Eleven members from the training team of the Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) had a meeting with trainers from AirAsia last Saturday. It was held at the AirAsia Academy in Sepang. We were there to get a clearer picture of how BEAT can draw up training modules to fit into AirAsia’s existing training for its staff. After the meeting we were given a tour of the Academy, especially the flight simulator complex.

AirAsia Academy at Sepang.
Photo by Wuan.

BEAT and AirAsia Academy staff inside the meeting room.
Photo by Wuan.

BEAT and AirAsia Academy staff inside the meeting room.
Photo by Wuan.

Mural on the corridor at AirAsia Academy.
Photo by Wuan.

Mural of a familiar face at the corridor of AirAsia Academy.
Photo by Wuan.

Emergency evacuation slide for a Boeing 737.
Photo by Wuan.

AirAsia Flight Simulator Complex.
Photo by Wuan.

Mock-up of an aircraft cabin with a real Airbus A320 door for training at AirAsia Academy.
Photo by Wuan.

Airbus A320 flight simulators at AirAsia Academy.
Photo by Wuan.

Boeing 737 flight simulator at AirAsia Academy.
Photo by Wuan.

Ms. Farhana of AirAsia Academy demonstrating an emergency drill.
Photo by Wuan.

Captain Kenneth Chong explaining the mock-up of a Boeing 737 cabin used for training.
Photo by Wuan.

Poster at the AirAsia Academy lounge.
Photo by Wuan.

Group photo of BEAT members and staff of AirAsia Academy.
Photo by Wuan.

I feel accomplished today. Wuan and I met a good friend we have not met for a while. Hi again Dee! We had lunch at Madam Kwan’s at Mid Valley Megamall and then shopped a little at The Gardens. At this stage in life, I am beginning to appreciate the warmth that friendships bring.

The opposite to the term disabled person is neither able-bodied nor normal. A more appropriate term is non-disabled person. How do we define able-bodied? Do the abilities to walk and climb steps make a person able-bodied? Does having 20/20 vision makes one able-bodied? Should people who wear glasses be considered disabled persons? After all, without their spectacles, the activities of these people will be rather limited too.

There is also a reason why I depart from the convention by using disabled person instead of person with disabilities (PWD). The acronym PWD is used in all United Nations documents and universally accepted as the term to indicate a person’s condition such as physical, visual, speech and intellectual impairments. My rationale is that the term person with disabilities puts the burden of disability on the person.

On the other hand, disabled person connotes that a person is disabled by factors other than his condition. This is clearly laid out in the Social Model of Disability that propounds that people are disabled by prejudices, misconceptions and discrimination rather than by their conditions. Removing these factors which include environmental barriers and attitudes removes the disability to a very large extent.

On the same note, the term disabled person or disabled people should also not be substituted with the disabled or disabled. The use of these two latter terms as a collective noun or an adjective is a form of social segregation and stereotyping, implying that this group of people are separate and different from mainstream society. Disabled people possess feelings, intelligence, and capable of loving and be loved, just like everyone else. Oftentimes, terms like these are used inadvertently. Lets make it a point to use the appropriate terms from this point onwards.

Related link:
Label Jars, Not People

Hui Yee and her mother’s prayers have been answered. Their wait is over. May she have a speedy recovery.

The Star
Nation
Thursday October 4, 2007
MYT 7:27:56 PM

Mechanical heart girl gets a heart

By LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Mechanical heart girl Tee Hui Yi successful underwent a heart transplant Thursday morning after an accident patient in coma died in Ipoh the day before and several of his organs were donated.

Tee, 14, was wheeled into the National Heart Institute (IJN) operating theatre at 10.45pm on Wednesday and surgery for heart donor implantation started at 1.30am, according to a statement issued by IJN.

It was understood that the patient was a 15-year-old boy.

His heart and his lungs were flown into Subang Airport from Ipoh Hospital through the Royal Malaysian Air Force mercy flight.