There is something very wrong in Rapid Penang’s announcement on accessible bus stops. Rapid Penang Chief Executive Officer was quoted by NST for saying “Even though only four per cent of the disabled use public transportation, we see this as a commitment which must be fulfilled immediately.”

I sincerely thank Azhar for taking the initiative to ensure that disabled people, especially wheelchair users, have access to public transportation. Nevertheless, I would like to know where he got the figure of four percent from? Is this the part of the current ridership statistics of Rapid Penang? Or is that the projected statistics after the bus stops become accessible?

If the statistics are current, Azhar should realise that Rapid Penang buses and all other public buses in Malaysia are not accessible to wheelchair users. If the statistics are projections, then it may be inaccurate as there is no way to tell how many disabled people will use public transportation when it becomes accessible.

Disabled people have equal right to public transportation. By becoming a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Malaysia has acknowledged this fact. Even if one percent of disabled people use public transportation, it should be made accessible. Statistics should not be used as a justification to provide or not to provide such facilities.

The bus stops should be built according to the principles of universal design which provides solutions that everyone can use and not limited only to disabled people. That makes better sense than building “ramps specially designed for the wheelchair-bound.” The time has come for society to shed the mentality that the needs of disabled people are extraordinary and needs addition expenditure and effort to provide for.

Frankly speaking, if Rapid Penang, which is a subsidiary of RapidKL, had seriously listened to disabled people who had advised them on this in the beginning, they would not have to go reconstructing the bus stops to cater to wheelchair users. They should have just brought in kneeling buses which would have solved the problem and saved themselves the trouble. Kneeling buses are very people-friendly. Senior citizens, parents with prams and aunties dragging a trolley-full of groceries will be able to get into the buses without breaking a sweat.

But this is Malaysia. People make money from making mistakes. And the needs of disabled people are often seen as opportunities to make even more money. Welcome to my world.

NST Online » Local News
2008/04/25
Upgrade of bus stops mooted

GEORGE TOWN: RapidPenang has submitted a proposal to the state government to take over bus stops and bus stations in the state in a bid to upgrade and standardise the designs of the stops.
Its chief executive officer, Azhar Ahmad, said the takeover process was planned to be carried out in three phases over the next six years.

“In the first phase, we are expecting to take over some 60 bus stops to manage and maintain them using our own money.

“The first phase is expected to cost RM3 million and will take some two years to carry out,” he said after a ceremony to confirm RapidPenang bus captains and the launch of the monthly students’ passes here yesterday.

He presented 60 monthly student passes to three non-governmental organisations.
Azhar said the company also planned to equip the bigger bus stops with facilities for the disabled.

“These include ramps specially designed for the wheelchair-bound.

“Even though only four per cent of the disabled use public transportation, we see this as a commitment which must be fulfilled immediately.”

Azhar said the state government was expected to give the go-ahead in one or two months’ time.

The Star Online
Tuesday April 22, 2008 MYT 7:16:12 PM
Star fruit can be toxic for kidney patients

KUALA LUMPUR: All it takes is one fruit or 100ml of juice and the ordinarily harmless star fruit becomes poison in a matter of hours for kidney patients.

University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) consultant nephrologist Prof Dr Tan Si-Yen said this was what happened to Tang Gon Seang, who has been suffering a kidney ailment.

The 66-year-old Malaysian was in Shenzhen visiting his son when he passed out on March 29 after eating star fruits and was rushed to the Shenzhen General Hospital where he fell into a coma.

“Star fruits contain a neurotoxin, which is not present in other fruits, affecting the brain and nerves. In healthy persons, the kidneys filter it out. In kidney patients, it cannot be removed and worsens their condition,” he said.

More than 10 other patients in the hospital suffered the same condition after consuming star fruits. Two of them died.

After discovering the star fruit connection, Tang has been undergoing dialysis.

His brother-in-law Teoh Thian Lye, 55, confirmed that Tang had been on medication for kidney problems for three years.

The family sought the help of MCA Public Complaints and Services Department head Datuk Michael Chong to transfer Tang back to Malaysia as the family could not afford the hospital bill of RM1, 000-RM2, 000 a day in intensive care.

According to Dr Tan, there was little awareness of this relatively new discovery and no local cases yet.

“The public must be alert to reactions to star fruit. Look out for initial symptoms including hiccups, numbness and weakness and neurological symptoms including confusion, agitation and epileptic fits,” he said.

“The risk of death is high and immediate aggressive treatment of daily haemodialysis is necessary,” he added.

Dr Tan said UMMC was prepared to admit Tang, when he was transferred back to Malaysia.

Related link:
Starfruit can kill

Woke up extra early and went to SJMC to consult a hematologist regarding my anemia. I have been breathless and feeling lethargic for a while now. It is no fun waking up after 12 hours of sleep feeling like I need another 12 hours more. At the same time, had the lump in the scrotum checked by a urologist. Apparently it is an infection of the epididymis caused by constant catheterisation. I am on a 2-week dose of Zinnat, an antibiotic, that hopefully will clear up the lump by then. He also scheduled me for a urodynamic testing to check on the pressure in my bladder.

In the 24 years since my spinal cord injury, I have never undergone any. UMMC had scheduled to urodynamic tests but both we called off - once because the doctor was away and the other because the lab was being renovated. These appointments are usually scheduled 6 months prior. Although the procedure is done free of charge at UMMC and costs RM1,500 at UMMC, I decided that I wanted to know if the pressure in my bladder is the cause of my renal failure and what can be done to prevent further damage.

After that, Wuan and I went all the way to the Palace of Golden Horse at Seri Kembangan for a buffet lunch with some good friends. One will be leaving Malaysia with his family in July. And then we drove all the way back to Damansara Mutiara for a meeting with the good people from the Malaysia Association of Standards Users at The Curve. We talked about the standards of accessibility which, although in existence since the last decade, are seldom adhered to by the local governments.

To sum it all up, I had to pull down my pants twice to have my testicles examined, drove all over Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to meet friends and make new friends, were extremely late for both appointments, and came back all fired up for no apparent reason and only fell asleep at 3am. It had been a tiring day but worth the effort.

I also have this one thing to say about SJMC. Although it is a hospital, there were no accessible parkings and I was made to circle the buildings twice before I found an empty standard-sized lot near to the entrance. The hospital management should really take note of this. They should not expect wheelchair users to park their cars at the open space which is a long distance from the entrance and down a steep slope. Of all places, I expect hospitals to be the most accessible place but this seldom the case. That is one of the reasons why I dislike going to hospitals.

After a few weeks of reprieve, itchy welts are beginning to appear on my arms and shoulders again. I hope this does not turn into a full-blown itch like before that needed anti-histamines. The doctor prescribed a 2-week supply of Claritin (Loratadine). If that does not work,I will revert back to Zyrtec (Cetirizine) which has worked quite well thus far.

AirAsia has finally launched the ambulift at the KLIA-LCCT after several months delay. The ambulift is to assist disabled people board and disembark from the aircraft. At the same time, the budget airline was reported to have said that another ambulift is based in the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. This is a good move on the airline’s part in moving towards making air travel more accessible for disabled people. For this, I would like to congratulate the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) for being able to convince AirAsia and its chief executive officer Dato’ Tony Fernandes that air travel should not be limited only for people who can walk.

While the ambulifts will ease one of the problems faced by disabled people flying with the airline, the cabin is still generally inaccessible, especially the toilets. No mention was made on whether all the aircrafts are equipped with aisle chairs as promised by Dato’ Fernandes. If not, BEAT must pursue this matter to ensure that disabled people will not face problems when they need to move around in the aircraft or use the toilet. The other matters that need to be looked into are indemnity forms, the RM12 charge for using the wheelchairs at the airport and proper handling of disabled persons and their wheelchairs. I believe some of those issues have been resolved. BEAT and AirAsia should come out and announce it publicly to prevent confusion and inconsistent imposition of policies by the airline’s staff.

Having said that, I would like to remind BEAT, especially Christine Lee and V. Murugeswaran who are leading the group, not to forget the purpose why the group was formed. Its main purpose was to advocate for accessible public transport which has been given scant attention of late. While they openly applaud the launching of the ambulifts, they seemed to have disregarded the fact that disabled people still do not have access to public transport to take them to the airport. What is the point of advocating for accessible air travel when disabled people cannot get to the airport? Not every disabled person can drive, afford to own a car or transfer into taxis.

BEAT should seriously consider reinitiating negotiations with RapidKL and related government ministries to ensure that the 100 RapidKL buses already fitted with ramps allow wheelchair users to use them. It is ironic that these buses with the wheelchair logos affixed to its exterior do not take wheelchair users at the moment because BEAT has refused to endorse the buses due to safety considerations. The ramps and wheelchair locking mechanisms were deemed unsuitable and non-functional. As far as I know, BEAT has not pursued this with RapidKL but prefer to concentrate most of its effort on AirAsia.

Disabled people like everyone else need access to public transport, namely buses and trains, for education, employment, medical appointments, social and religious functions, among others. While I agree that disabled people need to have access to air travel, BEAT should judiciously use its limited resources to advocate for an issue that will benefit the most people, not one that only a handful will be using. In my opinion, there must be a sense of priority and the priority now is public transport and not air travel.

Consider the following facts.
100 out of RapidKL’s 1000 buses are accessible = 10%
2 out of AirAsia’s 55 destinations are accessibe = 3.6%
The mode of transport does disabled people need to use more often

While BEAT has been generous with its applause for AirAsia, it has been very critical of RapidKL’s efforts to the extent of refusing to endorse the 100 buses. It simply does not make any sense. We have here 100 buses that will benefit all wheelchair users in the Klang Valley but BEAT prefers to ignore that fact and openly throw its support for AirAsia’s 2 ambulifts. BEAT’s logic in refusing to endorse those buses was because the ramps were too short and may cause wheelchairs to tip backwards. During discussions with RapidKL, the bus operator has informed BEAT that wheelchair users are only allowed to board the buses with the assistance of the bus drivers. That should reduce the risk of wheelchairs tipping backwards.

How dangerous can that be compared to carrying a disabled person up or down the flight of narrow plane stairs? Having been carried up not once but six times up such stairs, twice with Malaysia Airlines in 1999 when it was still flying into Subang International Airport and 4 times with AirAsia in 2007, I can attest to the recurring fear of being dropped or the ground crews slipping on the steps each time I was carried. The AirAsia ground crews, and Malaysia Airlines at that time, were neither properly trained in doing the two-man carry nor observed safety procedures when performing this task. Who will be held responsible should any mishap occur while being carried up or down the stairs?

News report stated that 40 disabled people attended the launching of the ambulift. The leaders of BEAT should ask themselves how many of those 40 disabled people fly frequently and which mode of transport they need most. Were they able to use public transport to get to the airport? If not, why? Bread and butter issues of disabled people should be resolved first before anything else. That should be the priority. When disabled people cannot even get into public buses to move around conveniently around Kuala Lumpur, why is BEAT committing so much of its limited resources into advocating for accessibility in air travel?

BERNAMA
April 12, 2008 16:58 PM

Airasia Provides Ambulift Facility For Disabled Passengers

SEPANG, April 12 (Bernama) — To provide accessibility for disabled passengers, AirAsia Bhd has placed an ambulift at the low cost carrier terminal (LCCT) here and another in Kota Kinabalu.

Group chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes said Saturday the facility will provide better mobility and comfort for the airline’s disabled passengers.

Previously, disabled passengers were physically carried by AirAsia’s ground staff to board the aircraft, Fernandes told reporters after the launch of the facility at the LCCT here.

According to him, installation of the facility at the two airports cost RM1.3 million, including training for the staff.

The airline is discussing with the Kuching Airport authority to place an ambulift there.

It is also looking at placing ambulifts in other airports such as Penang, Jakarta and Bangkok.

Up to four disabled passengers are allowed on a flight, and two of them can be quadriplegics.

AirAsia, said Fernandes, is in talks with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to provide free aerobridge use for disabled passengers at airports that do not have ambulifts.

– BERNAMA

The Star Online
Sunday April 13, 2008
Ambulift launched at LCCT

AirAsia launches ambulift for disabled passengers

SEPANG: AirAsia launched its first ambulift at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here to allow disabled passengers to board the aircraft instead of being physically carried into the plane by AirAsia workers.

The airline bought two ambulifts, one to be placed at LCCT and another one at Kota Kinabalu airport.

Ambulift is a lift that is attached to the back of a van to lift passengers from the aircraft to the ground so they do not have to use the steps.
Disabled-friendly move: An AirAsia flight attendant posing with disabled people in front of the new ambulift at the LCCT at the KL International Airport on Saturday.

Nine months ago, members of the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) representing the disabled community gathered at the LCCT to protest the carrier’s “discriminatory” policy and demanded disabled-friendly services by AirAsia.

They asked the airline to provide an ambulift to allow disabled passengers to board the aircraft instead of being physically carried into the plane by AirAsia workers.

Former Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy then ordered Malaysia Airports Berhad and AirAsia to solve the problem.

AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandez said providing the ambulift was only one part of their initiatives to be disabled-friendly.

He said they were also in talks with Malaysia Airports to provide free aerobridge usage at airports that do not have ambulifts and give staff hands-on training by engaging those from the disabled community.

“We will also enhance our services and accessibility where possible and we hope to set the example for other LCCTs and airlines to work towards an improved environment for our disabled friends,” he said.

However, he hoped Malaysia Airports would improve airport facilities and provide level walkways and designated car parks.

Fernandez also said that the AirAsia’s A320 aircraft could only take a maximum of four disabled guests per flight and two of the seats could accommodate quadriplegic flyers.

BEAT coordinator Christina Lee welcomed AirAsia’s move to introduce disability equality training for the cabin crew and staff.

“This will give them a better understanding of “disability” issues as well as tips on how to relate to and assist disabled passengers,” she said.

AirAsia’s Press Release:
Greater Comfort and Accessibility for AirAsia Disabled Friends