The email below is regarding the toilet with the wheelchair logo above the door that I could not use at Ulu Bernam RSA last week.

Dear Puan Khalilah,

I would like to point you to the “accessible” toilet at Ulu Bernam RSA Southbound. I was truly shocked to discover that I could not close the door after I got in. It opened inwards and there was little space for me to maneuver. That being the only toilet provided for disabled people at the RSA, I had no choice but to empty my bladder into my diaper. It is ridiculous to indicate that the toilet is for disabled people when it is not usable by a wheelchair user. I hope this matter is rectified soonest possible.

On another note, I am truly disappointed to note that my previous complaints 1 year ago regarding accessible parking were not looked into. The parking spaces at the RSAs and lay-bys that I stopped at do not comply with the code of practice. Most of them are too narrow. Worse still, most of these spaces were occupied by vehicles with non-disabled passengers or drivers. This defeats the purpose of allocating such space when disabled people do not have the opportunity to use them at all.

I use the NSE frequently. As a disabled person, I am not even asking for privileges and discount on tolls. I pay the same fare as other non-disabled drivers. All I am asking for is that PLUS provide facilities that are functional, safe and convenient for disabled drivers and passengers alike. That is the least PLUS can do to ensure equality to disabled people using the NSE.

I would like to advise PLUS to conduct a thorough access audit on all the RSAs and lay-bys to ensure that the facilities comply with the code of practice. Putting the wheelchair logo on the toilet door or painting the same logo on the parking space do not make them usable by disabled people. I am sure you are aware of the Malaysian Standard MS 1183, MS 1184 and MS 1331. I discovered from a cursory audit last week that many of the facilities do not comply with the requirements.

With the Akta Orang Kurang Upaya in force now and Malaysia being a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that will soon be ratified, it is time for PLUS to seriously work towards ensuring that all public facilities along the expressways are fully accessible, not only to disabled people, but to everyone that uses them.

Your attention in this matter is most appreciated.

Thank you.

Regards,
Peter Tan

Related posts:

1. Inaccessible Toilet For Disabled People At Ulu Bernam RSA
2. Trapped In The Toilet Again!
3. Dear PLUS – Unsafe “Accessible” Facilities At RSAs
4. Toilet Tales
5. Email To Malaysia Airports

Likewise, the purportedly parking for disabled persons at all the RSAs and lay-bys have not been redone to comply with Malaysian Standard MS 1184. Disabled persons have no place to park and get out from vehicles conveniently. Moreover, the those parking spaces are usually occupied by vehicles without disabled persons.

Toilet for disabled persons with the door opening inwards at Ulu Bernam RSA Southbound.

To add insult to injury, on my trip back from Ipoh last weekend, I discovered that the accessible toilet at the Ulu Bernam RSA Southbound was as good as useless. The door opened inwards. When I got in, I could not close the door due to the limited space inside for me to maneuver. I got Wuan to move the sanitary napkin disposal bin out. That did not help either. In the end, I emptied my bladder into the diaper I was wearing instead.

Before PLUS officials attend another conference on accessibility for disabled persons and proclaim to all and sundry that they provide such facilities at the RSAs and lay-bys, they should do an audit to ensure that these facilities are really functional and comply with the code of practice.

Putting a wheelchair logo on the toilet door or painting the logo on the parking space does not make them usable by disabled people. These facilities must comply with the Malaysian Standard MS 1184: Code of Practice for Access for Disabled Persons to Buildings. The document clearly spells out the proper dimension and requirements to make facilities usable by disabled people.

Related posts:

1. Love Letter To PLUS – Unusable “Accessible” Toilet
2. Trapped In The Toilet Again!
3. Plight of the disabled: The Star, Metro North – February 14, 2009
4. Parking For Disabled People In Selangor And Penang
5. Email From Malaysia Airports

Inside one of the accessible toilets at Ikano Power Centre.

This photo was taken inside one of the accessible toilets at Ikano Power Centre. This must be the work of a man who did not know how to hold his penis to direct the stream of urine into the toilet bowl. There was urine all over the toilet seat and on the floor too. The room reeked of cigarette fumes. Imagine my consternation when I got into the toilet and was greeted by the unsettling sight and smell. Fortunately I did not need to sit on the toilet bowl. Unfortunately, I usually spend a little more time in the toilet as compared to other people and had to bear with the stench the entire duration I was inside.

Ikano Power Centre is one of the most accessible buildings. In fact it is a paradise for wheelchair users. There are ample accessible parking spaces. The entire building is almost 100% accessible except for the rather steep ramp connecting to Ikea at the ground floor and the pet shop at Level 2. Moreover, just across the road is The Curve where food outlets are aplenty.

There are so many reasons why I like to hang out there, only to be spoilt by idiots who mess up the accessible toilets. These are the handful of people who make other Malaysians look bad. When I was in Tokyo, all the public toilets that I used at train stations, shopping complexes and at the airport were spotlessly clean and, mostly importantly, dry. Malaysians should learn to be more civic conscious and discard that third world mentality. We should keep toilets clean for the next person just like we would like the person before us do the same.

Related posts:

1. Please Don’t Squat
2. Ikea, Ikano Power Centre and The Curve
3. Two Sides Of Human Nature
4. Inaccessible Toilet For Disabled People At Ulu Bernam RSA
5. Separating The Wheat From The Chaff

PLUS General Manager of Corporate Communications Puan Khalilah Talha at the Real Roundtable 2006.

Back in 2006, I sat through a presentation by PLUS General Manager of Corporate Communications Puan Khalilah Talha titled Voluntary Corporate Compliance at The Real Rountable (Real Access for Life). The event was organised by the Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat in conjunction with the International Day of Disabled Persons to discuss about the barriers faced by disabled people in society.

PLUS presentation on accessible facilities at rest stops at the Real Roundtable 2006.

The presentation specifically touched on the accessible facilities already constructed at the rest areas and plans to include such facilities in rest areas without them. I referred back to the conference pack and found amongst the presentation, a slide that proclaimed “dedicated handicapped restrooms” at the expressway’s rest and service areas were MS 1184 compliant. Malaysian Standard MS 1184 is the Code of Practice on Access for Disabled Persons to Public Buildings. At that time, I did not have a driving license yet and a newbie to the advocacy moment. I was thoroughly impressed by the progressive attitude of PLUS with regards to accessible facilities at the rest areas.

Ramp with steep gradient at Tapah Rest and Service Area northbound.

For the past year or so, Wuan and I have been travelling up to Ipoh and Penang rather frequently using the North South Expressway. We would usually break our journey at Tapah Rest and Serivce Areas to use the toilet and for some light snacks. PLUS Expressways Berhad had put up signs to indicate accessible facilities at these places, namely parking spaces, ramps and toilets for the convenience of disabled people.

Accessible parking space at Tapah Rest and Service Area northbound.

It was during those trips that I discovered most of the accessible facilities were not in compliance with MS 1184. Ramps were mostly too steep. Fittings in the toilets were at the wrong places. Accessible parkings were not usable and mostly occupied by vehicles not entitled to the facilities. Wheelchair users should be able to use accessible facilities independently but those available at the rest areas were otherwise. Even if I could or wanted to, I would not be able to move conveniently around these places without assistance. Truly, it was a case of “indah khabar dari rupa.”

Parking space not suitable for disabled people at Simpang Pulai lay by southbound.

When we went to visit my third paternal aunt in Melaka last week, we stopped at the Ayer Keroh Rest and Service Area. The food court and toilets were built on land elevated above the car park. The only way to get to the buildings for me were by way of a series of ramps. There was a yellow signboard with the wheelchair logo. just by the ramp.

Parking spaces and ramp at Ayer Keroh Rest and Serivce Area southbound.

The ramps at the Ayer Keroh RSA do not comply with MS 1184. In fact, the section from leading to the road is a potential death trap for wheelchair users descending the ramps. The gradient was simply too steep even for assisted descent. Ramps should not have a gradient steeper than 1:12, meaning for every 10cm rise, the length of the ramps should be 120cm in length. Outdoor ramps are recommended to have a gradient of 1:15. A good ramp is one that a wheelchair user can ascent or descent effortlessly and independently.

Ramp at Ayer Keroh Rest and Serivce Area southbound.

Wuan got me up the ramp after much huffing and puffing. The ramps connecting the various buildings were no better and do not comply with MS 1184. The accessible toilets were located in either the gents or ladies. Wuan had to accompany me into the gents accessible toilet to assist me. Ideally it would have been better to have separate accessible toilets to avoid embarassment should the personal assistant of the wheelchair user is of the opposite gender.

Ramp at Ayer Keroh Rest and Serivce Area food court southbound.

The accessible toilet inside the gents was locked. Wuan checked the accessible toilet in the ladies. It was locked too. We had to wait for the cleaner to unlock it. I had to quickly do what I wanted to do in there as it reeked of urine. That must have been the most torturous 10 minutes in an accessible toilet for me ever.

Ramp at Ayer Keroh Rest and Serivce Area food court southbound.

When it was time to get back to the car, I checked with a Propel staff if there was an easier way down. Apparently, that ramp was the only way. I had a feeling Wuan would not be able to assist me down the steep ramp. Two of the staff from Propel offered to help me descent to the car park. Even so, they had problems trying to hold my wheelchair from rolling down. I would not be able to go down the ramp by myself unless I had a death wish.

Being helped down the ramp at Ayer Keroh Rest and Service Area.

The wheelchair signboard indicating the ramp is misleading. That is neither a functional ramp nor a safe one to use. PLUS must ensure that accessible facilities bearing the wheelchair logo comply to MS 1184. Building a ramp and putting up a signboard with a wheelchair logo does not necessarily make it usable by disabled people. The ramp must be of the correct gradient, length, surface and fitted with handrails of the proper diameter.

Being helped down the ramp at Ayer Keroh Rest and Service Area.

Likewise PLUS’ responsibility does not end at allocating accessible parking spaces. The company must also ensure that these facilities are used only by people who are entitled to it. There is really no point in putting up signboards indicating parking for disabled people and then allow every Tom, Dick and Harry to park there when none of the occupants of the vehicles are disabled people. Of all the times that I have stopped at the Tapah Rest and Service Area, I could not park there as it was occupied by vehicles not entitled to park there.

The steepest section of the ramp at Ayer Keroh Rest and Service Area.

PLUS still have much room for improvement in providing accessible facilities at rest stops and lay-bys. It would be good for it to engage the services of access officers to do an audit on existing facilities and advice it on future upgrading. This is to ensure that the facilities are truly MS 1184 compliant and fully functional and safe to use by disabled people.

Related posts:

1. Dear PLUS – Unsafe “Accessible” Facilities At RSAs
2. Update #1 On The Pandan Perdana Pavement Upgrade
3. Inaccessible Toilet For Disabled People At Ulu Bernam RSA
4. Penang Water Garden Not Wheelchair-Friendly
5. Disabled community let down by authorities’ lack of will, poor coordination: Komunitikini – April 28, 2010

BEAT members gathered at the Rapid KL Jalan Tun Sambanthan Bus Stop at 10.30am today to demonstrate how impossible it was for wheelchair users and the mobility-impaired to board the buses. When getting into the buses take gargantuan effort for those with good upper body strength, it would be virtually an impossible task for those who are paralysed from neck down. How then are people who are severely disabled supposed to travel?

The disabled persons present at the bus stop held up placards with messages that reflect their frustrations. How will this reflect on the government when disabled persons have to resort to such measures to get their voices heard? Something is not right somewhere. Dare I say that people who should be doing their jobs are not? Malaysia can no longer plead ignorance to such issues as we are a signatory to the Biwako Millenium Framework, having given our commitment to creating an inclusive barrier-free and rights-based society for people with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. Are we any closer to fulfilling the targets set by the framework? The campaign this morning tells it all.

Under the shadows of Malaysia’s modern landmarks…

Everyone enjoys the ease of moving about in the city, almost…

Except wheelchair users and disabled persons…

They are frustrated…

Malaysia Boleh?

This is what they have to go through…

This is what they have to do. What about those who cannot?

So they express their frustrations and disappointment…

Through the only way they know how…

Hello, is anybody listening?

Related posts:

1. Wheelchair-Unfriendly Rapid KL Buses
2. Monster Blog – March 28, 2007: Rapid KL Taking Disabled Persons For A Ride
3. Monster Blog – April 18, 2007: Disabled Persons Do Not Need Special Buses
4. The Star – May 20, 2007: Survey on needs of the wheelchair-bound
5. The Star – April 17, 2007: Don’t leave us out, urge wheelchair-bound commuters