The width of a standard-sized wheelchair is approximately 24 inches. It is too wide to fit into the narrow aisle of an aircraft that can be as narrow as 20 inches. To facilitate the boarding of passengers with mobility impairments, airlines use aircraft boarding chairs. There are several models of aircraft boarding chairs. They are mostly rigid-framed chairs with small wheels for the front and back. Some are fitted with detachable larger wheels with push rims like those on wheelchairs to ease the independent movement of users around the airport premises. Users sitting on the boarding chairs with just the small wheels have to depend on airline staff to push them.

I have previously identified aircraft boarding chairs as aisle chairs. This is only partly accurate as boarding chairs are indeed able to traverse aircraft aisles. Boarding chair is used to move a disabled person from the check-in counter or outside the aircraft to the seat inside the aircraft. The chair removed from the aircraft after the passenger has transfered to the aircraft seat. The usage of this chair is dependent on the availability of an aerobridge connecting the aircraft to the airport terminal. In the next entry, I will write about on-board aisle chairs which are foldable or collapsible and are stored inside the aircraft.

Malaysia Airlines aircraft boarding chair at Penang International Airport.

Japan Airlines aircraft boarding chair at Narita International Airport.

Japan Airlines aircraft boarding chair with the large wheels removed.

Related entry:
On-Board Aisle Chair

N E W S

Nation
Wednesday December 5, 2007

Special dept for disabled, kids and senior citizens

SUBANG JAYA: The government plans to set up a department to look into the welfare of disabled, children and senior citizens.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said that such a department would help ensure that services were delivered efficiently.

To be named Department for the Disabled Development, she said that certain procedures had to be implemented such as the drawing up of the Bills that needed to be tabled and passed in Parliament.

“It is expected to be drawn up and tabled in Parliament by the year’s end,” she said while launching the National Disabled Day 2007 at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre here yesterday.

The ministry has also submitted proposals to the Housing and Local Government and Transport ministries concerning matters pertaining to access for disabled persons, she said.

She later presented awards in various categories.

The special award for the most excellent disabled person went to Dr Ng Chee Kyun, 32, who overcame cerebral palsy to obtain a PhD in Communications and Networking from UPM and is now working at Mimos Bhd.

Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort in Kota Kinabalu won the award for the most disabled-accessible hotel, while 1-Utama in Petaling Jaya won the award for the most accessible shopping complex.

Telekom Malaysia (TM) has blocked all outbound emails sent through my mail server. According to a circular from TM to TMNet and Streamyx subscribers yesterday, this was done to thwart spammers who have caused many of TM’s IP addresses being blacklisted by anti-spam organisations. Apart from foiling spammers TM has also effectively inconvenienced TMNet and Streamyx subscribers who send out emails through our own mail servers.

I just changed the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) from my email server to smtp.tm.net.my and successfully sent out a few test emails to myself while maintaining my current email address on the header. This method only works if one has an active TMNet or Streamyx password and ID. This is not a long term solution though. I still prefer all outbound emails to originate from my mail server. The other option is to send all my emails through TM Net’s open relay proxy server. However, routing all outbound emails through the open relay proxy server poses security risks. Jeff Ooi’s Screenshots has more on this issue.

The theme for the International Day of Disabled Persons (IDDP) 2007 is “Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities.” The United Nations has set up a page to suggest how this day can be observed. The international body also states that 80% of disabled persons of working age are unemployed. It is generally accepted that disabled persons constitute 10% of the total population. Hypothetically, in the Malaysian context, that amounts to a staggering 2.16 million jobless people.

There are many interlinked factors why disabled people are unable to get employment. Public transport is not accessible. Without an accessible public transport, disabled people are unable to go to school or commute to work. At the same time, most schools, the built environment and work places are inaccessible and limit the mobility of disabled people.

Society in general still harbour prejudices against disabled people, employers included. Due to the lack of understanding of disability issues, employers prefer the easier way out by not employing disabled people. On the other hand, some employers hire disabled persons purely as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) exercise rather than based on the qualifications of the applicant and the needs of the company involved. Disabled people should not be reduced to performing menial tasks in their workplaces and being paid a pittance for their effort.

Malaysia will be observing this significant day on December 4, 2007 at the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel. The event will be officiated by wife of the Prime Minister Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah. The one subject that will be most talked about during and after the event will be the tabling of the Disabled Persons Bill in the Parliament on December 10. According to the report by NST, there are five main parts to the bill, including the role of the national council for the disabled, the creation of a registry of the disabled and the appointment of a chief registrar. The Bill was first drafted in 2002.

The Bill, when passed by Parliament, will be a momentous milestone for protecting the rights of disabled persons in Malaysia. However, legislation without enforcement is ineffective. The impotence of the Uniform Building By-Law 34A of the Street, Drainage and Building Act is one such glaring example. Local governments who are responsible for enforcing the accessibility standards are themselves blatant violators of the law.

Likewise, disabled persons themselves must first understand their rights and advocate for it without fear or favour. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) must move from the charity- and welfare-based approach to a rights-based one. It is time that disabled persons stand up against discrimination and injustices instead of just accepting such acts as the norm of society. As long as disabled persons do not value their own dignity and demand for their rightful place in society, they will forever be marginalised and forgotten.

NST Online » Local News

2007/12/02
Bill to address all issues faced by the disabled

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THE Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is banking on the Disabled Persons Bill to address all the problems faced by the disabled, including sexual abuse.
The bill will be tabled in parliament on Dec 10 and, once it becomes law, a new department for the disabled will be set up.

“I’m not surprised with the sentiment that no disabled person can walk on the street without fear of abuse.

“With the department, we’ll be able to identify all issues involving the disabled, including emerging issues like (sexual abuse),” said its minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

“We must find new tools and solutions to the problem. We can do it. But (the emphasis of) our approach will be prevention,” she said.
Shahrizat admitted the employment of foreign workers by non-governmental institutions is becoming a worrying trend but once the bill becomes law, this will also be addressed.

“We have strict methodologies for the running of homes but, on a realistic level, we know this is happening.

“Many NGOs are doing good work but there are a few black sheep who are giving a bad name to others who are running professional homes.

“As the government, we too have to be careful in running our institutions and constantly look after our wards.”

Once the bill is passed, she said, a national council for the disabled, headed by her and representatives from ministries such as Human Resources, Health, Transport, Housing and Local Government as well as the Attorney-General’s Chambers, would be set up to implement all policies and plans for the disabled.

She said the council would ensure the full participation of the disabled in all sectors of society to realise the objectives of the proposed law.

“I’m very excited about this.

“The disabled have been waiting for too long to be recognised as people with full rights and dignity,” said Shahrizat.

The bill will, among other things, acknowledge the potential and contribution of the disabled towards the well-being and diversity of society and provide them with equal opportunities, protection and aid.

There are five main parts to the bill, including the role of the national council for the disabled, the creation of a registry of the disabled and the appointment of a chief registrar.

It also addresses issues such as protection for the disabled from legal actions and legal proceedings and the power of the ministry to make rules and prevent anomalies.