INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS - 3RD DECEMBER 2008
Theme: "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities : Dignity and Justice for All of Us"
NEW MINISTER FOR WELFARE MINISTER OF MALAYSIA
Badan Latihan dan Hidup Berdikari Malaysia (ILTC) pada 23hb Mac 2016 menyerahkan memorandum kepada ahli-ahli parlimen mendesak supaya golongan orang kurang upaya (OKU) dikecualikan daripada cukai barangan dan perkhidmatan (GST).
Disabled Members Protest
Disabled Members Protest at JPJ Wangsa Maju
ILTC Malaysia members staged a protest outside JPJ Wangsamaju KL.
Disabled group’s protest disabled drivers required to produce doc's medical report.
Friday, 28 November 2008
Don’t turn a blind eye to them
Friday November 28, 2008
Don’t turn a blind eye to them
Story and photos by OH ING YEEN
WHAT do you do when a blind candidate attends your company’s job interview?
In conjunction with the International Disabled Day (Hari OKU) on Dec 3, the Society of the Blind in Malaysia held a press conference on “How to interview the visually impaired”.
According to the society’s Employee and Computer Deve-lopment Committee member Dr Wong Huey Siew, 39, the Women, Family and Community Develop-ment Ministry announced that 1% of jobs available in the public sector must be allocated to people with disabilities (PWDs) to ensure that they have equal access to employment.
“There will also be tax incentives for employers to buy suitable support equipment for their workers who are disabled.”
Technology to the rescue: Wong using a computer with a special software that reads out the document for the user.
The objective of the press conference was to inform the blind about the job opportunities available, to raise awareness on how to hire those who are visually-impaired, and to encourage future employers to contact the relevant organisations for more information.
“Many people do not know how to interact with disabled people. At an interview, it’s wrong for interviewers to keep quiet just because they have no experience in interacting with PWDs,” said Wong.
“In order to establish rapport, they should introduce themselves and other interviewers.
“Get to know the candidate. Some interviewers tend to focus on the interviewee’s disabilities instead of their capabilities and strengths. They should access the candidate’s skills, motivation level, past working experiences as well as ask them how they can contribute to the company,” he said in the interview at the society’s headquarters in Brickfields, KL.
He added that the employers should also identify the support systems needed.
“They would need to install a software imported from the United States, which costs about RM4,000, into any computer to enable us to decipher and type documents,” said Wong who uses the system to prepare his lecture notes and write and send e-mails.
“Some employers fear for the disabled person’s safety especially where staircases are concerned.
Going up and down the stairs is not a problem, just give them a day to walk around the office and get accustomed to it,” he said.
On transportation to work, he said, “Almost 100% of the visually-impaired take the public transport to work and they can make it there on time.”
Speaking from personal experience, Wong recalled the disappointment he faced as a visually-impaired person when seeking for jobs before landing his current job as a lecturer.
“I spent three years looking for a job after I completed my master’s and have sent out around 1,000 resumes, some to well-established companies, but I was only called for less than 20 interviews.
He added that among the job options available for the visually-impaired were lawyer, legal adviser, trainer, counsellor, telemarketer, telephonist, editor, writer, lecturer, school teacher and government agency officer.
For details, visit the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) http://www.mab.org.my/ or call the Society of the Blind in Malaysia at 03-2274 6162.
DEWAN RAKYAT: No special car stickers
NST Online » Local News
2008/11/26
DEWAN RAKYAT: No special car stickers
THE government has no plan to issue special car stickers for handicapped motorists, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin said yesterday.
However, a vehicle that had been modified for use by a disabled person was allowed to display a sign -- For Disabled Use. This sign would tell the police, Road Transport Department officers and the public that the vehicle was used by a disabled person, Lajim said in reply to a question by Abd Rahman Bakri (BN-Sabak Bernam)
2008/11/26
DEWAN RAKYAT: No special car stickers
THE government has no plan to issue special car stickers for handicapped motorists, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin said yesterday.
However, a vehicle that had been modified for use by a disabled person was allowed to display a sign -- For Disabled Use. This sign would tell the police, Road Transport Department officers and the public that the vehicle was used by a disabled person, Lajim said in reply to a question by Abd Rahman Bakri (BN-Sabak Bernam)
Make workplace more disabled-friendly
Monday November 24, 2008
Make workplace more disabled-friendly
KUCHING: Infrastructure and an environment that is not disabled-friendly is the reason why many employers find it difficult to hire the disabled, said Sarawak Welfare Department director Kendy Edward.
He said an environment that was not disabled-friendly restricted the movement of this group of people.
“The problem is not the qualifications or job offers, but the lack of a disabled-friendly environment, which should be addressed.
“Many employers are keen to hire the disabled, but the environment is not suitable for them,” she told reporters after the closing the Bicara Bestari smart talk programme on the topic Empowering the Disabled, Outlining Success, Proving Ability here recently.
Edward urged employers to provide disabled-friendly facilities to allow them to carry out their tasks with ease, instead of only offering jobs.
She said the employers must provide facilities such as barrier-free zones, ICT facilities and support equipment to allow them to move freely and do their work well.
“I hope those in the public and private sectors will provide the disabled with suitable jobs based on their qualifications and degree of disability as well as access to the workplace,” she said.
To encourage the private sector to hire more disabled persons, Kendy said the state allowed tax reductions for renovations to make offices disabled-friendly.
There are 19,857 disabled people registered with the Sarawak Welfare Department of whom 2,006 are blind, 2,647 deaf, 7,072 physically disabled, 7,196 slow learners and 936 with cerebral palsy.
The Bicara Bestari programme will present its findings to instil care and respect and promote acceptance and openness towards the disabled. – Bernama
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.
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.
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