Dayangku Soffiezah binti Pengiran Haji Abu Bakar hasn’t been visually impaired since she was born. It was at 10 months old when the doctor found a tumour in her brain that affected the nerves in her eyes.
“The doctor gave a very poor prognosis and didn’t expect me to live very long,” she said. “But against all odds, I was cured. But due to the tumour, I now have to live with permanent vision loss.”
Dayangku Soffiezah shared her story during the ‘Dining in the Dark’ event, organised by the Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind (BDNAB) on Wednesday night.
Over 100 attendees listened as she recounted her life as a visually impaired, from obtaining a Bachelor’s degree to being a mother.
She said, “I was first referred to Persatuan Orang Cacat at Suri Seri Begawan Hospital in the Belait District. It was there where I was first introduced to braille.”
At 10, Dayangku Soffiezah was sent to Princess Elizabeth School for visually impaired children in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. However, due to homesickness, her family decided it would be better if she returned to Brunei as the priority was to make sure she received an education.
Once she was back, she was enrolled in a regular school in Lumut that offered inclusive education.
“I started at Year 6 straight away due to my age. Because I could already read and write in braille, I was able to catch up on my studies and sat for the Primary Certificate of Education exam (now known as Primary School Assessment).”
Throughout primary and secondary school, she said there were times when teachers had to help her take down notes as “not all classes allowed me to use braille”, she said.
It was only when she was in university when she was able to make full use of her voice recorder to take notes and have them turned into braille. After four years at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, she graduated with a degree in Brunei Studies.
Eight years ago, she had her first child which she admitted was not easy being visually impaired.
However, her positive dispositions and strong support system carried her through the initial stage of motherhood.
“Alhamdulillah, thanks to advice from friends, I was able to bring up my baby without much issue,” she said.
Dayangku Soffiezah is now a mother of six children.
“I have three children with my husband. He was a widow with three children. So now I have six children, as well as an in-law and a grandchild,” she said. – James Kon
