rubrics were adjusted where necessary, while audio resources were prepared with accessibility considerations in mind.
Yong also found alternative solutions, using software such as ABBYY FineReader to convert scanned PDFs into more accessible formats.
At times, friends helped by reading materials aloud and recording them as audio files, allowing her to study more efficiently and keep up with her coursework.
“One particularly helpful friend reorganised and retyped some of my PowerPoint lecture notes into a format that worked better with my screen reader.
“Some of the original slides contained images and animations that were difficult for NVDA to interpret, so my friend described relevant images and diagrams in words,” Yong said.
She is grateful for the support she received from her lecturers and coursemates, which made a meaningful difference to her learning experience.
Although much of her study was conducted remotely, interactions through consultations, group work and other learning activities helped her feel connected to the university community.
“Despite the challenges I face, I have always tried to focus on what I can do rather than what I cannot do. Completing both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees has reinforced the importance of perseverance, support and creating accessible opportunities,” she said.
Looking ahead, Yong hopes to build a career in English language education. She also wants to see greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workplace and greater recognition of their contributions.
“I hope my experience can help cultivate greater awareness that people with disabilities can contribute meaningfully in the workplace when they are given appropriate opportunities and reasonable accessibility support.
“I would like to continue pursuing my passion for teaching while also encouraging greater inclusion and understanding of people with disabilities,” she said.
Yong was among 414 graduates who received their scrolls during Swinburne Sarawak’s graduation ceremony on Oct 14.
Her achievement serves as an inspiration to others to pursue their aspirations with perseverance, even in the face of challenges.
“If I can pursue and complete a master’s degree, I hope others will believe that they, too, can overcome their own challenges. The journey may not always be easy, but difficulties do not necessarily have to prevent us from reaching our goals,” she said.
