The webhosting contract for this blog and several others that I am maintaining is expiring on February 1. I am currently looking for a webhost that is reliable, provides good support and charges a reasonable price for the plan that I require. All in, I need a Linux plan with CPanel, 2GB space, 10GB monthly bandwidth and the usual features thrown in by the major webhosting companies. If you are a webhost or is a blogger using a plan that fits my requirement, please drop a comment here or send an email to me. Thank you.

Photo by Wuan.

I went to the AMBP Bloggers Gathering and all I got was this lousy Harry Porter singlet for ladies (but look at that deltoid!), two movie tickets that I could not use as it was for a weekday show and a Bee Movie toothbrush holder. Those came in the lucky draw goody bag that I won.

Wuan and I were the very last few of fifty people to get the free drinks voucher courtesy of Starbucks although we were one hour late. I had Mocha Frappucino which is taboo food to me while Wuan had Rooibos Herbal Tea Latte which tasted quite nice actually. Met up with some old friends like Redzuan aka DJ Phuturecybersonique aka Mr. Pot Cit, Sashi of Sashi Syok Sama Siti Mix fame and Suanie who missed me so much that she called to check if I was really going to the gathering.

Kudos to the gang at AMBP for organisng this gathering, especially Mike, Sashi, Ivy, Andy and whoever else was involved. I look forward to more events with targeted themes to keep the younger and restless participants occupied. As for me, I will be contented with just sitting in a corner and soak in the ambience. Anyway, well done guys! And one last thing, better prizes for the lucky draws for subsequent events perhaps?

Canadian Transportation Agency decides in favour of one-person-one-fare policy

OTTAWA - January 10, 2008 - The Canadian Transportation Agency has ordered Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet to adopt a one-person-one-fare policy for persons with severe disabilities who travel within Canada by air. The airlines have one year to implement the policy.

The tribunal’s Decision means that for domestic services, Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet may not charge more than one fare for persons with disabilities who

*

are accompanied by an attendant for their personal care or safety in flight, as required by the carriers’ domestic tariffs, or
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require additional seating for themselves, including those determined to be functionally disabled by obesity for purposes of air travel.

The Decision does NOT apply to:

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persons with disabilities or others who prefer to travel with a companion for personal reasons;
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persons with disabilities who require a personal care attendant at destination, but not in-flight; and
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persons who are obese but not disabled as a result of their obesity.

The Decision is based on longstanding principles of equal access to transportation services for persons with disabilities, regardless of the nature of the disability, and the Agency’s legislative mandate to remove “undue obstacles” to their mobility. The Decision respects related decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal.

The airlines are expected to develop a screening process to assess eligibility under the one-person-one-fare policy. For persons who travel with an attendant as required by the carriers’ domestic tariffs, the Decision notes that carriers already perform assessments and have screening mechanisms to determine fitness and conditions for travel. Their screening mechanisms could be adapted to include functional assessments, and related screening expertise is available to them. For persons disabled by obesity, the Agency cites the practical experience of Southwest Airlines, which screens for entitlement to an additional seat by determining whether a person can lower the seat’s armrests.

The airlines failed to demonstrate to the Agency that implementation of a one-person-one-fare policy will impose undue hardship on them. The Agency estimates that the cost of implementing the one-person-one-fare policy represents 0.09 per cent of Air Canada’s annual passenger revenues of $8.2 billion and 0.16 per cent of WestJet’s equivalent revenues of $1.4 billion.

The three applicants in the case were the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Joanne Neubauer of Victoria, and the Estate of the late Eric Norman, who was a resident of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador.

In a separate statement released today, the Agency offered to facilitate a collaborative process for implementation of the one-person-one-fare Decision. “It would be desirable to have a common screening approach to determine eligibility to benefit under the one-person-one-fare policy,” said Geoffrey Hare, Chairman and CEO of the Agency. “A co-operative approach would be potentially beneficial to Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, WestJet and the Gander International Airport Authority as well as other Canadian air carriers and airport authorities that may consider voluntary implementation of the one-person-one-fare policy.”

The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent tribunal which operates like a court to render decisions on a case-by-case basis. The Agency’s jurisdiction with respect to persons with disabilities, stated in Part V of the Canada Transportation Act, is to ensure that persons with disabilities have proper access to effective transportation service. The Agency makes decisions and orders to eliminate undue obstacles to the mobility of persons with disabilities in the federal transportation network.

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The Agency’s Decision No. 6-AT-A-2008 on the one-person-one-fare application may be viewed at www.cta.gc.ca. The Executive Summary, two backgrounders and a related news release may be found in the Media Room at www.cta.gc.ca.

For further information, please contact:

News Media Enquiries: Jadrino Huot at 819-953-9957
General Public Enquiries: cta.comment@cta-otc.gc.ca; 1-888-222-2592

A friend sent me the following comic strip that he did a few weeks back. I have meant to put it up in a website that I am developing to deal specifically with disability issues in Malaysia. Since I know myself too well and that I will procrastinate, this strip will be placed in this blog first.

The story in the comic is a true reflection of the situation here in Malaysia. Although some corporations are genuine in employing disabled persons for their skills and qualifications, many do it merely as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) exercise to show that they care and to gain publicity by getting the press to highlight their magnanimity. Surprisingly, cheap publicity stunts like these are able to garner accolades from the public.

Truth be told, we are still very far away from a masyarakat yang benar-benar penyayang. We are a society that sees disabled people as opportunities to be charitable. There is a reason why 80% of disabled people of working age are jobless. We do not have to look far and deep to find out. I have disabled friends who are still hunting for jobs two years after their graduation. And this comic strips tells you why.

With no satisfactory official response forthcoming from AirAsia regarding the policy of imposing indemnity form on wheelchair users after more than two months, I decided to refer my complaint to the Minister of Transport Dato’ Sri Chan Kong Choy and the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

The complaint was sent via email just now and hardcopies will posted to the respective ministers and three other persons in the carbon copy list, namely Senator Prof Datuk Dr. Ismail Md Salleh, Society of Orthopaedically Handicapped Malaysia President Dr. Tiun Ling Ta and Malaysian Spinal Injuries Association President Dr. Rahim bin Noor. I am a member of both organisations. Not long after the email was sent, Ministry of Transport Secretary General Dato’ Haji Zakaria Hj Bahari forwarded the mail to AirAsia CEO Datuk Tony Fernandez asking him to take action accordingly.

Below is the content of my complaint letter:

4 Januari, 2008

Y.B. Dato’ Sri Chan Kong Choy Melalui emel dan pos
Menteri Pengangkutan
Blok D5, Kompleks D
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62616 Putrajaya

Y. B. Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil Melalui emel dan pos
Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat
Aras 1-6, Blok E
Kompleks Pejabat Kerajaan Bukit Perdana
Jalan Dato’ Onn
50515 Kuala Lumpur

Dato’ Sri Chan dan Dato’ Sri Shahrizat,

PER: DISKRIMINASI TERDAHAP PENUMPANG YANG MENGGUNA KERUSI RODA OLEH AIRASIA

Saya ingin membuat aduan tentang perkara di atas yang telah berlaku pada diri saya.

1. Pada 30 Oktober 2007, saya bersama isteri saya telah daftar masuk di Lapangan Terbangan Antarabangsa Kota Kinabalu untuk menaiki penerbangan AirAsia AK 5107 ke Kuala Lumpur. Saya adalah pengguna kerusi roda.

2. Seorang pegawai AirAsia meminta saya menandatangani borang lepas tanggungan (Release and Indemnity). Antara fasal yang terkandung di dalam borang itu adalah:
- AirAsia tidak akan bertanggungjawab sekiranya berlaku apa-apa pada diri saya semasa penerbangan.
- Saya bersetuju menanggung segala perbelanjaan AirAsia yang mungkin disebabkan oleh diri saya dalam penerbangan tersebut.
- Saya telah menandatangani borang itu secara sukarela .

3. Saya telah membantah dengan sekerasnya dan meminta perkara ini dirujuk kepada pihak pengurusan AirAsia di Kuala Lumpur sebab perbuatan yang mewajibkan saya menandatangani borang itu adalah diskriminasi terhadap saya sebagai seorang pengguna kerusi roda.

4. Setelah pegawai itu merujuk kepada pengurusnya, saya diberitahu bahawa sekiranya saya tidak menandatangani borang tersebut, saya tidak akan dibenarkan menaiki pesawat. Saya tidak mempunyai pilihan kecuali menandatangani borang tersebut untuk dibenarkan menaiki pesawat kembali ke Kuala Lumpur. Apabila menandatangani borang tersebut, saya juga telah menulis dengan huruf besar yang terang bahawa saya membantah perbuatan tersebut. Salinan borang tersebut dilampirkan.

5. Saya telah memaklumkan kejadian tersebut kepada Datuk Tony Fernandez dan Encik Bo Lingam dari AirAsia melalui emel. Maklumbalas dari kedua-dua mereka sungguh tidak memuaskan. Sehingga kini, selepas dua bulan, pihak AirAsia masih belum memberi penerangan yang munasabah mengenai syarat ini kecuali mengatakan bahawa ia adalah syarat dari syarikat insurans mereka. Alasan ini tidak boleh diterima kerana Malaysia Airlines tidak mengenakan syarat ini keatas pengguna kerusi roda kecuali satu kesilapan di Jepun di mana Profesor Yutaka Takamine diminta mendandatangani surat lepas tanggungan. Malaysia Airlines telah pun meminta maaf kepada Profesor Yutaka seperti yang Dato’ Sri-Dato’ Sri sudah dimaklumkan.

6. Saya telah menghadiri kursus “Independent Living Program for People with Disabilities” di Jepun dan Thailand pada 2006 yang dianjurkan bersama oleh Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia dan Japan International Cooperation Agency. Dalam penerbangan ke kursus-kursus tersebut dengan Japan Airlines dan Malaysia Airlines, saya tidak diminta untuk menandatangani borang lepas tanggungan. Saya juga telah menghadiri 7th Disabled Peoples’ International World Assembly dan Global Summit on Independent Living di Korea baru-baru ini sebagai speaker untuk kedua-dua perhimpunan tersebut dengan penerbangan Malaysia Airlines dan juga tidak diminta untuk menandatangi borang tersebut.

7. Saya ingin merujuk kepada cadangan daripada 18 pertubuhan OKU yang diserahkan kepada Dato’ Sri Chan pada mesyuarat di Kementerian Pengangkutan pada 12 Mac 2007 di mana kami meminta supaya syarat yang mewajipkan pengguna kerusi roda menandatangani surat lepas tanggunan yang diamalkan oleh syarikat penerbangan dilarang sama sekali. Salinan cadangan tersebut dilampirkan.

8. Syarat yang diskriminasi ini melanggar hak asasi saya. Saya berharap Dato’ Sri Chan dan Dato’ Sri Shahrizat akan mengambil tindakan dengan segera supaya perkara yang sebegini tidak berlaku lagi. Ia juga untuk memelihara hak OKU yang termaktub dalam Rang Undang-Undang Orang Kurang Upaya 2007 dan Konvensyen Mengenai Hak Orang Kurang Upaya (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).

Perhatian Dato’ Sri-Dato’ Sri di atas perkara ini amat dihargai.

Sekian, terima kasih.

Related entry:
BEAT’s Recommendation To The Ministry of Transport Malaysia