Drive to register the disabled

Saturday August 7, 2010

Drive to register the disabled

IPOH: The Women, Family and Community Development Minis­try will go on a nationwide drive to register disabled persons and, if the response is poor, it may resort to amending current laws to make registration compulsory.

Quoting UN estimates, deputy minister Heng Seai Kie said about one per cent of a country’s population comprised persons with disabilities.

“This would mean that there are about 2.7 million disabled people in Malaysia.

“However, only 10% of them are registered,” she told reporters after opening the 2010 Malaysia Special Olympics here yesterday.

Heng said the ministry would embark on a campaign in Decem­ber to register disabled persons, adding that the exercise would be reviewed after six months.

“If the campaign is unsuccessful, there is a possibility of amending the Persons With Disabilities Act 2008 to make it a must for people to register,” she said, adding that at present there was no law to compel families and care givers to register disabled individuals.

Heng said the ministry’s department for the development of persons with disabilities would set up counters at public places and at its 100 district offices to make it easier for the disabled to be registered.

She added that many people were also unaware of the aid given to disabled persons registered with the Welfare Department.

Registered individuals, she said, receive a monthly RM150 allowance from the ministry.

For students, the allowance is given by the ministry until they enter university, after which it is provided by the Education Minis­try.

For working people earning less than RM1,500 a month, they can apply for a RM300 monthly allowance.

The director of the department for the development of persons with disabilities, Norani Mohd Hashim, said besides its offices, registration forms are also available at the offices of the education, health, and human resource departments.

“Forms can also be downloaded from the ministry’s website. It is a simple form to fill but there needs to be a certification from a medical practitioner,” she said.