Subramaniam Loganadan was born on 20 February 1991, in Johor Bahru. Unfortunately when he was about to be born, there was no doctor in the hospital, which resulted in a delayed birth. That caused a lack of oxygen which caused him to be born with Cerebral Palsy (CP).
Living with CP was not easy for him, but he made it a point to always persevere.
“CP caused speech and hand movement impediments, which are the main setbacks in my life. As a result, I was enrolled in the special education program in a government school where all my classmates were in the disabled.
“In this “special school”, I was not allowed to sit for any public exam like UPSR, SPM and PMR. These category of students were considered unsuitable or incapable of sitting for such exams,” he told GoodNews.
While in secondary school, Subramaniam decided that he wanted to take his PMR exams even though he was not thought those syllabus.
“I informed my teacher and parents of my desire to sit for the exam. My class teacher was not pleased with my request as there was an internal rule that special education students were not allowed to sit for any government public exams.
“The teacher scolded me and said I would only fail the exam and reduce the general PMR passing mark of the school. I insisted.
“This was a big turning point in my life. I was happy being placed in a non-OKU class and to prepare to sit for my exams. I studied the form 3 syllabus for one year and sat for the PMR exam without attending form 1 and 2 classes.
“Despite this setback, I managed to get 3Bs,3Cs and 2Ds. Although it was not an outstanding achievement, I felt the sense of pride to achieve it. This motivated me to continue in the normal class until my Form 5 and sit for my SPM.
“After SPM, I decided to take STPM and managed to get a score 2.0 CGPA then I applied for university of Selangor (UNISEL) in Bachelor of Business management and I was accepted. It was a very proud moment in my life and I went on to complete my degree with 2.7 CGPA,” he said.
Make It Right Movement (MIRM), he said, gave him a chance when no one else did. He singled out Raja Singham, the chairman of BAC Education Group and founder of MIRM as an enabler of change.
“After applying in many places, I finally managed to get a job in MIRM , not in my area of studies but as an Website and Design Development Executive. I was also very fortunate that not only was I given a job, but I was given a place at the student hostel thanks to the generosity of Mr Raja Singham. This makes getting to work and back home every day very easy as I take the college shuttle.
“My colleagues in MIRM are all very welcoming and there also others who are OKU like me so me I do not feel out of place. More importantly, they remember small important things like how I can only drink through a straw, so when we have company parties, they always have one on hand for me and even got me a reusable metal straw for me so reduce my usage of singe use plastic.”
MIRM, the organisation Subramaniam is part of, collaborates with over 250 national and global partners – governmental and non-government organisations and social enterprises – in championing worthy causes, and supporting more than 400 charities and community development projects annually.
There, Subramaniam works on designing websites and developing design collaterals.
“I work on projects with important government agencies projects like MITRA and international NGOs. My team also includes me for training sessions to get me used to try and speak to the community.
“I still speak a little slowly but I am trying to improve myself constantly. I am very fortunate to be working with the BAC Education Group, especially with MIRM and the OKU empowering atmosphere it exudes.
