Never had I envisioned that I could do so many things within the span of one year. 2006 will go down in my annals as a year of getting educated and one that was never short of excitement. It had been one wild ride from day one into the new year. It was also one of many firsts and the initiation into new concepts of rights and self-empowerment.

This year has seen me travelling more than I have ever done in my entire life. I was in Tokyo for two weeks under the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) Counterpart Training for Independent Living Programme for People with Disabilities in January. Barely one month after returning from Japan, I spent three weeks in Bangkok attending the Training of Managerial Personnel of Independent Living Centres (ILC) and Peer-Counselors for People with Disabilities organised by the Asia-Pacific Development Centre on Disability (APCD).

Apart from that, I have lost count of how many times I commuted between Kuala Lumpur and Penang. While Penang is still where my heart is, I have been in Kuala Lumpur ten of the twelve months of this year. Apparently, my affection for the island is gradually fading as many facets of my life have slowly taken root in the city. Friends have asked if I were going to settle down in Kuala Lumpur but my answer invariably was always the negative. Yet, in back of my head, I knew there will come a day I can no longer deny the calling of the metropolis.

The trainings in Tokyo and Bangkok sufficiently prepared me to become a Resource Person on Independent Living and Peer Counsellor Trainer. With that knowledge I assisted two resource persons from the Human Care Association Japan to conduct a five-day Independent Living and Peer Counselling Workshop in Kuala Lumpur in June. Subsequent to that, I conducted further trainings in Penang with a group of disabled persons with the intention of establishing a Centre for Independent Living. In August, Sin Chew Daily organised one three-hour seminar in Penang and another in Kuala Lumpur where I introduced the concept of Independent Living to disabled persons, their families and non-governmental organisations.

In July, New Straits Times and Jaring collaborated in a project that gave birth to Monster Blog. Malaysian bloggers writing on diverse issues were invited to contribute to the blog. I was given a slot on Tuesdays to write about Independent Living and disability related issues. As I wrote in the introduction, it was a journey of self discovery as I explored through my writings how disabled persons are viewed by society in general. Judging from the responses to some of the posts, Malaysia is still far away from being an inclusive society where disabled persons are treated as equals.

July was also the month an article I wrote entitled “Enabling Technologies” was published in PC.COM. Many thanks to Erna, the editor of the magazine, who gave me the opportunity to share how technology could enhance the life of disabled persons. Another article I wrote featuring fellow blogger Tony Pua was published in the August – September issue of Surf. This writing assignment came about after Oon Yeoh wrote about me in 2005 in Sun2Surf, the online edition of The Sun newspaper.

2006 is also the year that I began to reclaim back my life after giving up many parts of it to spinal cord injury. Wuan is instrumental in this endeavour. She egged me on to dress up more fashionably. From three pairs of specially tailored baggy trousers, I have began to add pants of various hues to my wardrobe in addition to long sleeved shirts that I gave up wearing because of the fuss in putting them on. However, the biggest challenge that she had thrown at me was to drive a car again. This is yet an unrealised dream but she made the dare easier by getting a car and installed a hand control kit adapted to my needs.

When I posted an entry about the wheelchair that I would love to own, I received an email from Grace, a Malaysian who has been staying in the USA since 1986. She offered to pay for the Kuschall Airlite Pro. That proposition touched me deeply but I could not possibly accept such an expensive gift. Truly, the world needs many more angels like Grace to make it a better one. Grace, may God bless you abundantly for you to pass on your generosity to those who are truly in need.

The wraping up of the year cannot be complete without mentioning the people who have touched my life. First off are William and Cynthia who got married in May. Congratulations again. I have known them as long as I have known Wuan. We all started as IRC buddies in 1998. They have never failed to respond to our call for company or silly adventures. They have been our movie companions on many Saturdays at 1-Utama’s GSC and TGV. One word aptly describes this couple – trustworthy. They can be counted on no matter what the situation.

Kuan Aw, Christine, Wing Hon and Kenji are very recent friends who have given me an opportunity to realise my potential. Likewise, I would also like to credit my friends from the Human Care Association in Japan, namely Shoji Nakanishi, Emiko Nakahara, Hiroko Akiyama, Aiko Tsutsumi and Hiroaki Furihata for my growth in this field. These people are all my mentors in disability issues. They were the ones who had taken the time and effort to nurture me and made me understand why it is important to advocate for a better future for disabled persons in Malaysia. Without their patience in guiding me, I would not have gone as far and done as much. Thank you. Arigato gozaimasu.

This has been an extremely busy year. Below is the list of conferences and events that took up much of my time:
Two trainings organised by JICA and JKMM (How To Conduct A Seminar Effectively and Training For Participatory Workshop)
Two events organised by the Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (Family Strengthening Workshop and Real Access For Life Roundtable)
Two events organised by BAKTI-MIND (Launching Of The MIND Website, BAKTI-MIND 2nd Annual Conference)
Two events under BEAT (Accessible Public Transport Awareness Campaign and International Day Of Disabled Persons Rally For Accessible Transport)
Charter 2000 – Aliran Roundtable on Internet Media
Meeting with Datuk Dr. Ng Yen Yen at Parliament House under BEAT regarding accessible public transport

2006 has not only been a fruitful year. It is a year that has witnessed me developing from a neophyte to a maturing activist in the field of disability issues. I still have a lot more to learn and even a lot more to do. Thank God for Wuan who had patiently drove me around to participate in all the events. Without her, I would not have been able to do much. I can foresee that 2007 will be an even busier year as I will be going full steam to promote Independent Living and establish a Centre for Independent Living. Nevertheless, I know it will be a year that I will enjoy more as I will be doing things that I love and believe in. Truly, his has been a year of many answered prayers. The direction going forward is very clear now. All this is only possible with His blessings. Gloria in Excelsis Deo.

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2006 – The Malaysian Disability Movement In Review

2006 has been a year of interesting development for the disability movement in Malaysia. There is a greater awareness regarding the social model of disability. This concept sees society as the disabling factor instead of impairments. In short, it is the attitude and built barriers that disable people. The environment is built for the majority when it should have been made to be usable by all. This essentially marginalises and segregates pockets of society that are deemed to be different from the rest.

There is also a general understanding among the disabled community now that living with impairment does not necessarily mean having to live a less fulfilling life. As long as disabled persons can make informed decisions regarding issues that affect them, they are able to lead a reasonably rewarding life. This is due largely to the effort of the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia (JKMM) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) effort in supporting Independent Living Programmes for People with Disability.

Dr. Kenji Kuno, Chief Advisor of JICA, must be credited for this initiative and his effort in empowering the disability movement in Malaysia. Through JKMM and JICA, he organised various trainings for disabled persons and welfare officers, and provided valuable technical expertise in this field to the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working on disability-related issues. His insight and experience makes him a valuable resource person and injects a fresh breath to the movement in Malaysia.

The most prominent event in 2006 where disability issues are concerned was not the FESPIC Games but the campaign for accessible public transport organised by the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT). FESPIC Games displayed the painful reality of the infrastructure and non-existent accessible public transport in Malaysia, especially for wheelchair users. At a national conference on accessibility organised by the Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat, a speaker likened athletes that needed assistance to board non-accessible buses on steep makeshift ramps to cattle being herded into trucks.

BEAT, an informal coalition comprising sixteen major NGOs in the Klang Valley, were concerned that none of the public buses catered to the needs of the mobility impaired. The group held a campaign in September to demonstrate the dire situation of public transport for wheelchair users and a rally at Brickfields on the International Day of Disabled Persons to highlight the matter again. The event was widely covered by the print and electronic media and caught the attention of politicians who assured the group that they would look into the matter.

Going forward, I can foresee that through awareness campaigns and a better understanding of their rights, more disabled persons will come out and advocate for a fair and equitable society where they can participate fully in nation building. Given the opportunity, disabled persons would prefer not to be at the receiving end of charity and welfare but be productive citizens contributing to the development of Malaysia. They can only do that when they are included in all aspects of mainstream society through the removal of attitudinal and environmental barriers. Let’s hope that 2007 will herald in a better year when the Disabled Persons Act is tabled at Parliament to unequivocally protect the rights of people who have been marginalised and discriminated against for far too long. Here is a toast to a brighter future.

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Christmas Day was spent unwrapping the one gift from Wuan that I have been hunting high and low for and window shopping with her at Mid Valley Megamall. After a morning of reflection, I needed some diversion to relax my tired mind from the weeks of intense schedule that I had been keeping since November. It is difficult not to acknowledge that age is catching up when body and mind are no longer able to endure stress like they used to.

A young woman came up to me at Carrefour and asked if I am Peter Tan. Hi Mei Keng! She blogs at Through My Eyes. When I asked for her blog URL, she told me it was an amateurish effort. That was how I started anyway. To me, personal blogs should have some form of amateur personality to it. Otherwise, a well polished blog would make it cold and distant and difficult to approach. And Hi Darlene! Darlene is Mei Keng’s friend.

It looked like everything in the mall was on sale. Having lived in Kuala Lumpur most of this year, I am beginning to wonder if there ever was a time when shops did not hold those 70% off promotions. Being a dupe for such bargains, I got myself a long-sleeved shirt and a polo tee for 50% and 70% off respectively. This year alone, I have increased my wardrobe by two-fold. I should seriously stop spending so much time in shopping malls.

After a full day of traipsing, Wuan and I settled down at Nam Heong Hainanese Chicken Rice for dinner. This is my favourite Hainanese chicken rice shop. I have not found any place serving chicken as tender and juicy as here. It was there that my school buddy William called out to me. He was also there for dinner with his wife Belinda and their daughter. After dinner, they came over to our table and we chatted and updated each other on our lives.

It is unimaginable that we were studying together in the same school more than twenty years ago. I still have many fond memories of our day in St. Xavier’s Institution in Penang although I was there for two years only. Those were the carefree times. It had been a good Christmas day today. Those two unexpected encounters made it all the more interesting. Unanticipated meetings like that are always pleasant. God knows I need more of those to perk up my days.

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