BEING hearing impaired has never been an obstacle for 38-year-old Md Herman Saidin. In fact, it has driven him further on the path of guiding people with disabilities to a better way of life.
Armed with the motto “Work from the heart”, Herman said he is not one who brags about his deeds.
“Do it with sincerity from the heart because God knows what we do. Whether or not we receive an award is not important because it will not change the fact that we are part of the community,” said Herman, who was one of the recipients of the recent MyHero 3.0 Award.
However, he was grateful for the recognition and thanked those who nominated him for the award.
Herman started his journey in charity as soon as he completed secondary school and has since been focusing on teaching disabled children sign language in his hometown in Labuan.
“I learned sign language on my own before taking up sign language courses and learning modules organised by the Association for Special Needs Individuals of Labuan and the Labuan Deaf Society.
“After completing school, I became active in the association by helping to teach basic sign language. I also pursued sign language extensively at the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf,” Herman said.
Herman, who went on to work as a sign language interpreter at the Kuala Lumpur Society of the Deaf, said it took him almost three years to master sign language.
Armed with the qualification, Herman said he became committed to helping the hearing-impaired children in Labuan by teaching them the standard sign language.
This is to ensure that the children would be able to communicate easily and find jobs.
“I was given the opportunity to teach around 20 people with disabilities to learn sign language. I am happy to say they were able to find suitable jobs,” said Herman, who was glad that these special people were able to earn a decent living.
On what spurred him to work in the charity sector, Herman said he was inspired by his mother Fatimah Yahya. “I used to follow my mother to volunteer programmes. That’s where my interest grew.”
“I began contributing time and energy (in such programmes) and felt satisfied every time I saw (disabled) children become independent and successful,” he said.
On the challenges he faces in his work, Herman said the main one is obtaining funds to buy equipment.
“Sometimes, it can be difficult for us to obtain funds, without which we can’t buy equipment to carry out our tasks,” he said.
Herman reminded young people with disabilities to not give up but to constantly improve themselves.
“Our disabilities should not be viewed as a hindrance. Do not look at our weaknesses but see what we can do for the country. Most importantly, always be our true selves,” he said.
