My Student Life in SIM as a Person with Disability

In 2020, Perng Jia Min met with an accident that resulted in permanent impairment in her left limbs. Seeking new and more meaningful career pathways, she returned to her alma mater to pursue an additional degree – but this time round, with a disability. This is her story.

9 October 2024

Imagine this: It’s the first day of the lunar new year and you’re doing rounds of visitations.

You’re in the passenger seat when the car suddenly skids during a U-turn, and you crash into a tree.

After waking up from a 10-day coma, you find out that your left kneecap was crushed, and you also sustained a traumatic brain injury from a stroke.

The hospital stay lasted for nearly five months. Shortly after your discharge – in a wheelchair, no less – you also received news of your retrenchment.

That was Perng Jia Min in 2020. At age 34, she found that her life would no longer be the same.

LEARNING TO STAND AGAIN

“Life before the accident was a relatively carefree one for me,” the 38-year-old recalled. “But my mobility and independence took a nosedive after the accident.”

Due to the brain injury, the function and mobility of her dominant arm was affected. Simple daily tasks like showering, putting on clothes and even things like boiling water were suddenly a challenge for her.

It was a daunting experience having to relearn the basics.

“For a period, I felt useless and couldn’t find a purpose in life,” Jia Min despaired.

To get herself out of the rut, she had to remind herself umpteen times that “life goes on” and that “the earth isn’t going to stop turning for me”.

One day, it struck her that instead of trying to go back to her “original form”, she should accept what she has now and make new memories instead.

With a perception shift, Jia Min strived to make the best out of her situation.

RETURNING BACK TO HER ALMA MATER

After going through two major life crises, Jia Min was on a search for a more purposeful career path.

With an interest in entering the healthcare industry, she decided to pursue a BA in Psychology with SIM-University at Buffalo (UB).

However, this was not Jia Min’s first rodeo at SIM.

“My first degree was in Communications,” said the alumna of 2011 graduating batch from SIM-UB. “So, when I thought of doing a degree in psychology, SIM-UB was my first and only choice in mind.”

Highlighting the immense help she received from the Student Service team and lecturers, Jia Min came to realise how well-supported students are in SIM.

“Like every other student entering university for the first time, I spent time doing thorough research online and called up the school to make sure I had all the information I needed,” Jia Min explained. “I wanted to be sure that once I applied, the journey could be a smooth-sailing one.”

This is especially because her agility and walking speed has been reduced significantly – so much so that she can barely complete crossing the pedestrian road before the green man turns red. The loss of her dominant arm’s ability also impacted her note-taking ability.

Praising her Academic Advisor, Jia Min highlighted, “Before the end of each semester, I will try to book an appointment with Ms Winnie Chan to go through the academic requirements which I needed to complete for the upcoming semesters so that I can add or drop the correct modules.

“She was also that bridge between me and Dr. McKelvey.”

As UB’s Resident Director, Dr. McKelvey’s support meant that Jia Min could receive reasonable approved accommodations from the school.

Describing their help as “pivotal,” Jia Min acknowledged, “They truly helped enabling my disabled academic journey with SIM-UB.”

She continued to express, “The student who walked up and down the stage on graduating day is a result of more than three years of rehabilitation, undying family support and the exceptional assistance and reasonable accommodations given by the school and lecturers over time.”

SKY’S THE LIMIT BUT HUMILITY IS KEY

Through this whole ordeal, Jia Min came to realise how she took things for granted in the past.

“I was in a complacent space which limited my opportunities for learning new things,” she revealed. “It was only when I took a step back to reflect better on my own abilities and knowledge that I realised how big this world can be and how much more there is to learn and get better at.”

Jia Min leaves these words to current and future learners of SIM: “Gather all the information you can have on the resources available and use them wisely to help plan your path forward.”

“The sky is the limit,” she concluded, “But humility is key for one to eventually get ahead at anything at all.”