Despite being born blind, Umashangari has made her place in society through confidence and hard work. She currently works as a Braille editor at the Braille Publishing Unit. She has been taught to manage life independently since childhood.
Uma started learning Braille at the age of just seven. Today, her life story is receiving widespread praise on social media.
Early Childhood
Uma said that when she received her first Braille book in school as a child, she thought of it as a toy. At that time, she did not understand how to read these dots. However, with the patient guidance of her teacher, the path of learning gradually became clear.
In about four months, she mastered reading and writing letters and numbers. Then she realized that Braille is not just a language, it is a medium of learning. This realization changed the direction of her life.
Education and Struggle
After completing SPM, Uma obtained a degree from STPM and later from the University of Malaya. She said that where ordinary people need 100% effort, she has to work twice as hard. Every assignment and presentation was a big challenge.
Preparing Braille textbooks, especially on computer science, was a difficult task. Still, she did not give up.
Reality of Transportation
Uma uses public transportation in her daily life. She finds the LRT and monorail systems relatively helpful. She said that the presence of Braille tiles makes transportation easier.
However, she sees motorcycle parking on the sidewalk as a big problem. She believes that this increases the risk of transportation for the visually impaired.
Netizens’ Reactions
After Uma’s story was published, there was a huge response on social media. Many netizens mentioned her as a real-life inspiration. Some said that Umar’s smile and positive attitude made their day.
Others said that Umar’s life made us rethink the way we complain about small things despite our eyesight. Some commented that Umar’s determination and self-respect are truly rare and admirable.
Some also expressed their gratitude to her, saying that her life teaches us to be grateful and inspires us to be more humane.
Society’s Perspective
Uma said that many people think that the visually impaired cannot work. However, she believes that it is possible to put a smile on people’s faces even with small tasks. She reminded that decency is also important when helping.
She advised asking for permission first before suddenly pushing. Netizens on social media praised Uma’s smile, determination, and mental strength. Many said that they learned gratitude and patience from her life.
Watch the video here.
@weirdkayamy #EXCLUSIVE 🟡 Born blind, but now she’s writing Braille books so blind children can read, learn, and never feel alone. Miss Uma turned what the world saw as a limitation into her life’s purpose. 👉 Follow @weirdkaya for more stories like this. #communitycerita
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