Buses for the disabled

Monday February 16, 2009

Buses for the disabled

ALL the 200 new buses to be added to the Rapid Penang fleet would be disabled-friendly, Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said.

He said the buses would be delivered by June, bringing the total number of buses owned by the company to 350.

He said the new buses would be fitted with a ramp each to enable wheelchair-bound passengers to board them.

Nor Mohamed added that Rapid Penang had also installed the Global Positioning System (GPS) on all its buses to monitor their movements.

Passengers trying out the Rapid Penang bus service in Pekan Darat.

“The GPS is rented from a service provider.

“It will improve route frequency and enable the company to provide better service to commuters,” he told reporters in Butterworth yesterday after launching Rapid Penang’s new Butterworth – Pekan Darat route in Tasek Gelugor.

Nor Mohamed said the company hoped to break even in three years despite the losses it suffered since beginning operations in July 2007.

It is learnt that the company has recorded losses of about RM7mil.

Nor Mohamed said the company projected to serve 40,000 passengers daily when the new buses were put on the road.

“The current fleet of 150 is serving about 25,000 passengers daily,” he added.

He said more routes would be introduced, especially in rural areas on the Penang mainland, when the new buses begin ope-rations.

Rapid Penang is a subsidiary of RapidKL which is 100% owned by the Ministry of Finance Inc.

Nor Mohamed said the company was set up to improve public transportation in Penang and was not purely profit-driven.

“The responsibility of serving the people was on our minds when we introduced Rapid Penang,” he added.

Rehab centre for injured workers biggest in region

2009/02/17

Rehab centre for injured workers biggest in region

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry is planning to build its first rehabilitation centre for the Socso Return-to-Work (RTW) programme for injured and disabled workers.

The state-of-the-art one-stop centre in Malacca will be one of the biggest in the region.

To be ready in two years, the 150-bed facility on a 24.28ha site will provide comprehensive rehabilitation programmes for about 200 injured and disabled workers.

Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the centre will provide physical and psychological rehabilitation, vocational preparation and job-training to maximise independence and help people adapt and rebuild their lives, either at their existing work place or in a new work environment.

"We believe that people disabled by work-related injuries or illnesses can still be productive if given innovative care.

They can return to work if taught new skills appropriate to their new reality," he told the New Straits Times.

He said the ministry was focusing on the RTW programme as many injured people, given proper rehabilitation and job skills training, could return to work.

Socso is spending almost RM300 million a year on permanent disability claims, with the bill rising by 10 to 15 per cent a year. Temporary disablement benefit payouts total RM94 million a year.

Subramaniam said 731 workers who applied for permanent and temporary disablement benefits last year were placed on the RTW programme with 339 returning to work.

"The others are still being motivated and trained," he said, adding that of the 339 workers, 242 went back to their original employer, while the rest were working with new employers.

The RTW programme was launched in 2005 with a pilot project involving 127 workers -- 70 completed the programme and 49 returned to work.

Currently, Socso sends workers to government hospitals or private centres for rehabilitation programmes.

Socso is also increasing the number of case managers from eight to 25, to identify suitable rehabilitation centres for workers nationwide to enable them to return to work, and to manage injury and disease.

Kalliyaney's tale of inspiration

2009/02/17




Kalliyaney's tale of inspiration
By : Annie Freeda Cruez

KUALA LUMPUR: Kalliyaney Kuppan's world came crashing down when she was paralysed after an accident in 1989.

The quadriplegic felt that life would never be the same again and that she would have to be at the mercy of others for life.But there were things in store for her that went beyond her imagination.

She came to know about the Human Resource Ministry's "Return to Work" programme and her life has never been the same again.

Today, she runs a hawker stall at Pusat Penjaja Bagan Lalang where she is known for her never-give-up spirit that has encouraged many.

Kalliyaney set up the stall last October with grants from the Gujarati Association Wilayah Persekutuan & Selangor and the Vijayaratnam Foundation.

"I was determined to get my life going, and the programme helped me become what I am today," she said."I feel great. I can earn a living despite being a quadriplegic. If I can do it, why not others?"

Mohan Letchumanan, a steriliser operator at Tennamaram palm oil mill, has a similar tale to tell.

He fractured a leg while at work and expected the worst as he could not walk properly after the injury healed.

"I thought I'd no longer be able to work. But I am at work today," said Mohan, who wears an ankle brace to provide stability while walking.

Socso case managers sought the cooperation of his superiors to offer him a suitable job that would take his disability into account."My employers were very supportive.

They even provided transport to the Rawang Socso office when I was on medical leave to take part in the RTW rehabilitation programme," he said.

For Pisallulhakimi Abd Rahman, the RTW programme was a lifesaver after he suffered a fracture of the leg.

He was given light duties at LSG SKY Chefs Brahim after the injury with time spent at RTW learning to adapt to normal working life.

"After my accident in 2006, I had physiotherapy, electrotherapy, therapeutic exercises besides doing a home exercise programme," he said.

A. Anbuchelvan, 36, who suffered a stroke in 2006, is back at work as a cleaner with Alam Flora after a programme that included neurological and musculosketal rehabilitation at the Sau Seng Lum Rehab centre.

MPAJ beri pendedahan bantu OKU

Rabu 18-2-2009




MPAJ beri pendedahan bantu OKU

PANDAN PERDANA -Orang kurang upaya (OKU) mem-punyai hak kemanusiaan dan peluang untuk menyertai masyarakat seperti mana dasar OKU yang telah ditubuhkan bagi memberi pengiktirafan serta penerimaan prinsip bahawa OKU bebas daripada halangan fizikal, sosial, ekonomi, budaya dan sikap.

Dasar OKU juga bertujuan untuk menghapuskan diskriminasi terhadap golongan OKU atas sebab ketidakupayaan mereka dan mendidik serta meningkatkan kesedaran masyarakat mengenai hak kelompok tersebut.

Timbalan Yang Dipertua Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ), Abdul Hamid Hussain berkata, kemudahan infrastruktur dalam kalangan OKU telah disediakan di pusat-pusat membeli belah dan beberapa kawasan lain.

“Di dewan-dewan MPAJ juga telah disediakan kemudahan kepada golongan OKU. Selain itu, di Pandan Indah juga turut disediakan tempat letak kenderaan yang dikhaskan.

Bagaimanapun, penyediaan infrastruktur itu masih belum menyeluruh dan agak terhad di beberapa tempat sahaja di bawah kawasan pentadbiran MPAJ.

“Oleh itu, kami mengadakan seminar dan sesi dialog ini bertujuan memberi pendedahan kepada peserta untuk pelaksanaannya pada masa akan datang.

Peserta juga turut didedahkan betapa pentingnya peranan MPAJ dan agensi-agensi lain di dalam memastikan pelaksanaan pembangunan yang tidak mengabaikan golongan OKU,” katanya ketika Sidang Media di dalam Majlis Seminar dan Sesi Dialog OKU, Agensi Kerajaan dan Swasta di Pandan Lake Club di sini, semalam.

Seramai 80 peserta terdiri daripada Jabatan Kebajikan Malaysia (JKM), ahli-ahli majlis MPAJ, pihak pemaju dan persatuan-persatuan OKU hadir bagi membantu MPAJ melaksanakan dasar OKU mengikut garis panduan dan peraturan-peraturan yang telah ditetapkan dengan kerjasama semua.

Menurutnya, seminar itu bertujuan bagi mengkaji dan menangani masalah berkaitan hak dan kepentingan golongan OKU dengan cara yang lebih sistematik.

“Melalui program ini, kami akan mengenal pasti cadangan dan idea yang dikemukakan untuk pelaksanaan.

Ia melibatkan jangka masa yang panjang kerana untuk dilaksanakan segera ia agak sukar.

“MPAJ tiada peruntukan khusus untuk menyediakan infrastruktur kepada golongan OKU tetapi jika ia perlu disediakan kami akan mendapatkan peruntukan daripada kementerian yang terlibat untuk direalisasikan pelaksanaannya,” katanya.

Abdul Hamid berkata, pihaknya akan mendapatkan data lengkap jumlah penduduk OKU di kawasan pentadbirannya bagi mengkaji penyesuaian pelaksanaan akses OKU tersebut.

MPAJ bersedia melak-sanakan kemudahan kepada golongan OKU setelah adanya cadangan dan pandangan ia perlu dilaksanakan melalui pelan pembangunan baru.

“Kemudahan tersebut sebenarnya memberi kepentingan kepada semua pihak antaranya ibu mengandung, orang tua, dan OKU sendiri. Saya melihat ia wajar dilaksanakan kerana memberi manfaat kepada semua.

“Terlebih dahulu, kita akan menilai keperluan utama yang diperlukan oleh golongan OKU. Kita juga akan melihat semula infrastruktur yang sedia ada, setakat ini ia tidak mendatangkan masalah, jika ubah sedikit ia sudah boleh digunakan oleh semua pihak,” katanya.

Menurut beliau, Akta OKU telah diwujudkan bagi menyediakan peruntukan pendaftaran, perlindungan, rehabilitasi, pembangunan dan kesejahteraan OKU.

Oleh itu, apabila akta itu sudah dikuatkuasakan, MPAJ akan memastikan setiap pihak terlibat melaksanakan sebaik mungkin dan jika perlu MPAJ juga akan bertindak mengeluarkan arahan supaya mereka mengikut akta yang ditetapkan.

Plight of the disabled

Saturday February 14, 2009



Plight of the disabled
By LOOI SUE-CHERN

TOILETS for the disabled are often too small or are locked.

These are some of the problems faced by the disabled at some places in Penang, said Society of Disabled Persons (Penang) former president Tan Kuan Aw.

Tan, who is wheelchair-bound, said there were also toilets for the disabled which had been turned into storerooms because the managements of buildings where these toilets are located think not many people use them.

He said there were specifications that must be complied with when facilities for the disabled are provided such as handrails for ramps.

But after studying the situation in Penang for a decade, Tan did not think the local authorities were serious when it came to ensuring that these specfications were adhered to.

“The setting up of a barrier-free facility like a toilet for people with disabilities just for the sake of it is a misunderstood concept. There are Sirim standards and requirements that need to be followed,” he said in an interview.

A check by The Star in public places around Penang proved Tan’s descriptions of several public toilets accurate.

One such toilet in a building along the Jelutong Expressway was so small that a disabled person in a wheelchair would find great difficulty to close the toilet door from the inside.

Tight space: A woman in wheelchair demonstrating how difficult it is to use the cramped toilet for disabled persons.

The reason for this, apart from the size of the toilet, is that the toilet door opens the wrong way. It opens inward, instead of outward or sliding.

Another toilet for the disabled persons in a shopping mall is occasionally locked and those who want to use the facility must find the cleaner who has the key, as instructed by a sign stuck to the door.

As for ramps, Tan said some were built without handrails. But in the case of the ramp at the Taman Sri Pinang flats on River Road, it was crossbars that has become a barrier for the disabled.

Stumbling block: A ramp with handrails is provided at Taman Sri Pinang but disabled persons, especially those in wheelchairs, cannot proceed further with the locked crossbars blocking the building's entrance.

Although the ramp has handrails, it is not barrier-free as there are crossbars at the bottom to prevent motorcyclists from using the ramp.

Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) committee member Lim Kah Cheng, who is an ardent activist for people with special needs, said the bars could also be a hindrance during emergencies like fires.

She said ramps could be designed in a way that motorcyclists could not misuse them, adding that the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) had agreed to look into the matter.

“Instead of a ramp, a winding path that motorcyclists will find difficult to manoeuvre their vehicles on can be considered. The council already has the design which is not costly to follow,” said Lim, who is also an MPPP councillor.

Her other complaints include the putting up of signboards, road signs, advertisement boards and other obstructing objects in the middle of pavements or walkways; and high pavements.

Lim said the trick would be to get things right the first time - constructing buildings and providing public facilities that were universal.

“If you build a ramp, build one that is for everybody. What is good for the disabled is good for everyone else,” she added.

Danger lurks: This bus stop at Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong is unsafe for disabled persons, especially for the visually impaired and those in wheelchairs.

MPPP president Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman, when contacted, said the council would take serious note of the problems faced by the disabled with the existing facilites.

“Our officers will conduct checks on these facilities to see if they comply with the required standards. If developers do not comply with building requirements, we will not grant them the CFs,” he added.