I am deeply humbled to serve as President of MANSA for the 2025–2027 term, working alongside a dedicated Executive Committee to advance our profession with vision and strategic leadership.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to the past leaders who have strengthened MANSA and to all who have shaped audiology in Malaysia over the past three decades. Your foresight, dedication, and perseverance have built a strong foundation. This foundation allows our profession to thrive and continue making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

As we move forward, I warmly invite every member, partner, and stakeholder from government, industry, and academia to join us in this journey. Guided by our vision to be the primary audiology profession advocate in Malaysia, let us go the extra mile together. Let us combine knowledge with heart, science with compassion, and service with purpose. Through strong advocacy and collaboration, we can position Malaysian audiology as a beacon of excellence on the global platform, reaching those who need us most at home and beyond.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sarah Binti Rahmat

President, Malaysian National Society of Audiologists (MANSA), 2025-2027

Reflection from the 1st Malaysia Deaf-Blind Conference

The Malaysian National Society of Audiologists (MANSA) is honoured to have served as a co-organizer of the 1st Malaysia Deaf-Blind Conference, held through the joint effort of the Association of Malaysian Optometrists (AMO), the Malaysian Occupational Therapy Association (OT Malaysia), and the Malaysian National Society of Audiologists (MANSA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM), the Department of Social Welfare (JKM), and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). This meaningful collaboration brought together professionals, advocates, and individuals with lived experience to exchange insights, foster understanding, and strengthen collective efforts toward greater inclusion and empowerment for the deaf-blind community in Malaysia.

The 1st Malaysia Deaf-Blind Conference offered a profound platform to understand the realities and experiences of individuals living with both hearing and vision loss. Deaf-blindness is not simply the sum of two sensory impairments; it is a distinct condition with its own world, communication methods, and measures of success.

The conference underscored the importance of communication — not merely as an exchange of words, but as a means of human connection and dignity.

For those who are deaf-blind, communication may occur through tactile sign language or total communication. Yet, beyond the method itself, what truly matters is the ability to connect — with others, with the world, and with oneself. This reflection resonates deeply with our work in audiology. Are we helping people merely to hear sounds, or to connect meaningfully — through hearing, touch, or any other sense?

This question also reminds us that hearing extends beyond its physical definition. It encompasses the deeper ability to listen, understand, and respond with empathy — values that lie at the heart of our profession.

As hearing professionals, perhaps it is time we view hearing not only as a biological function but as a pathway to connection, understanding, and compassion — and to continually ask ourselves, what does it truly mean to hear?

— Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sarah Rahmat
President, Malaysian National Society of Audiologists (MANSA) 

– November 2025