Category: Monster Blog

MoNSTerBlog – August 8, 2006: Public Buses In Tokyo, Perth And Kuala Lumpur

Public Buses In Tokyo, Perth And Kuala Lumpur

Accessible bus in Hino, Tokyo

Travelling broadens the mind. It is an opportunity to see how things can be done differently and better. When I was in Tokyo for training earlier this year, it was not the culture shock that got to me. Rather, the barrier-free environment in public places was so amazing that I had difficulty adjusting when I came back although I was there only for two weeks. I had no problem moving about in Tokyo. Most of the buses had facilities to accommodate wheelchairs. The drivers were very helpful in assisting wheelchair users too.

Accessible bus in Shinjuku, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Japan

After reading the entry titled Please Take Along My Disability, Cynthia Foo of Just Blogging Around messaged me. She is currently studying in Perth and shared with me about the barrier-free environment there and how the Australians are generally considerate when it comes to assisting disabled persons. I asked if she could take some photos that I could use for this entry because I was going to write about accessible public transportation. The next day, she went out with Kian, her boyfriend, and caught some interesting shots and also a video (AVI Format, 8.28 MB – video removed to reduce bandwidth load. Please email me for a copy).

Transperth bus with ramp

“I asked the bus driver,” Cynthia shared with me. “He is really friendly to show me everything. I told him I’m helping a friend doing a blog. He doesn’t know what it is anyway but once he heard it is for people with disabilities he straight away said, “Oh!! I show you everything when I finish smoking.” He allowed me to take pictures before allowing people to go in.”

Transperth bus priority seats for elderly, disabled persons and people carrying children

After going through the photos that Cynthia sent to me, I wondered about the state of the public transportation in Kuala Lumpur, especially buses. Wuan uses the RapidKL network of buses and the Ampang & Sri Petaling Line (formerly Star-LRT) to work everyday. I told her I wanted to see the difference between Tokyo, Perth and Kuala Lumpur.

Transperth bus sticker for priority seats for elderly, disabled persons and people carrying children

She took a load of photos for me. Of the few hundred RapidKL buses plying the road, none were accessible to wheelchairs. It is unfortunate that even the newly delivered buses do not come with features such as ramps and low floors. The Ampang & Sri Petaling Line is even worse. There are no elevators to the platforms. I wonder how the elderly and the pregnant can manage up the numerous flights of steps by themselves.

Senior citizen having difficulty getting down from RapidKL bus

As it is, Malaysia cannot claim to be a fully inclusive society yet. The interests and needs of a sizeable group of citizens have not been fully addressed. To be fair, the government is currently looking into ways to resolve this problem. I attended an informal meeting with representatives from two governmental ministries and several disabled persons last week. They were very keen in making the public environment barrier-free. The effectiveness of this initiative is yet to be seen but for the sake of people who need it, I hope it is followed through to completion.

Senior citizen having difficulty getting down from RapidKL bus

One of the reasons why Tokyo is so accessible is because of the ageing population there. Malaysia, too, is facing a growing trend of ageing population. A barrier-free environment will benefit the elderly in many ways. They have contributed much to the development of the nation. We must at least ensure that their most basic needs are provided for, among others the ability to move around conveniently.

RapidKL bus

In fact, the inclusion of barrier-free facilities does not deprive anyone of anything. Everybody can use it. It truly baffles me that this standard of universal accessibility is not being practiced widely in this country. What are we waiting for? And finally, how do the public buses in Kuala Lumpur score when it comes to accessibility? We failed wholly and entirely. None could accommodate a person on a wheelchair. As a world class city, Kuala Lumpur has a lot of catching up to do as compared to cities that have laid claim to less.

MoNSTerBlog – August 1, 2006: Fishing Without Lines And Rods

Fishing Without Lines And Rods

Last week, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stated that the current approach to helping the needy was towards capacity-building by providing quality training to ensure their future – PM: Encourage spirit of caring among the young. He was quoted as saying, “With training, the disabled will be able to obtain jobs, be independent and at par with their able-bodied counterparts.”

Many disabled persons do not possess the necessary academic qualifications because schools do not have the proper facilities to cater to their needs for them to complete formal education. The other major problem is transportation. There are no convenient ways for students with severe disabilities to commute between their homes and schools. In the end, many have to drop out.

If the federal government and local authorities continue to turn a blind eye to accessibility issues that have been plaguing these students and the disabled community, what makes this new approach any different? When one particular municipal council cannot even get its act right, who can blame me for being pessimistic?

Those problems will still be there even if disabled persons have been trained and are able to obtain jobs. How are they to get to work when they cannot use public buses and trains? Do their workplaces have ramps and suitable toilets? And if not, are potential employers willing to spend money to renovate?

The Prime Minister must realise that being financially independent will not solve all the challenges that disabled persons are facing everyday. The government must see it from a holistic point of view. Issues like education, accessibility and rights must be dealt with as a complete package rather than individually. They are all interlinked. It makes better sense and optimises resources when resolved as a whole.

Given proper support, many disabled persons can realise their potential and play an active part in nation-building. We would prefer to be fishermen than be given fishes. Unfortunately for now, we are provided with the hooks and sinkers but not the rods and lines. Until a time when the rods and lines are made available to us as well, we can never really feel we that are at par with our “able-bodied counterparts”.

MoNSTerBlog – July 25, 2006: Label Jars, Not People

Label Jars, Not People

Handicapped parking, disabled toilets, wheelchair-bound – these are among the terms often being bandied around in mainstream newspapers in Malaysia when reporting news related to disabilities. Many disabled persons are also using such terms freely and has unwittingly propagated its utilization. It reeked of discrimination but is mostly used out of ignorance.

The disability movement is constantly evolving. Terms that were once acceptable may become otherwise now. Even the usage of “disabled person” and “person with disabilities” has seen disagreements from various groups, especially those with orthopedic impairments.

During one of the training courses that we attended together, my good friend Christine Lee expounded her views on why, for the lack of better terms, she prefers “disabled person” over “person with disabilities.” After listening to the points she raised, I tend to agree.

“Person with disabilities” puts the burden fully on the person. Her condition is blamed instead of the causes that are making it difficult for her. On the other hand, “disabled person” has the connotation that the person is “disabled” by external factors such as a non-barrier free environment, prejudices and misconceptions. Remove those and the person is no longer disabled.

This is still an issue because advocates prefer to put the person first before the disabilities; hence the term “person with disabilities” or its acronym PWD, is widely used. Admittedly, there are no universally acceptable terms. Nevertheless, there are some words that are incorrect when applied in such situations.

The adjectives “handicapped” and “disabled” are erroneously used to describe amenities like hotel rooms, toilets and parking lots. The word “handicapped” alone evokes pity and helplessness. If I had not known better, I would have thought a “disabled room” to mean a faulty room instead of one adapted for use by those with mobility impairments. It makes better sense to label them as “accessible room”, “accessible parking” and “accessible toilet”.

“Wheelchair-bound” is another inappropriate and misleading identifier. We do not call someone who needs glasses “spectacle-bound” even though he cannot function without it. Instead, we say he needs glasses to see. Likewise, I need a wheelchair to move around. It is a means to improve my independence. Preferably, I would like to be known as Peter instead of being labelled like an object. However, if there is a real need to identify me by the mode of my mobility, “wheelchair user” is the more acceptable term.

Society has a tendency to stereotype people who they perceive as different. They like to harp on those dissimilarities. Disabled persons have a condition. That is it! It does not make us any less a human. We, too, have feelings and dignity. We can be hurt by callous words. Cripple, retard and spastic may not be specifically directed at us when used but the implied meanings are still demeaning in nature, more so when applied as an insult. It would be wise and polite to think first before uttering such words, irrespective of the intention.

I will conclude this entry with an excerpt from the People First Language manifesto by Kathie Snow. It is a movement that advocates putting the person first before the disability. It states that disability is not the problem. Attitudinal and environmental barriers are, and rightly so.

People First Language isn’t about being “politically correct.” It is, instead, about good manners and respect (and it was begun by individuals who said, “We are not our disabilities!”). We have the power to create a new paradigm of disability. In doing so, we’ll change the lives of children and adults who have disability diagnoses’ and we’ll also change ourselves and our world.