The week that just passed was a hectic one. Wuan accompanied me to the Peer Counseling Workshop at Institut Latihan Majlis Kebajikan dan Pembangunan Masyarakat Kebangsaan Malaysia (MAKPEM) in Sentul. This workshop was organised by Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia (JKMM) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The workshop began on Monday and ended on Thursday. I was only able to attend the workshop from Tuesday onwards as Wuan was not around. She went back to Ipoh for a short holiday.

It was good meeting Hiroko Akiyama and Aiko Tsutsumi again. They were invited a resource persons for the workshop. Hiro and Aichan, as they would prefer to be known, were here in 2005 to conduct the Independent Living Workshop. Hiro and I have met several times in Tokyo, Bangkok and here in Malaysia for related activities. This was Aichan’s second trip to Malaysia.

When I was in Tokyo, Aichan had taken me to the Odakyu Department Store in Shinjuku to purchase a pair of adaptive chopsticks called the hashizokun. It was already worn out and I needed another pair desperately to enjoy my bak kut teh and noodles. When Adriene was back for a holiday recently, I had asked her to get another pair for me. Adriene is currently pursuing her post-graduate studies at the Sophia University in Tokyo.

After much coordinating between Hata, AiChan and Adriene in Tokyo, I finally got a new pair of hashizokun that Adriene managed to buy and passed through Aichan to me. Adriene also got me 2 sets of 4 Sanyo Eneloop batteries each. I just realised that these batteries are available in Malaysia already although much more expensive as compared to the price in Japan.

The workshop was also a good opportunity to catch up with the latest from friends from Malaysia that I seldom get the opportunity to meet like Siti, Elaine and Say Leng, and also make new friends. Although I was one of the local resource persons and conducted one of the sessions, it was still a learning process for me just like some of the newcomers. There is much to learn about Independent Living and Peer Counseling.

The dream of setting up a Centre for Independent Living in Malaysia has not materialised yet. Unfortunately JICA’s 3-year programme for Independent Living here will conclude by the middle of next year. There is an urgent need now to tap into JICA’s resources to realise this dream of liberating severely disabled Malaysians as the programme enters into the final phase. Can we make it before the programme ends? All I can say is that I will try my level best. The rest, I leave it up to God to show me the way.

Give The Disabled Child An Opportunity To Grow Up

Who can blame a parent for being protective over a disabled child? More often than not, the child is mollycoddled; all his needs are looked after, sometimes to the extent of being overwhelming and suffocating. That is the basic instincts of parents at work.

Nevertheless, parents need to understand that as the child grows up, there is a real need to allow him to take charge of his own life. How long can the parents be there to protect the child? What will happen to the child after the parents are no longer around?

We certainly cannot expect the child to suddenly grow up and fend for himself. There are skills that are required for activities of daily living and skills needed for living independently. These have to be learnt over a period of time. Those skills may be second nature to many but for one who had been protected all his life, it would be as foreign to him as Greek.

Parents who really care for the wellbeing of the disabled child, no matter how old the child is, should gradually wean him off his dependency on them. This is the best legacy that they can leave their child with.

It is only through managing his own needs that the child regains a sense of self-reliance and self-worth. That confidence will in turn empower him to take charge of his own life, be responsible for his own actions and learn to be independent.

As it is, disabled persons are faced with more challenges than they can overcome. Parents should take the initiative to encourage their child to go out and face the world instead of keeping them away from the prying eyes of the public. Sooner or later, they will have to go out and face the world anyway.

The seminar on Independent Living at the Mines ICT Able Training Institute saw a larger crowd. More than 40 people attended, mostly students from the college. It was broadcasted live over the Internet via a webcam. The seminar this time was co-organised by Sin Chew Daily and Shuang Fu Disabled Independent Living Association in conjunction with Sin Chew Daily’s Wishing Tree programme. The VIP guest for the seminar was Kenji Kuno, JICA Chief Advisor/Expert. He is the person instrumental for initiating Independent Living projects in Malaysia.

Mdm. Shen Chiu Hsiang presenting a speech before the seminar.
Photo by Wuan.

Ling Lee acted as my translator from English to Mandarin.
Photo by Wuan.

Mdm. Shen presenting me with a souvenir after the seminar. Danny Tan is in the background.
Photo by Wuan.

Group photo with the participants after the seminar.

L-r: Peter Tan, Kenji Kuno, Christine Lee and Cheng Sak Hai.
Photo by Wuan.

The entrance to Mines ICT Able Training Institute.
Photo by Wuan.

Related entry:
Sin Chew Daily – Wishing Tree: Seminar On Independent Living