SOTY 2023/24: Best Improvement winner building apps to help other blind students
This 16-year-old has not let near total blindness stop him on his path to success.
Zheng Zi, 16, has developed assistive technology for students who share his disability. Photo: HandoutZheng Zi’s life changed in 2022 when his vision rapidly worsened. “I was born with an eye condition, but I was able to live normally,” said the St Paul’s College student, now aged 16.
“My vision was poor, but I could still see printed text and street names, and I could go out by myself,” he said.
But he noticed a sudden change during a debate competition when he could no longer see his speech clearly.
Zheng was diagnosed with retinal detachment, a serious condition in which part of the eye pulls away from it normal position. He underwent two operations but the second failed and left him almost fully blind. Returning to school was a daunting experience.
“After the operations, I followed the doctor’s instructions carefully, hoping to quickly return to normal life,” he said. “Unfortunately, the second surgery failed ... I wasn’t particularly upset, but it was only when the new school year began that I realised I was completely unprepared for life without vision.”
He remembers having to find his way to his seat on his first day back at school and the confusion he felt. “After sitting down, I could only listen to the teacher, completely unable to see what was written on the blackboard.”
At first, Zheng struggled to accept what had happened.
“I was shocked and confused for the first month, not knowing what to do. I wasn’t calm and I was resistant to rehabilitation training because I didn’t want to accept that I had lost my vision,” the student said.
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But his family and teachers helped him to adjust.
“After some time ... I realised I needed to plan for my life and studies after losing my vision. So I decided to suppress my feelings of doubt and start working hard to live a mature life.”
Zheng said he initially struggled to learn how to use related technology and Braille, a system of raised dots that visually impaired people can read with their fingers.
“[It was] extremely challenging. I finally managed to balance my studies, often practising until late at night before resting,” he said. “My fingers frequently got sore from the Braille, but I had to keep going.”
The experience led him to develop an app to help other visually impaired students learn mathematics.
Zheng said he was inspired to develop the app as he was the first student in the city to use Braille to study a Diploma of Secondary Education module known as Maths Extended Part (M2). He hopes the app will improve communication between teachers and students.
Zheng said currently students in mainstream schools had to rely on staff at Ebenezer School, an institution that provides support for visually impaired students. Blind students would write in Braille, which Ebenezer staff would then translate. The process can take up to a week.
Zheng said he faced many misunderstandings about his condition and how it affected him.
“Some people think visually impaired people study at a slower pace and are less efficient compared with others. They generally believe that visually impaired people are less capable than those with normal vision,” he said.
“I want to tell those without disabilities to try to understand the real needs of visually impaired people. Many prejudices are based on a lack of understanding.”
Zheng decided to learn how to produce videos to show his abilities, even starting an online channel with a friend.
But the work was not without challenges.
“Since I am almost blind, I have to enlarge the computer screen content by four or five times and get within a centimetre of the screen,” he explained.
“I rely heavily on voice-over software to help me edit videos.”
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His efforts have not gone unnoticed, with Zheng winning the Best Improvement category at the Student of the Year Awards organised by the South China Morning Post and solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“My greatest achievement is definitely winning the Student of the Year award. It not only acknowledges that I have emerged from the darkness of my recovery over the past two years, but it also motivates me to continue moving forward in the future,” he said.
Looking ahead, Zheng hopes to contribute to society and advocate for the visually impaired.
“I am preparing to participate in more community service activities to better equip myself, enhance my various skills and CV ... I want to become an advocate, help citizens gain more benefits and give back to society,” he said.