See the Light & Support Dialogue in the Dark

Sunway University became the first Malaysian educational institution to Support Dialogue in the Dark (DiD), a social enterprise which was established in Germany 25 years ago. DiD provides experience of a non-visual world through exhibitions & business workshops and was recently brought to Malaysia with a hope of empowering the visually impaired community, whilst also enlightening the public to appreciate light.

Stevens Chan Kum Fai, who lost his vision from Glaucoma in 2007, is the Founder & CEO of DiD Malaysia. He said, “Dialogue in the Dark is an experience that one should not miss out on! As you learn to see the world through the eyes of the Blind, you will certainly experience a transformative change of perspective compared to the condition that you see the world you’re in now!”

From left: Ng Chin Huat, Chairman, DiD; Stevens Chan Kum Fai, Founder & CEO of DiD; Associate Professor Dr Foo Yin Fah, Director of Sunway Institute for Social Entrepreneurship & Head (Academic), Department of Accounting, Banking and Finance; Dr Lee Weng Keng, Chief Executive Officer, Education and Healthcare Division, Sunway Group; Dr Elizabeth Lee, Senior Executive Director, Sunway Education Group and Sunway University;

Sunway University, a leading not-for-profit private university, became the first higher education institution in Malaysia to pioneer the initiative and support the social enterprise.

“Now at Sunway University, we are the highest DiD centre (at level 11) which is created with 100% recycled material and second after Singapore’s Ngee Ann Polytechnic within Southeast Asia to be located within a university,” added Stevens. He continued, “I thank Datin Joanne Wong (Board member of DiD Malaysia) for linking us to Dr Elizabeth Lee and Sunway University. We are deeply honored to be so warmly welcomed at Sunway University. They have a dedicated passion to transform and empower their students to be the future leaders of our society and nation. It has been very exciting for us to be part of a good university as we can now play small little role in impacting our future generation.”

Board members of Dialogue in the Dark Malaysia with members of Sunway University Student Council and Sunway University Business School Students Concilium

In addition to providing exclusive facilities, Sunway University Business School (SUBS) is highly involved in supporting DiD with future plans. These could include incorporating the experiential tour of DiD into a relevant study subject, specifically designed to enhance students’ empathy and social skills. This will also enable further understanding whilst building an in-depth working relationship between DiD and the students who are taking the Community Project module. Internship opportunities with DiD will also be created for students from BSc (Hons) Accounting & Finance, BSc (Hons) Business Management and BSc (Hons) Business Studies.

"This is a unique way for an institute like us (Sunway University) to support such a valuable social enterprise. While extending our help to them, it will also encourage students to gain greater exposure and better understanding. Through this concept students can experience beyond sight, learn to empathise more, along with other skills such as communication and leadership," said Associate Professor Dr Foo Yin Fah, Director of Sunway Institute for Social Entrepreneurship & Head (Academic), Department of Accounting, Banking and Finance. Dr Foo is also the key person leading the DiD project at Sunway.

Stevens Chan Kum Fai, Founder & CEO of DiD Malaysia

Supporting the launch were board members of DiD; Dr Lee Weng Keng, Chief Executive Officer, Education and Healthcare Division, Sunway Group; Dr Elizabeth Lee, Senior Executive Director, Sunway Education Group and Sunway University; Professor Steve Williams, Dean, SUBS; as well as senior management and employees of Sunway University and Sunway Education Group.

Dialogue in the Dark has been relocated from its previous premise to Sunway University and is now operating from Level 11 of the Sunway University New Building. DiD is open for public with entry fees as follows: RM30 for Adult (18 years and above); RM25 for Youth (13-17 years); and RM20 for Children (7-12 years).