Brian Zaw's life was up-ended in the months after a coup in Myanmar in 2021.
That was when the country's military seized power after detaining leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected officials.
Mr Zaw is legally blind, and was an outspoken activist for those with disabilities, but he soon ran afoul of the military junta.
"I couldn't protect myself as a blind person, and I have a family, so I might have faced many problems," he said.
"That's why I left my country to Bangkok."
White cane drive
Mr Zaw and his family now live in Perth as refugees, but he still works tirelessly to help those living in the war-torn country.
He collects second hand white canes for people with vision impairment and takes them to the Thailand-Mynamar border to donate to a local disability organisation.
"Something is better than nothing," he said.
"The small things we can contribute is very effective to other people's lives."
Donated canes are collected by Perth-based service provider VisAbility with the help of mobility trainer Hasmukh Dave.
"It sounds very simple ... a stick, but it provides independence for people with low vision and blindness, and is a very important part of their life," Mr Dave said.
Mr Dave said Mr Zaw's efforts to support people with disabilities struggling in Myanmar was inspiring.
"He's an amazing person and an amazing role model," he said.
People with disabilities killed
Back in Myanmar, Mr Zaw was regularly reporting disability rights violations to the UN Human Rights Office.
He said he still received reports of people in Myanmar living with disabilities who have been caught up and killed in the conflict.
"Just last week in one of the villages, many people left and two people with disabilities were left, so the soldiers killed them and burnt the village," Mr Zaw said.
He said there were many similar reports of people with intellectual disabilities being targeted by military forces.
"They don't know where is restricted and they couldn't follow the other villagers to flee from the attack, so they've been tortured ... and killed," he said.
Many more people in Myanmar are sustaining life-changing injuries from landmines and bombs, as the bloody civil war drags on.
Sharing lessons from Australia
Mr Zaw said access to medical and disability support services in Myanmar was extremely challenging.
"Not only that, but the internet breakdown has also caused a shortage of information as well," he said.
When they took control in 2021, the military moved to block access to Facebook and other websites.
It is a stark difference to Mr Zaw's life in Australia, where he can easily access support.
Mr Zaw said he was taking lessons from Australia's services and sharing them with his with his community back in Myanmar.
"From the blind support group, how they organise and what knowledge they deliver here," he said.
"I brought that knowledge and shared it with my community."
Mr Zaw said his individual efforts were small, but they were meaningful.
"I feel very satisfied, and I am part of the disabilities community and I can do something," he said.
Source: ABC