She struggled to see, walk and breathe since birth but never stopped dreaming: ‘I learned to become my own cheerleader’

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Whenever I sit for a job interview, I worry about three things. First, whether I’ll impress the interviewer with my credentials. Second, whether the interviewer will find me a good fit for the company.  And third, whether the interviewer will be so distracted by how blue my completely blind left eye is that they can’t focus on what I’m saying. 

I was born with bilateral congenital glaucoma, a medical condition where both my eyes were affected by increased pressure that damaged the optic nerve. My left eye is completely blind and my right eye has only 15 per cent vision. 

I also have spina bifida, a birth defect where the spine and spinal cord don’t develop properly. As a result, I have problems with movement and sensation, especially in my lower body. 

Lastly, I was born with a type of chronic lung disease which caused me to have respiratory issues, making it difficult for me to breathe.

To get by, I rely on many tools. I use a digital screen reader to read and write, a cane to move around with and support my back, and lots of different medications and colourful pills to control and regulate my pain and breathing. 

People call them disabilities, and while I don’t disagree or have any problem with the word ‘disability’, I don’t fully resonate with that. I call them my superpowers because they are what make me special. 

GROWING UP WITH THREE ‘SUPERPOWERS’

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She co-founded Paint The World Malaysia, an NGO to help the marginalised, when she was only 18

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Aziza Aznizan is a model, PhD student and co-founder of a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Paint The World, in Malaysia, all inspired by her passion for wanting to find out how others live, and the stories they tell.  

It was her interest in diversity that drove her curiosity and eventual action. 

Born and raised in Sarawak, Malaysia, Aziza said she was part of the minority in school. She studied in a Chinese-stream private secondary school where most of her schoolmates were Chinese, and after that, attended United World College Atlantic (UWC Atlantic), a boarding school in the United Kingdom, where she was one of the few Muslims.

But far from being intimidated, Aziza said her experience at both schools allowed her to befriend others of various nationalities and ethnicities. 

Referring to her years at UWC Atlantic from 2014 to 2016, Aziza said: “It was so diverse, there were people from so many countries, so many backgrounds, I felt so happy because I could learn so much from these people and improve my knowledge about other cultures and communities.”

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