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.

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Disabled community let down by authorities’ lack of will, poor coordination

by Erna Mahyuni on 28 Apr, 2010
in Cheras, Features, Other Areas.

Speaking to people with disabilities advocate Peter Tan, Komunitikini got the rundown on the current situation and challenges faced by the disabled community in Malaysia.

Tan, a trained peer counselor, said that despite existing legislation for building proper facilities for the disabled there was still a lack of accessible facilities for the community.

“My trips out are still limited to places that have some basic accessible facilities such as ramps, (disabled) toilets and elevators.” The lack of these facilities hamper Tan and others like him who struggle with an environment that does not take into account their challenges in doing something as fundamental as moving around.

“There is better awareness of (our) issues but the situation is not improving, ” said Tan. He attributed it to a general “lack of will” on the part of the authorities whether they were at federal, state or local levels to take the necessary steps to improve things.

Citing the existence of the Uniform Building By-Law 34A, which had been in existence since the mid-90s, he said that the law required new buildings to provide access for the disabled. Builds already completed or under construction when the by-law was gazetted were given three years to comply with the applicable standards for construction: Malaysian standards MS 1183 and 1184.

“15 years on,” he noted, “Many buildings still do not comply with those requirements.”

Another problem, Tan noted is the lack of enforcement of said standards.

“Compliance with the UBBL 34A is the responsibility of the local governments, but they do not have qualified personnel to ensure compliance.”

Of the newer buildings that do include disabled facilities, Tan said that often the facilities were not built according to standards. For instance, disabled toilet stalls that were too small, doors that open inside, ramps that were too steep were common problems coupled with street environments that Tan called “totally hostile to disabled people.”

He noted The Gardens at Mid Valley City as an example of near perfect accessible facilities. “If not for the ramp leading to the lift lobby at P2.” Tan said the ramp had a flaw that could cause a wheelchair to tip backwards.

What irks Tan is that though there may be accessible buildings, getting to them is difficult. “What we have here is an island of accessible facilities in an ocean of barriers, ” he said. He called it a circle of mobility that was, for most disabled people, broken in many parts.

Asked about what could be done about the situation, Tan said one step would be for the disabled to unite and find a common platform.

“Many are interested in charity at the expense of advocating for the rights of disabled people.

“First, we need to come together and work together for the common good. Our voices cannot be heard if we don’t speak in a united voice.

“There are too many people trying to do the same thing,” he said.

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The pavement upgrade works were completed yesterday. Fellow accessibility advocate Robert Wang who also resides at Pandan Perdana went to check and discovered that the ramps were too steep. This was despite assurances from Encik Zahari of Jabatan Kejuruteraan Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ) that the ramps would be built according to the code of practice which is the Malaysian Standard MS 1184 and MS 1331. Robert made an appointment to meet Encik Zahari this morning to discuss about rectifying the mistakes.

At the meeting we conducted a brief audit of the ramps and pavement. Encik Zahari concurred that the ramps were not properly done. The three ramps that we checked all had gradients of 1:6 when it should have been the ratio of 1:15. It is an impossibility for a wheelchair to go up a gradient of 1:6 without tipping backwards. We discovered that the width of the pavements was only 900mm when the code of practice recommended 1200mm. The pavement connecting to both ends of the bus stop were not flushed. There was difference of height of 1 inch. This uneven height is a barrier to wheelchair users. Moreover, non-disabled people who are not aware of the small steps may trip over them and injure themselves. Encik Zahari assured us that he will get the contractor to rectify the mistakes.

What I cannot comprehend is the fact that Malaysia has the capability to build the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, SMART Tunnel and the award winning Kuala Lumpur International Airport but we cannot even build a decent pavement that is safe and usable by everyone. This is also most disappointing especially when MPAJ had given their commitment to improve accessibility in the Ampang Jaya municipality by organising the Seminar dan Sesi Dialog Bersama OKU, Agensi Kerajaan dan Pihak Swasta (Seminar and Dialogue Session with Disabled People, Government Agencies and the Private Sector) and Disability Awareness Training. What more will it take to ensure that the accessibility needs of disabled people are not forgotten? As it is, our needs are often ignored and disregarded unless we make the effort to remind the government of our existence.

Poorly built ramp at Pandan Perdana.

Close-up of the ramp – too steep for wheelchair user to ascend unassisted.

Arrows pointing to the uneven levels between the bus stop and pavement.

A closer view of the uneven level between the bus stop and pavement.

The ramp at the other end of the pavement.

Yet another steep ramp at the other side of the road.

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