D-Day checklist

Thursday November 27, 2008

The Star - Lifestyle

D-Day checklist
WHEEL POWER WITH ANTHONY THANASAYAN

INTERNATIONAL Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) falls on Dec 3 next week. This year’s theme is Dignity and Justice.

Here’s a checklist to help us make Dec 3 a special day.

Sensitive terminology: Say “persons with disabilities” or “disabled persons”. The latter is based on the position taken by many international disabled activists who see themselves as people who are disabled by society because of the lack of disabled-friendly facilities rather than by their medical conditions.

Never use the word “normal” when referring to yourself if you are not a disabled person. Use “non-disabled” instead. Ban all negative labels such as “deformed” and “crippled” from your vocabulary.

Cope vs cure: Except for those who have been disabled recently, most disabled persons are not looking for a cure to their conditions because there is no cure for the majority of disabilities.

Acceptance of one’s condition is the key to positive living with disabilities. Rather than a cure, for instance, the handicapped want jobs so that they can live like anyone else.

Be careful when referring to disabilities as a “tragedy” or an “unfortunate state”. Disabled people do not feel that they are second to non-disabled persons. Many of them even celebrate being disabled, which is what IDPD is all about.

Be a pal: Befriend a disabled person today. Not only will he or she be thrilled when you approach them, the experience will enrich you, too. Don’t ask him about his disability. Save that question for later. By then, it probably won’t matter to you.

There are things you can do such as help them pay their utility bills, collect their medication and clean their room or home periodically.

Service providers: Phone companies, how about coming up with a package for the handicapped? How about free calls or low flat rates? Phones are not a luxury item but a basic necessity for the disabled. They are also life-savers during emergencies.

As for the Internet, how about a RM1 token monthly fee? Helping the handicapped to get online will significantly up their chances to get educated and find jobs that they can do at home.

Others: Banks, why don’t you reserve the parking lot nearest to your entrance for disabled and elderly customers? Please make it a covered facility so that they can also perform quick transactions on the site. The provision will be a temporary measure as you upgrade your banks in stages to become disabled-friendly.

The UN says about 10% of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with disabilities.
About 80% to 90% of disabled persons of working age in developing countries like Malaysia are unemployed.

According to Unesco, 90% of children with disabilities also do not attend school.

With such stark realities, it is imperative that countries the world over take three significant steps to improve the lives of disabled persons in their nations. They must sign, ratify and implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol.

To my knowledge, Malaysia has to date made the first move only in this all-important pathway that will make a great difference to all disabled Malaysians.