First Encounter Between Our Visually Impaired Ambassadors & Our Republic Polytechnic Student Bloggers!

27th April 2016

First Encounter Between Our Ambassadors Our Republic Polytechnic Student Bloggers!

Our team got acquainted with Ivni and Wai Yee for the very first time through Fishlike International, the exclusive coaching academy for Total Immersion. Both Ivni and Wai Yee are the appointed ambassadors for this year’s Swim Expo Asia (SEA) Race, one of the annual open water swim events in Singapore.

They were both appointed to be the ambassadors of Swim Expos Asia as their personae aligns closely with this year’s SEA theme, “Motivate Each Other. Train With One Another. Swim In Sync Together.”

Ivni and Wai Yee came from their drumming lesson just to make some time to meet our team. Our team was nervous about meeting them as it was the first time for us to be managing 2 gifted individuals for an event although we had mock tests through our module of S202 Inclusive Physical Activity (IPA) on managing individuals with privileged needs but they made it easy for us as they are independent and know their way around.

About Ivni

Ivni lost his eyesight later in life but nonetheless, is an outgoing and cheerful individual who loves to crack jokes whenever he could. Ivni first shared about how he started swimming when he was in Primary 2. He is very active in sports such as rugby and jogging but he did not participate in yoga as he felt that it was too slow and boring. Apart from sports, he also goes for weekly drum lesson and jamming with Wai Yee. He even performed in numerous events and occasionally performs in pubs. Other than swimming, jogging and rugby, he also practices Muay Thai! (Don’t mess with him, people!).

He is adventurous as he enjoys trying out new sports as he finds great joy in learning new things and interacting with new people or trainers. He even shared with us about his record breakthroughs in the pool and open water swim. He was very excited and happy of how much he has achieved in swimming. Both of them are really hidden gems though they are visually impaired, they have a positive outlook on life. Our team was envious of their cheerful and positive attitude.

1st photo with WY and Ivni
A group photo with 2 of Fishlike Swim Expo Asia’s ambassadors, Wai Yee (first from left in a green shirt) and Ivni (3rd from right in a red shirt)

About Wai Yee

Next, a little glimpse on the life of Wai Yee. She was born visually impaired but she lives an active lifestyle by doing physical activities such as running and swimming. Regardless of her gender and physical impairment, she managed to overcome many obstacles in life. She also attends drumming lessons with Ivni at Parklane Shopping Centre. It was an honour to get to meet her in person as she gives off the positive vibes to us and uplifts our spirit to get through our Final Year Project together. She participated in numerous triathlon events. Though she ended the race later, for her, it was a huge achievement as it was another challenge that she has managed to overcome. She doubts her abilities at times but always pushes through to prove herself wrong.

It really warms our heart to be able to meet the 2 of them in person and we are inspired by their positivity and champion mindset despite their physical handicap. They managed to go through challenging phases in their lives to push their boundaries and live through life with their heads held high and braving through any storm that come their way.

Wai Yee sharing her stories on her personal experience on Fishlike past events.
Wai Yee sharing her stories on her personal experience on Fishlike past events.

This blog post is written by Republic Polytechnic students : Amirul, Andi, Farhan, Irfan & Zul.

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