The thirty-seven-year-old Hsiou-ling (
However, her night blindness, which she initially ignored, caught up with her this year. Her eyesight started to deteriorate drastically and she was informed earlier this year that she would eventually become blind. After she overcame the initial shock and depression, she decided to sign up for a broadcasting course specifically designed for the visually impaired to prepare herself for a different way of life.
"I am very happy about learning broadcasting. I've got to know many other friends who have the same problem. I can share my experiences with them, and it has lit up my life," Hsiou-ling said.
The Eden Social Welfare Foundation, which is hosting the broadcasting program, pointed out that becoming a masseur is not the only job opportunity available to visually impaired people.
"The visually impaired usually have a better listening ability than people who can see, and listening to radio broadcasts has become the most convenient means for visually impaired people to obtain information," said Lee Chi-Wu (
"We hope that the broadcasting program will open up more job opportunities to the visually impaired. It will also open a new channel for them to communicate with the world and enable sighted people to get to know them better," Lee said.
Meanwhile, the Institute for the Blind (
In her speech during the opening ceremony, Vice President Annette Lu (
"It would have been a waste of talent if Keller had been limited in her career options," Lu said.
The Ministry of the Interior and the Council of Labor Affairs also reaffirmed their determination to protect the work rights of blind people, and to develop jobs suited to them.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Hsu Ying-shen (
Sun Pi-hsia (
The council employed 22 blind people as operators in its call center in 2001. This was so successful that the Bureau of National Insurance and Pingtung County government have since also set up call centers employing blind operators.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost