A young Vietnamese has overcome his disability to land a job as a special employee at Grab’s headquarters in Singapore.

Nguyen Hoang Giang, 23, made a bit of a splash when he showed up for an interview withSingapore-based ride hailing app Grab: while the company thought they were simply getting a talented candidate, they did not realize that candidate could not see.

Giang began submitting job applications several months before receiving his degree in information technology from Ho Chi Minh City International University. 

While most companies sent back rejections, Grab, at first unaware of his visual disability, offered an interview.

The fresh graduate aced the interview and accepted a six-month probationary position with Grab, which seemed to pay little mind to its newest hire’s disability.

Giang set off alone for his new life in Singapore, where he was quick to overcome several obstacles, such as renting accommodation and communicating in English.

He says speaking the foreign language has enabled him to integrate within his group of newfound friends in the unfamiliar work environment.

Wishing to broaden the scope of his English, Giang felt motivated to contact the organization charged with offering TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exams for those in need of special technical assistance, but found that the company does not provide screen readers for the blind.

He is a voracious book reader, covering topics relating to economics, technology, and academic research.

“It is thanks to reading that I know the world has a lot of things to discover and learn,” he said.

He said he does not want others to help or pity him.

“Many people keep thinking that when you’re blind, you can do nothing,” he said with a raising intonation, leaving the rest of the otherwise completed sentence to the listener.

“I think everyone has their own strengths. They should go and find the right door to open.”

He is living alone in an apartment and can cook, though not very well, sometimes spoiling the food due to unfamiliarity with an electric stove that he used.

“I am still safe and sound. I’ve yet to scald myself!”

His travels have taken him to a variety of places and he even has plans to tour Thailand over the weekend.

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