Born with bilateral moderate hearing loss, Chua Jia Ying went through her early schooling years feeling isolated as she struggled with dismissive and frustrated attitudes from those whom she requested to repeat themselves. She was not assessed to be fitted with hearing aids as her paediatric audiology service provider at that time was more focused on whether she was able to hear her teachers during lessons rather than in other settings in her daily living,
Things changed for the better when Jia Ying entered university and engaged an audiology service provider who listened to and understood her needs. Jia Ying began wearing hearing aids and started receiving more accessibility accommodations.
Her professors used the Roger device in her classes, a wireless technology that transmits speech directly to her hearing aids and closed captions on screen. She also had preferential seating arrangement at the front of the classroom.
Even though the initial stages of wearing the hearing aids and the barrage of foreign sounds was uncomfortable and challenging, Jia Ying persevered. Eventually, she found herself participating in more activities which expanded her social circle. Jia Ying started to champion passionately for access to assistive technology to ensure that disabilities do not become insurmountable barriers for those with disabilities.
Jia Ying’s passion to help those under less privileged circumstances saw her – among other activities – tutor primary school children with disabilities, organise and conduct activities for seniors with dementia, advocate for disability awareness and share her experiences with other students with disabilities to encourage and inspire them.
Currently a final-year undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Real Estate at the National University of Singapore, Jia Ying hopes to be involved in designing and executing schemes and programmes which will augment the earning power and affordability of housing for persons with disabilities as well as creating more inclusive and accessible communities and spaces.
Jia Ying was awarded the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Scholarship for Persons with Disabilities in September 2024 which not only supports her educational pursuits, but also her dream of a future where opportunities for persons with disabilities are not an afterthought.
“This scholarship provides me the platform to advocate for disability access in different areas – be it physical, social, informational or financial access. They can include ensuring easier access to treatments, assistive technology and support options essential for individuals with newly-acquired disabilities to help them feel supported as they navigate this new journey,” she said.
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The Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Scholarship for Persons with Disabilities is a bond-free scholarship. It supports students with physical, sensory or developmental disabilities in their university studies at six local institutions with no restrictions in the discipline of studies. It is also the only pan-disability scholarship in Singapore. Since its launch in 2004, the APB Foundation has committed over $2.4 million to the programme and has since awarded 63 scholarships.
Find out more at https://spd.org.sg/scholarships/.