APCD said these Bruneians are potential candidates to become future leaders based on their level of compassion and ability to take the initiative.

The Executive Director of APCD, Mr Akiie Ninomiya, told the Bulletin, he was surprised because Brunei has never had any individual posted to a high position in any international organisation advocating the rights of people with disabilities. Brunei, he said, still has much to develop in regards to increasing accessibility for the disabled in the country.

However, with people such as Noralizulrainee Ali Yussop, vice-President of the Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind (BDNAB) and Malai Hj Abdullah Malai Othman, who propelled SMARTER Brunei to be a recoqnised centre of autistic children, hope still remains.

Mr Akiie, who posessess 30 years of experience in the field led the delegation with the hopes of forging links with the community development department of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, inviting the country to be the 34th member of APCD. While in Brunei, the delegation met with government officials and visited a number of locales and met individuals such as Noralizulrainee Ali Yussop.

Mr Akiie said that he would fully recommend Noralizulrainee for a special full scholarship that would include living costs provided for the first time by APCD for postgraduate study in public policy on disabilities at Lee Kuan Yew's School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Mr Akiie also met with the founder of SMARTER Brunei, Malai Hj Abdullah, a strong advocator for the rights of autistic individuals in the country, who's efforts have resulted in SMARTER Brunei becoming a world class centre for autistic children despite its use of "very indigenous facilities and inexpensive tools". Its methods and techniques however, are far ahead of others in the region and is on par with developed countries such as Canada and the United States.

"SMARTER is currently using equipment accumulated mainly from donations. I think a lot of other autistic centres in the region could learn from Malai Hj Abdullah, because SMARTER is delivering training that is top notch. Japan and Canada took some 30 years to get where they are today and their equipment is modern and specialised, while the facilities are very expensive. At SMARTER, they are very clever as they are using inexpensive equipment to deliver a top-notch curriculum", he explained.

He said that the APCD will provide the scholarship to two individuals from the blind community in Asean, two from the deaf community and two for individuals that possess a mobility disability.

Noralizulrainee international experiences and high level of active participation in awareness campaigns, fundraising, his personal interest of ICT training for the deaf and the blind, as well as already being a good advocator on behalf of Brunei's blind community make him a very strong candidate for potentially receiving this scholarship. Despite his good interpersonal skills and academic achievements, he will still be facing tough candidates from other countries in the region.

Courtesy of Azaraimy HH, Borneo Bulletin