‘Be happy and proud of how far you’ve gotten even with disabilities,’ says IIUM graduate with autism, Nur Aliyah

• Main Author: Mokhtar, Aida
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IIUM Today 2023
• Subjects: L Education (General); LC Special aspects of education; LC1390 Education of special classes of persons
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/109008/1/%E2%80%98Be%20happy%20and%20proud%20of%20how%20far%20you%E2%80%99ve%20gotten%20even%20with%20disabilities%2C%E2%80%99%20says%20IIUM%20graduate%20with%20autism%2C%20Nur%20Aliyah%20%E2%80%93%20IIUM%20Today.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/109008/; https://news.iium.edu.my/?p=177814

GOMBAK, 9 December 2023: Recent graduate with mild autism, Nur Aliyah Shahirah binti Mazalan, provided a piece of inspiring advice for students with disabilities, “Be happy and proud of how far you’ve gotten even with disabilities. Do not let people invalidate your hard work. You (alone) are enough (to validate your own efforts) so keep going.” Aliyah was conferred the Bachelor of Human Sciences in English Language and Literature (Honours) degree on 28 November 2023 in the seventh session of the 39th IIUM Convocation Ceremony, at IIUM Gombak. Being a student with autism can have its challenges. What is autism? “Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life due to a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain,” according to the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM).