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Published: Saturday June 13, 2009 MYT 5:39:00 PM
Updated: Saturday June 13, 2009 MYT 5:40:40 PM
Disabled people have special abilities

KEMAMAN: People with a disability should not be referred to as ‘disabled’ but rather ‘People with Special Ability’ as that would best fit their description, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

He said the term ‘People with Special Ability’ should become a common phrase when referring to such people as it does not portray a negative perspective on the person with a disability.

“Many of them are not ‘disabled’ because they have special qualities that sometimes even a normal person cannot match. “For example, a paralympic athlete has such a high level of commitment, determination and competitiveness compared with a normal person,” he said.

Apart from sportsmen, they (disabled) have also contributed vastly towards the growth of a nation by being doctors, teachers, lecturers, businessmen and craftsmen, he said.

“At the same time, there are also normal human beings who become useless to the community, ‘disabled’ because people like drug addicts, criminals, beggars and jobless do not in any way contribute to the nation,” said Ahmad Shabery after opening the Higher Institution National Expedition and Camping programme at Kolej Universiti TATi Campus, here Saturday.

He had earlier handed out contributions to 140 less fortunate children from six Department of Social Welfare community centres, during a charity programme at Kompleks Penyayang, Kampung Mak Chili in Chukai near here. — Bernama

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Monday June 1, 2009
Menara MPAJ to be more disabled-friendly
Story and photo by FAZLEENA AZIZ

THE Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) carried out a disability awareness simulation programme at its building in Pandan Indah recently.

The programme was held to give the council an overview of how disabled-friendly Menara MPAJ is.

It came after a discussion at the People with Disability dialogue held on Feb 17.

Uphill task: Mohammad making his way up the ramp in Menara MPAJ.

MPAJ president Datuk Mohammad Yacob and the councillors got a first-hand experience as they made their way to different places in the building in wheelchairs.

Mohammad said the MPAJ had plans to build a ramp in accordance with specifications on the needs of disabled people, as well as other facilities.

“This is an old building that was built in 1994 and is not sensitive to the needs of the disabled.

“So this exercise will help us fill in any gaps we may have pertaining to being more disabled-friendly,” he said.

He added that the council would take the necessary action on the matter.

The specifications are from the Guidelines on Building Requirements for Disabled Persons issued by the Local Government and Housing Ministry.

Mohammad said that new commercial buildings had implemented the specifications.

“Our advice is that other building owners should make their premises more disabled-friendly.

“If we want to make this mandatory, then we will have to make a new policy,” he said.

The MPAJ has prepared a separate checklist on the needs of people with disability that plans for housing and commercial developments must comply with before approvals are given.

This is one of the ways to ensure that the disabled community will enjoy the same facilities as others.

The MPAJ has also placed two wheelchairs on level 4 of the building for the use of people who need them.

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Wednesday May 6, 2009
‘Do more for the disabled’

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government should not be exempted from the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008.

“The Federal Government is exempted from any wrongdoing, and this casts serious doubt on its commitment to the rights of the disabled,’’ Ragunath Kesavan, president of the Malaysian Bar, noted.

The Act, which came into force on July 7 last year, also lacked penalties for any party failing to comply with its obligations.

Ragunath said that although the Government had signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last year, it had yet to ratify it.

“We strongly urge the Govern­ment to immediately ratify the convention and take measures to implement its obligations,’’ he said in a press statement yesterday.

Ragunath said disabled people faced unacceptable barriers in their daily lives due to the lack of proper infrastructure for them.

The shortcomings clearly showed up when Karpal Singh fell from his wheelchair at the Kuantan High Court recently, he said.

Ragunath said existing laws to protect the rights of the disabled and to improve their quality of life were still lacking enforcement.

The Malaysian Bar urged the Government to ensure facilities for the disabled and to improve and enforce the existing laws pertaining to their rights.