Mrs. Yogeswari Veerakathy was bestowed with an award for exemplary commitment for her outstanding dedication, support and mentoring role to the Limkokwing Deaf Community on 22 July 2017.
For ten years, Mrs. Yogeswari Veerakathy has been working as an English lecturer and tutor for deaf students. She is not only dedicated to teaching but also liaises with government officials for students’ allowances, scholarships, loans as well as academic counselling for new students. Often she acts as a mediator between parents and deaf students. “I also translate speech to text in class and during counselling sessions with our clinical counsellor as well as when they meet our campus doctor.”
Mrs. Veerakathy works tirelessly to ensure her students acquire unmatched skills in their field of study and are able to communicate independently.
“It’s so important for the deaf community to be able to read and write during job interviews, communicate with colleagues and when given instructions by their bosses. Bosses want to know how well we can comprehend their instructions and how well we can communicate via writing during job interviews as they are not willing to hire sign language interpreters. Today we have apps and software that can convert speech to text so not being able to hear speech shouldn’t be used as an excuse anymore.”
Shedding light to challenges faced by the deaf community Mrs. Veerakathy mentioned that deaf students have been struggling for years in terms of getting the right education and jobs, however, she declared that parents often see Limkokwing University as light at the end of the tunnel.
“They have always expressed their gratitude to Founder and President Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Paduka Dr. Lim Kok Wing. It’s because of him that we have hope for a better life. He cares for us and provides us with a conducive environment for efficient learning. We have heard of God helping those in need through certain people, but this is the first time we see his help through Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.”
Mrs. Veerakathy’s caring demeanor and ambitious attitude made her a tremendous asset to the Limkokwing University Deaf Community. Upon receiving the President’s Award for Exemplary Commitment she expressed her delight and thanked Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing for such an honour.
“It was a pleasant surprise when Tan Sri told me about it himself, and I feel touched and valued. I feel honoured to be bestowed with this award by the President of this University. I still can’t believe that I went up the stage to receive this award from the Sultanah and Tan Sri. It was like a dream.”
Over 150 deaf students have graduated since 1995 and Mrs. Veerakathy mentioned she was proud that there are more white collar deaf employees compared to years ago.
Limkokwing University is the only higher learning institution in Malaysia that has open doors for the deaf community to pursue further education as well as provide them with much needed facilities.