28/Nov/2009
THE VISUALLY-impaired pupils and teachers celebrated with great joy when everyone in their group successfully climbed Gunung Berembun, Cameron Highlands, during their three-day camping trip.
It was one of the outdoor activities organised under Sekolah Kebangsaan Klang's Special Education Integration Programme for the Visually Impaired.
The school is the main school for pupils who have visual impairment to follow the complete schooling system for blind students in Selangor.
Visual impairment is categorised into two — direct blindness and limited eyesight.
The Special Education Conquering Gunung Berembun Programme offered an opportunity for the school's 18 visually-impaired pupils to gain experience and widen their knowledge through activities outside the classroom.
Determined lot: The visually-impaired pupils and their teachers who successfully climbed Gunung Berembun, Cameron Highlands.
Shania Choo Lee Vien, 10, said the camp marked her second to Cameron Highlands.
"We went to the same place last year but only managed to go halfway up the hill," she said.
"My teachers prepared us a few months before this year's trip by getting us to do half-hour walks at the stadium or school stairs to build our strength every morning."
The Year Four pupil recalled falling many times due to the slippery ground, but her teachers helped her back on her feet.
"I enjoyed shopping and visiting the strawberry farms in Cameron Highlands," said Choo.
"I liked the beautiful flowers I saw during climb. Sleeping in the tent was fun too. Bathing was terrible though — the water was like ice!"
Choo's mother, Lee Nyok Chun, said she was initially concerned that it would be challenging for her daughter to climb and camp in such a cold place.
"But I allowed her to go because I wanted her to experience what a normal child would have experienced and to be independent," said the 47-year-old who is also a teacher.
"It is normal for parents to worry about their child's safety but I knew she would be in good hands.
"She has dedicated teachers who are willing to take the time and trouble to expose them to nature and the life that a normal child has," said Lee.
Suzana Aziz and Ahmad Fakarudin Abdul Wahab were among the teachers who went on the trip to the 1,840m-high mountain.
On the preparations they needed to make, Suzana, 33, said: "It was very important to take note of the pupils' own capability levels as well as physical and mental endurance.
"Many elements, like the pupils' physical endurance training, financial resources, work force and teachers' preparation had to be carefully planned before carrying out the programme."
Ahmad Fakarudin, 29, said they faced many difficulties in organising the trip, including getting sponsors, getting parents to trust the teachers to care for their children, building the pupils' endurance to be able face challenges during the climb and sacrificing time to train for the trip.
"The completely blind pupils were the ones who needed the most assistance during the climb," said Suzana, who teaches Science and Orientation & Mobility.
"The teachers had to help carry some pupils during the descent. But we were all committed to realising the pupils' dream of conquering the mountain."
Both teachers said the sweetest moment was when all the pupils managed to successfully reach the mountain's peak without any injury, even though at times they had to resort to crawling due to exhaustion.
"We must treat the children as human beings, and not think of them as the disabled," said Ahmad Fakarudin, a Bahasa Malaysia and Physical Education teacher. -- The Star News.
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