Wheelchair Users Disabled In Malaysia

Drain hole cover with widely-space grilles outside Tesco Mutiara Damansara
Photo by Wuan.

If one is a wheelchair user out strolling for some sun and fun, there is practically no way of getting onto the safety of pedestrian walkways. The kerbs are at least six inches in height. No wheelchair user can traverse such heights without some sort of assistance. The saddest thing is that these walkways do not usually come with ramps. The only option is to go on the road and risk being hit by a car or other heavy vehicles.

That is not all. The roads by themselves are fraught with dangers such as drain hole covers with widely-spaced grilles. The casters or front wheels of the wheelchair may get caught in the gaps and throw the user off the wheelchair. The photo above was taken at the road outside Tesco Mutiara Damansara. This is one of the reasons why there are not many wheelchair users out and about. We would rather stay cocooned in the safety of our homes than to risk life and limb in the world outside.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

One thought on “Wheelchair Users Disabled In Malaysia”

  1. That is true, Peter. I mean, shouldn’t the authorities force these people to make the pedestrian walkways disabled-friendly? Oh well, I suppose something must happen before they do something.

    On another matter, were you in One Utama the other day (last weekend)? I think I saw you that day. =)

    Peter:
    The authorities are the ones who construct or approve the construction of such walkways. Most of the time, they do not bother to ensure that such facilities are safe for use by everyone. Wuan and I were at 1U last Saturday to watch Dark Knight. We hang around there quite often. Please come over to say hi the next time our paths cross. 😀

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