Completely losing his sight at the age of 18, Bui Nhat Anh Thanh (29 years old), living in Binh Duong province, has always been determined and passionate about learning Japanese. Although he was rejected by many companies because of his visual impairment, Thanh is still optimistic in finding a suitable job.
Lost light of life
Thanh's eyesight was weak since he was a child, and by the time he was in 12th grade, he had almost completely lost it. "I have glaucoma, so my eyesight gradually deteriorated over time. When I found out I would lose my eyesight completely, I was shocked," the blind boy shared.
Despite his vision difficulties, Thanh still managed to complete high school and take the entrance exam for the Electronic Engineering major at Thu Dau Mot University in Binh Duong Province. However, Thanh had to drop out of school in the first semester because he had completely lost his eyesight. After dropping out of school, Thanh almost fell into a state of depression, spending all his days playing the radio. Two years later, Thanh learned about and joined the Binh Duong Association for the Blind to participate in skill activities and learn Braille.
Bui Nhat Anh Thanh
PHOTO: NVCC
Introduced by some friends in the same situation, Thanh applied to Thien An Shelter in Tan Phu District (HCMC) to live. Here, Thanh learned how to use smartphones and computers for the visually impaired. Gradually integrating into the life of the visually impaired, Thanh thought about going to school.
“There are not many university majors that blind people can participate in. Before, I liked Japanese culture so I was determined to study this language,” Thanh said. In 2016, Thanh applied to the Japanese language major at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.
In the early days, Thanh encountered many difficulties in walking and making friends. “In the class, I was the only blind person,” Thanh said.
Thanh lives in the dormitory of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education in District 11 (HCMC), taking the bus to school every day. Thanh's biggest difficulty is that the Japanese language department does not have a Braille curriculum for the visually impaired. Thanh studies entirely on the computer with the support of specialized software.
Thanh hopes to find a job that matches his current qualifications.
PHOTO: KIM NGOC NGHIEN
In her second year, Thanh had more difficulties in studying because she could not keep up with her friends. The biggest reason was that Thanh could not read the textbooks on paper. Thanh still took exams like normal students, but submitted papers in the form of computer-typed documents instead of handwritten ones. “I doubted myself and failed many subjects,” Thanh recalled.
Despite the difficulties, Thanh still tried to continue studying, because it was almost the only way for the young man to have a better future. After that, Thanh searched for more documents on the internet and found a textbook for teaching Japanese to the visually impaired. From there, Thanh studied hard and achieved N2, the second most difficult level out of 5 levels of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test JLPT. "I took the test 3 times to achieve N3 and N2. I am trying to achieve N1," Thanh shared.
All CVs submitted were rejected.
After 5 years of hard work, in 2021, Thanh graduated from the Japanese language department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education. With his degree, Thanh was excited to find himself an office job related to translation or become a Japanese teacher. However, the young man's hopes and enthusiasm were quickly extinguished when Thanh's CV was repeatedly rejected by employers. The biggest reason was because Thanh was visually impaired.
Thanh (male in white shirt) regularly participates in activities for the visually impaired.
PHOTO: NVCC
“I submitted my CV and interviewed directly with more than 30 companies and was rejected by all of them. I was once introduced to work as a call center operator for a non-profit project supporting the blind for 6 months. Here, I realized that the productivity of the blind is actually lower than that of normal people. The process of operating the support system for the blind is also very hard. From there, I understood why I was rejected,” Thanh shared.
Being rejected, Thanh returned to his hometown in Binh Duong province to live. Here, Thanh took advantage of social networks to open online Japanese classes. This job helped Thanh earn extra income and nurtured the hope of working at a certain unit. In addition to teaching Japanese online, Thanh also learned massage to increase his chances of getting a job in the future.
Participating in Thanh’s online Japanese class, Le Hong Anh, a Japanese language student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, said: “Thanh’s approach to lessons is very lively, not dry. In addition to his solid expertise, Thanh’s journey of striving in life also inspires me and other students to study.”
Thanhnien.vn
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nghi-luc-cua-chang-cu-nhan-khiem-thi-tung-bi-30-cong-ty-tu-choi-185241205150441023.htm
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