Visually impaired creatives still struggle to be seen for their skills

When Muhammad Iqbal Mazlan woke up one morning in March 2023, everything had gone black.

The 37-year-old actor and director had been working on a documentary script the night before when he felt unusually tired and developed severe eye pain. He fell asleep expecting the discomfort to pass; instead, he woke to find that he could no longer see.

“I was actually in good health and had no unusual symptoms,” he recalled. “When I woke up, everything was pitch black. I had lost my sight.”

Iqbal said the cause was a condition called frosted branch angiitis linked to a cytomegalovirus infection: a diagnosis that brought an abrupt halt to a career he had spent years building across television, theatre and film.

“It was difficult to imagine what life would be like after that because the very gift I had relied on to earn a living was suddenly gone,” he said.

It took Iqbal more than a year to regain his footing physically. He underwent treatment for eye inflammation and later faced complications involving fluid in his lungs, which he said were linked to medication.

Returning to work proved even harder. Several production companies he had worked with before stopped responding when he offered his services as a director, host and voiceover artist.

“Many production companies had worked with me before and praised my work, but suddenly went silent when I fell ill,” he shared. “What hurt most was seeing people in the industry begin to distance themselves from me.”

One rejection in particular stayed with him: “We don’t have any confidence in you.”

To support himself, Iqbal now runs a food business in Shah Alam with a friend, selling buttermilk chicken rice and gulai kawah. But he did eventually find his way back onto a film set.

In June 2024, production company Art Ornament entrusted him with directing “Jay (Buka Langkah)”, which is expected to be released in January.

Directing without sight

Iqbal said losing his vision did not take away his ability to build a scene in his head. Instead, he relies more heavily on visualisation and detailed communication with the cinematographer.

“Even though I cannot see, I must have a clear visual in my mind to bring a script to life,” he said. “I imagine the scenes as though I am watching a film in a cinema.”

He then describes the framing, movement, sound and actor positioning as precisely as possible. “For instance, I will specify from which direction the actor should step forward, along with the accompanying sounds. Without visualisation, a director’s work would fall flat.”

Producer and co-director Aida Othman said Iqbal was given the role because of what he could still contribute creatively, while the crew supported him with the technical side of filming.

“We should not judge a person by what they lack, but by what they are capable of doing,” she said.

“Iqbal’s strength lies in his ability to explain clearly the characters, emotions and messages he wants to convey to the audience. We gave him the opportunity because we believed in his capabilities.”

Iqbal’s experience is not unique: Perkeso employment records from 2020 to 2026 show that of 716 visually impaired people placed in jobs across different sectors, only five entered arts, entertainment and recreation.

That figure does not explain why the number is so low, but it reflects how rare such placements remain.

Musician and composer Lui Chee Chau, 46, has faced similar difficulties. Visually impaired since infancy, he has formal music qualifications and more than a decade of industry experience, including work as a composer and sound engineer.

After losing a long-term job when the company he worked for closed, Lui began applying for music-related positions again. One interviewer praised his work but suggested he would be contacted only if there were tasks he could do from home.

Other applications went nowhere. Although no employer explicitly told him that his visual impairment was the reason, Lui believes assumptions about disability narrow the choices available before candidates are fully assessed.

“I believe this is one of the constraints we face when people limit our options based on their assumptions without assessing our actual abilities,” he said.

Lui now teaches piano and drums part-time and conducts a weekly music class at a local church.

For both men, the frustration is not simply about finding work; it is about being allowed to demonstrate what they can still do. Their careers may require different methods and more support than before, but neither talent nor experience disappeared with their sight.

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