As a result of his failing eyesight, his secondary school years were quite the nightmare as he struggled to keep up with his studies while fighting down the fear that he would completely lose his vision someday.
He was also bullied relentlessly.
“There was the time when I came out from my exam and my schoolbag (which was left outside the classroom) was missing. I searched for it the entire day and even my classmates helped me. Later, it was found in the rubbish bin,” Cheah, 24, told FMT.
Another time, he said, a classmate pulled his chair from behind just as he was about to sit, causing him to fall backwards, embarrassed, as the others laughed.
By 17, Cheah was completely blind in the left eye, and partially blind in the right. “When I found out that I couldn’t see anymore I was disappointed. Upset.”
The rapid progression of his vision loss also meant that he could no longer participate in taekwondo competitions, an activity he loved. And later, even after completing his SPM examinations, he learned all too soon that landing a job was next to impossible.
In 2017, Cheah met Stevens Chan, the founder of Dialogue In the Dark (DID), who is also blind. DID used to train and equip the differently-abled community, youths, and children with job skills so they could experience a better quality of life.
However, when DID closed its doors in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chan suggested Cheah join him in a new venture called Food Dreams Kitchen.
Functioning as a commercialised kitchen rented to entrepreneurs to prepare food meant for delivery, Food Dreams Kitchen hires differently-abled people. It was also here that Cheah experienced many firsts.
He recalled how thrilling it was to learn how to operate a microwave oven as well as a conventional electric oven and a coffee machine. Cheah said using these electrical appliances regularly helped him overcome his fear of hot kitchen equipment.
His stint with Food Dreams Kitchen was so inspiring, that before long, he began to entertain dreams of his own – that of opening a café and hiring other differently-abled people.
“I want to tell other people with disabilities to stay determined and continue pursuing their dreams. Also, to be brave in taking that first step.”
Goh Ren Yong, who has Asperger’s syndrome, is another employee of Food Dreams Kitchen, who has found a sense of independence.
Speaking to FMT, he said he endured many challenges at his former workplace, including being treated unkindly by colleagues.
Goh said that he enjoyed working at Food Dreams Kitchen because he could interact with others and learn how to work as a team.
He said while he enjoyed earning his own money, he wanted to use his experience here to motivate other differently-abled people who felt they had no purpose in life. “I want them to know that if I can do it, they can do it too.”
Speaking to FMT about the concept of Food Dreams Kitchen, Chan, who lost his eyesight in 2007 to an eye disease, said every employee with their respective abilities had their own role to play in his cloud kitchen.
He said the kitchen was designed to meet the needs of the differently-abled people working here and cited the example of how even a wheelchair-bound employee had the space to move about and help with meal preparation.
Chan said it was his hope that Food Dreams Kitchen, which he started in 2020, would also be able to offer employment to the homeless, orphans, single parents, former drug addicts and ex-convicts.
“In the end, we want the kitchen to be owned by them as a team and not by us. Our target is to leave it to them to manage and operate.”