The Digital Awakening » Independent Living

Moving On: Close To Heart – The Star – 14 July, 2011

Peter Tan — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:05:12 +0000

It took exactly two months from the time Cheng Bee of Star 2 spoke to me about contributing an article on disability to the completion and submission of the manuscript to her. In the months of April and May, I was occupied with co-facilitating Disability Equality Training workshops with Dr. Kuno of JICA.

When I finally had time to start writing, I was overwhelmed in trying to compress the 27 years of my life post spinal cord injury into 1400 words. I spent a number of days writing and rewriting, throwing out the less consequential and adding more significant events as I went along.

There were a few ocassions when I teared, especially while recalling the sacrifices my parents made for me and the last few days of my mother’s life as she slowly drifted away. Although a lot of emotions were stirred up in the course of writing, I felt a sense of fulfillment and serenity when I finally clicked the send button to submit the article.

The response from friends in Facebook and Twitter were truly encouraging. I did not set out with the intention to write an inspirational story of my life. In fact, it was anything but inspirational, seeing how long it took me to realise that there is life after spinal cord injury.

The message is simple. One should quickly go through the denial, rehabilitation and acceptance processes and move on while waiting for that elusive cure. There is no point in putting everything on hold and then realise that twenty year have passed by with nothing to show for it. It is a mistake I hope others in conditions similar to mine do not make. Viva la Vida!

Moving On – My life after spinal cord injury published on 14 July, 2011 in The Star.
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Third Wedding Anniversary

Peter Tan — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 08:45:38 +0000

Yesterday was our third wedding anniversary. How did we spend it? We went to Mid Valley Megamall and had a less than memorable lunch at C-Jade Express. Frankly, we are getting disinterested with food in shopping malls. Those are the places that we hang out most on weekends. We have been eating the same food for years and years.

We then went to the Jusco J Card Member’s Day Sale. The size of the crowd was smaller than I had anticipated. I guess the novelty of going for a sale has worn off for many. After all, the various Jusco stores have been running one sale or another throughout the year. The only attraction about this sale is that there is a rebate of RM10 in vouchers for every RM100 spent.

Next stop after shopping was at Institut Sosial Malaysia (ISM) where I conducted the second series of the Introduction to Independent Living seminar for welfare officers from various states in Malaysia. We had a lively discussion on how Independent Living can be implemented in Malaysia and the issues faced by disabled people after the seminar.

Would you believe that Wuan and I went back to Mid Valley Megamall right after that? Yes, that was exactly what we did since it was just a 10 minute drive away from where we were. We had dinner, of all places, at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at The Gardens. That dinner was less than memorable too.

We did a little more shopping at Jusco. The stainless steel drinking bottle that I wanted was not on discount. Instead, we got some energy saving light bulbs that were going for 30% off. That, basically, was how we spent our third wedding anniversary. We definitely need to do something more memorable next year.

Independent Living Course At Institut Sosial Malaysia

Peter Tan — Thu, 27 May 2010 09:46:29 +0000

The Institut Sosial Malaysia (ISM) under the recommendation of Dr. Kenji Kuno of the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia and Japan International Cooperation Agency invited me to speak on Independent Living for Disabled Persons (Kursus Kehidupan Berdikari bagi OKU – Sesi 1/2010) on Tuesday. The ISM conducts training for civil servants and social workers on matters related to social development.

Peter Tan conducting Independent Living course at Institut Sosial Malaysia.

The main office block and seminar rooms were located atop a hillock just at KM6 of the Lebuhraya Kuala Lumpur – Seremban. It commands a panaromic view of Bandar Tasik Selatan and the surrounding areas. About 20 social welfare officers and social workers participated in the four hour course spread over two sessions.The first session was Pengenalan Kepada Kehidupan Berdikari (Introduction to Independent Living) and the second on History of Independent Living.

Peter Tan sharing the history of Independent Living with participants at Institut Sosial Malaysia.

The practice of Independent Living was new to most of the participants as they were unaware that severely disabled persons too can live independently if given the right support and opportunities. After the sessions ended, I could feel that they got a pretty good grasp of what Independent Living is all about, especially how it is practiced in other countries such as the USA, Sweden and Japan, among others. And I need to brush up on my Bahasa Malaysia. There were more than a couple of times when I could not find the correct words to use and had to be “rescued” by the participants.

Circle Of Mobility For Disabled People

Peter Tan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:07:42 +0000

Panel Discussion 2 – Barrier-Free Built-Environment and Universal Design
(L-R) Puan Khairiah Talha, Mr Patrick Ang, Cik Khairul Nisa bt. Haron, Cik Naziaty Yaacob (Chairperson), Peter Tan, Puan Ch’ng Gaik Bee @ Dalilah Bee Abdullah and Puan Tan Choo Lan.
Photo by Wuan.

My first presentation at the panel session for special interest groups of the 2nd Malaysian Conference on Rehabilitation was titled “Inclusive Environment in Malaysia: From the Perspective of a Wheelchair User.” The main point of the entire presentation is the “Circle of Mobility for Disabled People.”

Circle of Mobility for Disabled People

The concept is very simple. The circle represents the journey from the point of origin to the destination and then from the final destination back to home. The journey includes the built environment which is represented by the line and public transport. The entire journey must be seamless. Any break in between may cause the disabled person to be stranded and unable to complete the journey.

Peter Tan speaking at the 2nd Malaysian Conference on Rehabilitation.
Photo by Wuan.

In Malaysia, the circle is broken in many places. The moment a disabled person gets out from the house, he will be faced with barriers in the built environment. These includes walkways without ramps, walkways littered with street furniture and other obstructions. Public transport is totally inaccessible. That is the reason why many wheelchair users are stuck at home and unable to go out.

The solutions are very simple actually. The government, be they federal, state or local, have the resources and means to resolve this issue. They must also take the blame for allowing this problem to fester until now. The four points for the solution that I presented were:

Adopt Universal Design in all future infrastructural developments
Enforce UBBL 34A and incorporate MS1331 into relevant legislation
~~Audit~~ Access officers in local governments to implement and enforce UBBL 34A
Establish a time-frame to make Malaysia accessible to all

This is the abstract for my presentation:

Abstract
Inclusive Environment In Malaysia:
From The Perspective Of A Wheelchair User

Two important factors determine whether a disabled person becomes home-bound or live a full life outside. One is public transport, the other the built environment. One cannot exist without the other. Neither exists in Malaysia. Some may argue that parts of the built environment have become accessible in recent years. This is true to a certain extent. However, the lack of interconnectivity makes these pockets of accessible heaven another unreachable speck in the horizon for many still. There is an urgent need to impress upon the people responsible for infrastructure that an accessible environment not only provides mobility. It empowers disabled people to become independent and improves their productivity overall. Furthermore, an inclusive environment benefits everyone. What is good for disabled people is good for everyone else. This is a win-win situation for all. This paper presents my experience as a wheelchair user with examples gleaned from the Independent Living movement in Japan.

Below were the topics that my fellow panelists presented:

The Construction Industry’s Role in Facilitating for Social Inclusion
Puan Tan Choo Lan
Bahagian Kawalan Bangunan, Jabatan Kerajaan Tempatan,
Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Malaysia

Barrier-Free City Kuala Lumpur
Puan Ch’ng Gaik Bee @ Dalilah Bee Abdullah
Architect, Architect’s Department,
Kuala Lumpur City Hall

Barrier Free City Petaling Jaya
Cik Khairul Nisa bt. Haron
Assistant Director/Planner, Development Planning Department,
Petaling Jaya City Council, Selangor

Collaborating with the Local Authority in Achieving Barrier-free City, Singapore
Mr. Patrick Ang
Level Field Consultants
Singapore

Do We Need Legislative Changes Before We Care?
Puan Khairiah Talha
Secretary General, Eastern Regional Organization for Planning and Human Settlements (EAROPH)

2nd Malaysian Conference On Rehabilitation

Peter Tan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:15:49 +0000

In a while, I will be going to Bangi to participate in the 2nd Malaysian Conference on Rehabilitation organised by the Malaysian Council for Rehabilitation (MCR). The conference which began yesterday is being held at Pusat Latihan Perindustrian dan Pemulihan Bangi. The theme for this conference is “Towards an Inclusive, Barrier-Free and Rights-Based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Malaysia.”

I will be speaking at the panel session on “Barrier-Free Built-Environment and Universal Design.” The topic of my presentation is “Inclusive Environment in Malaysia: From the Perspective of a Wheelchair User.” I will also be presenting at the concurrent session for special interest groups on “Social Advocacy on Disability Issues” tomorrow. My topic for the con current session is titled “Rights-Based Advocacy on Disability in Malaysia: An Overview and the Way Forward.”