| Fizah HAB |
THE Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind (BDNAB) held its ‘Dining in the Dark’ event at Pisuk Bapa, Wafa Hotel and Apartment, Annajat Complex last night.
The dinner event was held in conjunction with World Sight Day, celebrated every second week of October, and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebrated every December 3.
Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar was the guest of honour.
Deputy Minister of Development Haji Marzuke bin Haji Mohsin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Development Dr Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak and invited guests were also present.
BDNAB President Muhammad Hamzi bin Omar in his welcoming remarks spoke about the need of raising awareness on the situation of the blind and the partially sighted, especially on their daily food preparation, as well as BDNAB’s future plans on building a permanent headquarters as a training centre including on basic braille training, visual aid training and many more.
The guest of honour in his speech highlighted BDNAB’s efforts on raising awareness on the blind and partially sighted.
This was followed by an introduction video on BDNAB, a video on how to serve individuals who are blind or visually impaired, and how to present food for the blind and the partially-sighted.
Participants dished out their food served in a dorm style setting and once food was served, lights were switched off for five to seven minutes for them to eat their dinner.
The lights were switched on after the period in stages from dim to bright.
With the objective to promote the prevention and treatment of blindness and visual impairment, BDNAB also hopes to spread objective information about the situation of the blind and partially sighted.
BDNAB keeps the blind and partially sighted informed about their rights and existing possibilities for assistance; and also plans, establishes and holds different activities and services for the blind and partially sighted.