The Reason Why

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that there are more than 1.3 billion people all around the world who live with some form of disability. Currently in Malaysia, there is an estimate of 1 million disabled adults, youth and children.

This problem is in Malaysia and in every other country. There’s much to be done but we face insufficient knowledge and limited resources. What can we do to be part of the solution? How can we contribute? How can we begin to create impact and change?

And indeed, we can! Just step out and start - with a dialogue, with an experience, with empathy, with inclusion.

Shafiri, one of our visually impaired staff smiling broadly

Our Founder's Story

At 45 years of age, the world that Stevens Chan knew came to an end in 2002. He had substantial experience in the banking and insurance industry, and a business owner of a consulting business that provided a niche service to the direct selling market in the early 90s. In the eyes of many, he was succeeding in leaps and bounds. However, disaster struck when he found out that he had Glaucoma, an eye disease that causes blindness. After nine (9) eye surgeries, he gradually lost all of his vision in 2007.

With the loss of sight, came the loss of hope. Hospital bills, loss of income and the effort to adapt himself to his new environment was daunting and difficult. However, in his darkest period, he discovered light. It came in the form of his faith in God, and his loving wife, Kaye that stood by him with unwavering love and support. He felt that God was sustaining him and he could trust in this God.

Soon, despair and a desperate situation turned into a sense of mission. Stevens found a new calling to his life - to prevent what had happened to him, from happening to others. He founded Malaysian Eye Patient Society (formerly known as Malaysia Glaucoma Society) and later SOS Missions Berhad with a vision of preventing unnecessary blindness, as well as helping patients with different eye disorders overcome their condition and support them to continue living with sight impairment.

With more to do, Stevens founded Dialogue In The Dark Malaysia, licensed by Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH in 2012 with the objective of creating public awareness and empathy for those that are disabled, plus empowering the disabled community to achieve their full potential. Innovating from this platform, Stevens soon turned Dialogue In The Dark Malaysia into Dialogue Includes Academy with a mission to equip those with disabilities with communication and employment skills, which leads to building their self-confidence and changing their self-image.

Stevens and his team saw a greater vision and further created partner programmes under Dialogue Includes All in efforts of empowering trained disabled individuals to be entrepreneurs. This will eventually be an entrepreneurial platform for those who want to start their own enterprises under the includes.my trademark brand of Dialogue Includes All.

Stevens has a light-hearted personality and a positive outlook to life. His strength is resilience and he has a great passion for this ongoing mission of influencing an inclusive and empathetic society, where the disabled community are equipped and empowered as contributors to their families, to the nation and the world beyond.

Our Panel of Directors & Advisors

Stevens Chan, Founder & CEO

Stevens was a successful businessman until 2007 when he lost all his vision caused by Glaucoma, an eye disorder that causes blindness.

Subsequently, with God’s grace and the support of his wife, Kaye Wong, he founded two non-profit organisations, Malaysia Eye Patient Society (formerly known as Malaysia Glaucoma Society) and SOS Missions Berhad (Save Ones Sight Missions Berhad). These two organisations aim to educate the public on the prevention of unnecessary blindness as well as encouraging people with eye disorders to deal with the changes that arise with the disease.

Kaye Wong, Co-Founder & Director

Kaye has years of experience in the beauty and sales industry prior to being the pillar of support for her husband and partnering with him in establishing the non-profit organisations and social entrepreneurship efforts.

As the Operations Director of Dialogue Includes All, she ensures the continuous smooth operations of the organisation. Her expertise, experience and involvement have been invaluable in the formation and growth of Dialogue Includes All.

Associate Professor Dr. Foo Yin Fah, Advisor

Dr. Foo Yin Fah is the Head of the School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University with more than 20 years of experience in the accounting industry. He has worked in a number of international accounting firms, large public corporations and academic institutions.

Dr. Foo is a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and a Fellow of CPA Australia with a PhD in Accounting from Victoria University, Australia. He has always been passionate about cultivating more entrepreneurial and socially responsible future business leaders.

Debbie Wang Choon Hui, Advisor

Debbie is a highly experienced and skilled HR and People Development expert with more than 20 years of extensive experience in numerous HR functions. Debbie holds a MSc in Human Resource Management from Portsmouth University, UK and is a Certified Workplace & Business Coach.

In 2010, Debbie co-founded an IT Enterprise Media Channel on modern technologies, solutions and trends for the enterprise market. Her passion is to cause life transformation through coaching.