Opening Our Eyes to the Unseen: Lee Seow Ser on the Power of Stories and Literacy

Some would say she has seen it all, done it all.

Having graduated from top schools and gotten herself a law degree, Lee Seow Ser has led a successful life in the eyes of most Singaporeans. She is also well-travelled, having relocated to France for two years with her husband.

But it was in a quiet maritime port city near the Atlantic Ocean where Seow Ser found something deeper — a calling to write.

“Essentially, the feel and taste of Life is sensed, not through the grandness of concrete establishments, but in the simplicity and fluidity of Being,” she penned. “Of being alive, of being wherever you may be and making the best out of it.”

The reflection essay, which she later submitted to and was published by Quarterly Literary Review Singapore (QLRS), sparked a dual interest: writing and experiencing the world through all the senses.

 

LIVING WITH EYES WIDE OPEN

Upon returning to Singapore, Seow Ser resumed her career in legal practice but continued pursuing writing, contributing to newsletters and attending literary festivals.

“As someone who enjoys reading and visiting book stores, it struck me one day that a person who cannot see is denied the chance to access and enjoy all the wonderful books we can find in bookstores or the public libraries, simply because there are no or not many braille books available for their enjoyment,” Seow Ser reflected.

This realisation further hit home in 2014 where she fell ill and had to convalesce for seven months at her parents’ house. After her recovery, Seow Ser decided to leave the corporate world to fulfil her other life aspirations.

Over lunch with her friend Hidayah Amin, founder of independent publisher Helang Books, the idea emerged: why not make books accessible to those with sight loss?

Seow Ser explained, “As a writer, I thought it both my duty and desire to render the content of my creative works in a format or medium accessible to those who wish to read but cannot do so with their eyes.”

Together, they engaged Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) to transcribe Hidayah’s award-winning children’s book The Mango Tree into braille. Copies were then donated to Lighthouse School for students with sight loss or low vision.

“Since then, whenever we produce braille books, we would donate some to Lighthouse School and the SAVH library, even gifting them to some of our blind friends who treasure them a lot.”

And that was how To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) with Love (SIR in short) started.

 

WHEN WORDS GIVE SIGHT

As SIR’s Project Lead, Seow Ser drives the creation of inclusive educational and creative resources — from braille books with dyslexia-friendly fonts to tactile illustrations. These resources are offered free to beneficiaries like schools and welfare organisations, thanks to grants and donations.

For example, Helang Books has launched two children’s book series. The first is the Little Kids, Big Ideas with noteworthy features of braille, tactile pictures and dyslexia-friendly font. These inclusive books have also been translated into mother tongue languages of Chinese and Malay. The second is the I Am Unique bilingual series, telling true stories of local characters with disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and Glaucoma.

Whenever the opportunity presents itself, SIR would conduct inclusive storytelling sessions at the National Library Plaza, public libraries and literary festivals, offering children an immersive experience of empathy and inclusion.

Yet, limited resources often constrain their reach.

“We always have many creative ideas and worthwhile projects in the pipeline waiting to be materialised,” Seow Ser said, explaining that there are three more books they hope to launch soon.

“With the right support by valued partners in time to come, I am confident these projects would flourish and benefit the larger community, driving positive change one project at a time.”

This desire to scale SIR led Seow Ser to enroll in RESSEC’s Specialist Diploma in Social Entrepreneurship (SDSE), where she hoped to build stronger foundations for sustainable impact.

“I was keen to learn the fundamentals of the framework surrounding social entrepreneurship,” she expressed. “I hoped to deepen my know-how and skillsets in this domain, to strengthen the work that I have been doing on the ground in my SIR initiative for the last decade.”

 

REWRITING THE FUTURE TOGETHER

Developed in consultation with experts from the social service sector, SDSE brings together learners from diverse backgrounds. In this setting, Seow Ser met Ms Lim Lee Lee, a classmate with sight loss, accompanied by her guide dog, Hesta.

“She was the first person I spoke to during our first lesson,” Seow Ser recounted. “We interacted closely, bonded and found that we had positive working chemistry together.”

Seow Ser invited Lee Lee to be SIR’s Inclusion Ambassador, and as part of her capstone project, they delivered a programme at a local primary school. Lee Lee shared firsthand experiences of sight loss and read aloud from the braille edition of a book written by Seow Ser entitled, My Name is Ling. I am Blind.

Their message resonated with the audience. Students asked thoughtful questions, practised mobility skills with Hesta, the guide dog, and walked away with new perspectives.

Reflecting on the success in connecting persons from mainstream society with the underrepresented, Seow Ser said, “The success of my close partnership with Lee Lee is testament to the significance of collaboration with the right partners, where both can share in the win-win fruits of their labour as they promote common social goals and fulfil objectives close to their hearts — and have fun at the same time!”

These myriads of possibilities of authentic and effective collaboration greatly energised her; Seow Ser finds herself much more open to new and innovative ways to problem-solve.

"SDSE pushed me beyond my comfort zones,” she shared. “I hope to use what I’ve learned to strengthen and grow SIR into a human-centric platform that fosters care, inclusion and understanding.”

 

SEE THE NEED, BE THE CHANGE

For fellow social entrepreneurs, Seow Ser stressed the importance of consistency.

“Like any other vocation, social entrepreneurs have good and bad days,” she continued. “Whatever comes your way, I feel it is important to simply show up, be open-minded, be willing to share, discuss, contribute constructively and commit to deliver good, meaningful work.”  

“If we want to see change, we must first be the change we want to see in ourselves — whether it is being kind, respectful, empathetic and understanding of the needs and challenges faced by others.

“Then only can we do our part to contribute towards a better world.”