As part of its mission to increase awareness of road safety, MSIG Insurance (Malaysia) Bhd has partnered with four visually impaired photographers to create its 2020 calendar.
The calendar, themed on the topic of road safety features 12 unique and quirky pictures that are intended to help people think about safe journeys from different perspectives, a statement from the insurer said. The four artists have varying levels of visual impairment and rely on their other senses to compose photographs.
The aim of the calendar, MSIG said, is to help people recognise that safe journeys are different for everyone. The participants were selected from a special Plus Community Partnership Sensory Photography pilot programme, the first such programme in Malaysia, based on their individual strengths in visualisation and conceptualisation.
“As one of the largest motor insurers in Malaysia and a supporter of UN Sustainable Development Goal 3, we are doing our bit to raise awareness of the issue of road safety with the ultimate goal of halving the number of road accidents in 2020,” said Chua Seck Guan, chief executive officer of MSIG Malaysia. “The calendar is one of several initiatives we are undertaking to bring attention to this topic. We are delighted to be working with the under-served visually impaired community, creating an opportunity for some of them to participate in this project, demonstrating their talent, expressing their world views and gain a new audience for their art.”
The four photographers are: Rashidi Bin Abdullah, who has tunnel vision and regressing visibility, Vivian Kwek Chu Lan, who has extreme low vision and severely impacted night vision, Svivabalan A/L Selvarajan, who has extremely blurred vision and near-sightedness, and Theng Tze Young who is totally blind due to a car accident.
“Printing and distributing these calendars will not by itself affect change, but we do believe that the sentiments they convey on road safety will serve as useful reminders to our community throughout the year, keeping the issue in perspective,” Chua added. “We also felt that this initiative would double as an opportunity to reach out and raise up the visually impaired community in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, which is focused on creating opportunities for all.”
