A dozen of Students (Diploma in Physiotheraph) from the College Of Allied Health Sciences (Kolej Sains Kesihatan Bersekutu)

A dozen of Students (Diploma in Physiotheraph) from the College Of Allied Health Sciences (Kolej Sains Kesihatan Bersekutu) Sg. Buloh, Selangor Darul Ehsan were underdoing their practical training in ILTC for two weeks.
The reasons of the training to learn more deeply as well as develop their skills of doing and able to carry out systhematic assessment skills, plan physioterapy program safety and effectively. President had describe the various roles with holistic manner of a physiotherapy in rehabilitation for quadriplegic. President have put together just a few of his past interesting testimonies at Hospital Kuala Lumpur ...

Just a quick note to update

Just a quick note to update

A true short story from the personal experience - A Memorable Journey

Wow! What a wonderful experience and services provided by Automobile Association of Malaysia

Last Sunday, we were about 10 people from ILTC went to Kuala Lumpur. Suddently our ILTC Van was breakdown at Ipoh Road at near Taman Wahyu, Batu Caves at 7.00pm and we were fear, panic, worried and stuck in the van.

We immediately managed to reach the AAM, Malaysia’s No: 1 emergency and breakdown assistance service provider and almost within 45 minutes they offered a very Excellence services last Sunday towards disabled person from ILTC.

We were delighted with their assistance on-the-spot of caring and deliver excellent service to a critical situation. We are very happy and most helpful by your AAM's friendly staff.

Thank you,

From,

G. Sivasangararao
President
Independent Living & Training Centre
48000 Rawang
Selangor Darul Ehsan.

As you can see, below some pictures.

TO PROVIDE ACCESSIBILITY FOR DISABLED PASSENGERS AT THE KLIA-LCCT

TO PROVIDE ACCESSIBILITY FOR DISABLED PASSENGERS AT THE KLIA-LCCT

Last week on 19th May 2010, we (advocators - Mr. Anthony Thanasayan, Mr. Anthony Leopold, Ms. Rina and Mr. Francis Siva) had a serious fruitful meeting with Mr. Moses Devanayagam, Director of Operations and Mr. Eddie Tan, Ground Operations at AirAsia Office, Level 1 LCCT, Sepang whereby to discuss for better mobility and comfort for the airline’s disabled passengers. In the meeting we had emphasized the issue of disabled passengers were physically carried by AirAsia’s ground staff to board the aircraft and how dangerous to carrying a disabled person up or down the flight of limited width plane stairs. During discussions Mr. Moses & Mr. Eddie have briefly explained about AirAsia Bhd and many other important related issues towards us. He also shares to us on providers of Ambulift Facility for Disabled Passengers at the low cost carrier terminal (LCCT) and up to four disabled passengers are allowed on a flight, and two of them can be quadriplegics due to safety reasons. According to him, installation of the facility still is in talks with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to provide free aerobridge use for disabled passengers at airports that do not have ambulifts.

At the same time, the AirAsia management already decided to waive RM12 charge for using the wheelchairs at the airport. I believe these issues have been resolved. However, we noticed that at LCCT Airports need to improve airport facilities and provide level walkways and designated car parks for the disabled.

We also had raised how ongoing training modules to assist disabled passengers training for the cabin crew and staff to give them a better understanding of “disability” issues.

After the meeting was ended we were given a tour of the AirAsia terminal.

Disappointed with Gombak District & Land officer Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad

Disappointed with Gombak District and Land officer Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad.


Below you can see a series of pictures showing of the meeting with Gombak District and Land officer Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad at Selayang Land office which was held on Friday, 3.00pm. (21/05/2010)

Shame On You Mr District Officer For Slamming A Quadriplegic!

Courtesy from PET+BLOGSPOT

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Shame On You Mr District Officer For Slamming A Quadriplegic!

aNt's aNgle: So it appears as if the Gombak district land office is fighting back now.

According to StarMetro, the district land officer is finding faults with Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) president Francis Siva over his so-called "aggressive approach" when he dropped by the building last week.

He is quoted by the newspapers as not only "wanted to show his power" but "protesting for his own personal reason."

It is so easy for insensitive non disabled people to quickly label the handicapped as trouble-causers, is it not? Particularly for people who refuse to be mollycoddled and insulted about their disabilities.

What kind of "power" does Francis wield, one wonders? Especially when you consider that he is paralysed from his neck down. He can't put on his clothes by himself and requires able-bodied people to carry him from his wheelchair to his bed and everywhere else.

If you ask me, if anyone deserves an award (such as a Datukship) it is Francis. It is simply amazing how this individual - who was an able-bodied person until an accident changed his life forever - has been helping other more disadvantaged persons than himself.

If Francis was only interested about his personal matter as the now, most dishonorable district officer put it, he would have done only just that. Instead he and his team went and checked out the entire facilities and found it to be a farce.

By that I mean, giving the impression that the disabled's needs have been taken care of when instead what they had done was simply appalling.

I wonder why it took as long as five years (this is when the 'disabled-friendly features' were installed) before they got to realise that women with disabilities had no access to the public toilet.

Did they expect them to wear diapers and somehow 'manage' every time someone came over to the the land office?

Would any able-bodied woman accept that for themselves?

What was also most unprofessional of the land officer was that he chose to disparage Francis even without meeting him first. He also did not bother to find out what had happened from the aggrieved party before the department decided to launch their attack against the ILTC.

Then of course, the most surprising thing. Francis and his team met up with the district officer on Friday. Apparently that meeting was more congenial.

According to Francis, the district officer denied saying anything negative about the ILTC - which was highlighted in Sinar by then. He is said to have expressed his regret over what had happened and said he wanted to do everything he can to make things right.

He even went on to the point of saying that action would be taken against the front-desk staff who mistreated them.

According to Francis, the district officer said that he would be giving up his car park for the handicapped.

Now this all looked very good until the report in The Star the next day.

So one can understand why the disabled community would view the district officer's statement as nothing but empty promises.

DO, shame on you for conducting the press conference against the ILTC. This is not the way forward neither is it the way to respond to issues of people with disabilities.

The Gombak Districk Office should come clean and apologise to Francis and his intrepid team of wheelchairs for launching a press conference against them.

This is the only way forward and the way to work together.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT
PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

ITLC president taken to task for aggressive approach

Saturday May 22, 2010

ITLC president taken to task for aggressive approach

By STUART MICHAEL
metro@thestar.com.my

GOMBAK District land officer Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad is unhappy with the attitude of Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) president Francis Siva over his aggresive approach to resolve an issue related to quit rent.

He said Francis was not happy over RM50 charged as quit rent annual fee for the ITLC land in Rawang.

“He made an appointment last week but instead protested vehemently. Francis wanted his quit rent to be reduced from RM50 to about RM5. So, he went to the reception demanding to see me on the matter.

“At that particular time, I was in a meeting outside of my office. The following day, I went to the hospital to do a stress test.

Unhappy: Gombak District and Land officer Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad (far left) taking to the press to defend his staff over the disabled people’s protest.

“My staff helped him but he insisted on seeing me. They told him that I was not in the office on that day.

“He (Francis) just wanted to show his power and was protesting for his own personal reasons,’’ Zaharin said.

In another development, Zaharin admitted that the facilities for the disabled at the 30-year-old Gombak Land Office, were not up to standard and needed to be improved.

“Currently, we do not have the budget for making improvements. Moreover, this building is shared with the Gombak Public Works Department. It is not our own,’’ said Zaharin, during a press conference at his office.

Last week, about 15 disabled people held placards and protested over the lack of facilities at the Gombak Land Office in Selayang.

The group comprising members of ILTC and Malaysians Against Discrimination of the Disabled (MADD) claimed that the ramp for the disabled was too steep.

They added that there were no proper toilet facilities for disabled women while the staff at the information counter were unfriendly and that the employees were rude.

Tuduhan golongan OKU tidak relevan

News Article from Sinar

Tuduhan golongan OKU tidak relevan

Jumaat 21-2-2010

Tuduhan golongan OKU tidak relevan

BANDAR BARU SELAYANG - Pihak Pejabat Tanah dan Daerah Gombak menyifatkan dakwaan orang kurang upaya (OKU) dalam demonstrasi beramai-ramai mereka di perkarangan bangunan Kerajaan Negeri itu sebagai tidak relevan.

Pegawai daerahnya, Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad yang memberitahu demikian berkata, pihaknya sekali gus menafikan semua tuduhan dilemparkan kumpulan terbabit bahawa pihaknya tidak prihatin kesusahan OKU.

Katanya, kumpulan demonstrasi menuduh pihaknya tidak mesra OKU adalah tidak tepat berikutan pelbagai usaha telah diambil bagi memastikan keper-luan berkaitan diadakan.

“Saya pun tidak pasti standard layanan bagaimana yang golongan ini kehendaki. Sedangkan setakat 30 tahun kita di bangunan ini, tidak pernah ada run- gutan daripada OKU berkenaan isu sebegini.

“Dalam kes ini, kita turut sangsi apakah matlamat kumpulan berkenaan, mereka hanya datang pada hari Khamis (minggu lalu), dan kerana tidak dapat ber- jumpa saya keesokannya terus berdemonstrasi,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian dalam sidang media bagi memberikan penjelasan berhubung tindakan sekumpulan OKU diketuai Presiden Badan Latihan dan Hisup Berdikari, Francis Siva yang mengadakan demonstrasi di bangunan pejabatnya, baru-baru ini.

Dalam pada itu, Ahmad Zaharin mempertikaikan demonstrasi terus diadakan kumpulan terbabit tanpa menunggu hari temu janji dengannya yang sepatutnya berlangsung Selasa minggu ini.

“Pada hari pertama mereka datang lagi saya sudah minta supaya pembantu peribadi (PA) saya berjumpa OKU berkenaan yang ketika itu menunggu di bawah untuk menetapkan tarikh temu janji itu.

“Seperti sedia maklum, masa kerja terhad, mereka pun datang tanpa buat temu janji dan ke-betulan ketika itu saya sedang ada mesyuarat penting perlu dipengerusikan. Tetapi ada kaki- tangan saya yang melayan mereka,” katanya.

Jumaat lalu, golongan OKU merasakan sikap masyarakat terutama kakitangan awam didakwa masih tidak prihatin terhadap keperluan OKU, mendorong sekumpulan 25 OKU berkumpul secara aman di ban-gunan Pejabat Daerah Gombak bagi meluahkan perasaan mereka kepada agensi terbabit.

Francis Siva berkata, tindakan dilakukan dengan harapan supaya golongan sepertinya tidak diheret sama menghadapi karenah birokrasi dan berharap kekurangan kemudahan OKU di bangunan berkenaan diatasi.

Difahamkan isu bermula apabila wakil ILTC datang untuk meminta pengurangan cukai tanah sebanyak RM50 setahun dan mahu bertemu DO mengenai perkara itu, tetapi kecewa dengan layanan diberikan.


Lebih baik daripada pejabat daerah lain

Sementara itu, Ahmad Zaharin ketika mengulas berhubung dakwaan berkenaan, menyifatkan bangunan pejabatnya yang berusia 30 tahun itu , jauh lebih baik jika hendak dibandingkan dengan pejabat daerah lain.

“Kemudahan untuk OKU ini telah lama diwujudkan dan seperti laluan kerusi roda yang disediakan di hadapan bangunan pejabat daerah, malah mendapat pujian ramai dan tidak ada rungutan yang mengatakan laluan itu licin.

“Tandas OKU juga disediakan walaupun sempit. Jika kita hendak penuhi semua tuntutan sudah tentu sukar kerana ia melibatkan kos besar dan bangunan kerajaan pun tidak boleh sesuka hati ‘perbaiki’ kerana ia melibatkan prosedur kewangan,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, pihaknya juga telah berusaha memperbaiki mutu perkhidmatan seperti menggunakan sistem nombor, tempat duduk dan menyediakan kaunter pendaftaran untuk kemudahan pelanggan.

Menurutnya, dari masa ke masa pihaknya sentiasa mengadakan perbincangan bersama pelanggan dalam usaha pihaknya memberikan perkhidmatan terbaik dan mengalu-alukan sebarang bentuk cadangan ke arah kebaikan bersama.

“Kalau betul mereka (kumpulan OKU) itu ikhlas dalam hal ini, mereka sepatutnya menunggu sehingga hari temu janji dan saya memang tiada masalah untuk berjumpa serta berbincang dengan mereka.

“Jika dua tiga kali hendak berjumpa saya tetapi gagal, saya rasa wajar (berdemonstrasi). Tetapi ini baru datang sekali, susah sikit. Kita ada saluran perlu diikuti,” katanya.

Ahmad Zaharin berkata, isu utamal kumpulan berkenaan yang mahu meminta pengurangan cukai telah pun diberikan penerangan oleh kakitangan jabatan berkenaan berhubung prosedur yang perlu dipenuhi.

"DO tiada kuasa membuat keputusan dalam pengurangan cukai tanah kerana ia tertakluk kepada Akta Tanah Negara.

"Pimpinan OKU terlibat sepatutnya faham berhubung prosedur yang perlu dipatuhi kerana terdapat antaranya mereka adalah dalam kalangan ahli dan bekas ahli majlis.

Jumaat 21-5-2010

Panggil polis kawal keadaan

Dalam pada itu, Ahmad Zaharin ketika mengulas tindakan pihaknya memanggil polis mengawasi demonstrasi berkenaan berkata, keputusan itu dibuat kerana dikhuatiri orang ramai bimbang untuk datang ke sini apabila melihat sedikit kekecohan berlaku di hadapan bangunan tempoh hari.

Katanya, pihaknya memanggil polis sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga kerana dimaklumkan mereka datang untuk berdemonstrasi melibatkan kira-kira 50 orang.

Terdahulu, dalam demonstrasi secara aman di bangunan berkenaan, Setiausaha ILTC, P Gurdip Kaur berkata, pihaknya kesal dan tersinggung apabila sepasukan polis dipanggil untuk mengawal keadaan, biarpun mereka hanya golongan OKU.

Thursday May 20, 2010

Horror trip

Trip to Land Office turns into a nightmare.

I HAVE always been a strong supporter of public awareness, especially when it comes to people with disabilities and the many unnecessary barriers placed before us that prevent us from living a normal life.

Whilst most of my disabled (and even able-bodied) colleagues had at times run out of patience when trying to educate the non-disabled about the needs of the handicapped, I’ve always managed to muster extra patience when dealing with those on the opposite end of the spectrum. Not, however, last Thursday at the Land Office in Gombak, Selangor.

What transpired there was shocking and unacceptable.

A disabled couple – the gentleman, paralysed from his neck down, and his wife, a paraplegic – dropped by the Land Office just before noon. Instead of being attended to immediately, they were largely ignored.

When the flustered couple insisted on seeing the district officer, they were told he was at a meeting in his office. They were asked to go home, make an appointment, and come back another day.

Did these people bother to consider the difficulties the couple faced getting to the Land Office?

According to the couple, the district officer went out at lunchtime and did not even bother to see them. Nobody was assigned to deal with their problem, either.

Things went from bad to worse during their three-hour ordeal.

Even the couple’s personal helpers were not able to help them overcome the obstacles at the Land Office building that ironically bore “disabled-friendly” signage.

The designated carpark for the disabled was too far from the entrance of the building. It was uncovered and visitors in crutches would have a hard time walking to the building.

To exacerbate matters, the handicapped are forced to cross an internal traffic of vehicles. Imagine how scary this can be for someone in crutches or in a wheelchair.

The only carpark that was next to the entrance was reserved for the district officer. It was ironically placed next to the wheelchair ramp.

The wheelchair ramp was much too steep and unsafe for use. It clearly did not follow building guidelines. What’s more, the ramp was wet and slippery, no thanks to water leaking from the roof.

Then came the nightmare of nightmares, especially for women with disabilities.

There was no disabled-friendly loo in the women’s restroom. Instead, disabled women would have to enter the men’s toilet, in full view of the urinals, before they can get into the cubicle to answer nature’s call.

I can’t imagine how an important government building such as the Land Office could subject disabled women to such a violation of their rights and dignity.

When we asked the authorities how they could allow such a thing to happen, they told us the building was about 30 years old and that they lacked funds to provide disabled-friendly toilets for women.

With the number of disabled persons on the increase and Malaysia moving towards an ageing nation status by 2035, we need to ask ourselves: how long are we going to keep on giving the same old excuses of old buildings and lack of funds to keep out a significant number of people who have been wrongfully marginalised?

Is it really a lack of funds or is it just sheer neglect in looking into what is truly important in our policies and where our spending should go?

Discussion with OCPD Rawang Part 2

ILTC

Discussion with OCPD Rawang Part 1

Monday May 17, 2010

Disabled protest over lack of facilities



By STUART MICHAEL
metro@thestar.com.my
Photos by P.NATHAN

ABOUT 15 disabled people held placards and protested over lack of facilities at the Gombak Land Office at Selayang last Friday.

Headed by Independent Living and Training Centre president Francis Siva, the disabled were unhappy over the ramp and toilet facilities in the building.

“Although the Gombak Land Office building is about 30 years old, the ramp was built five years ago.

“The ramp is too steep for the disabled to use.

“And water from the air-conditioner on the top floor of the building drops exactly on the ramp pathway making it slippery.

“There is no proper toilet facilities for disabled women while the staff at the information countre were unfriendly towards us,’’ he said.

Anthony Thanasayan, a member of Malaysians Against Discrimination of the Disabled (MADD) and an MBPJ councillor said the employees need to be taught manners and about how to treat the disabled.

“They even had police on standby to intimidate us but we just want our rights and voices to be heard,’’ he said.

When asked on the issue, the Gombak Land Office assistant district Administration officer Sahimin Ghazali said Francis came here demanding to see the district officer.

“Our staff at the counter told him that the district officer was not around and told him to see the Revenue assistant district officer, Norazalawati Md Azizi, instead.

“He wanted his quit rent to be reduced from RM50 annually to about RM5,’’

Norazalawati told him to write a letter and she would forward it to the district officer but he refused.

“Francis still insisted on seeing the district officer and I told him that he was in a meeting,” she said.

“Francis then told he would bring about 50 disabled people to hold a protest at the office. And for safety reasons, we stationed police personnel around in case there were any outward incidents,’’ she said.

Needs of the elderly

Thursday May 13, 2010

Needs of the elderly

Get ready to embrace an ageing population.

I WILL only be 50 years old this November, but I can’t help thinking about what life would be like in our society when we grow older.

I raised this up at three important meetings in three different places. The first was on my home ground at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) where I serve as councillor.

I brought up the issue of elderly persons’ needs at the monthly full board meeting which is attended by the mayor, all the councillors and heads of departments.

I raised this question: “Twenty-five years from now, will we as decision-makers, planners and engineers of our beloved city, be able to smile proudly when we look back at PJ, and say that we had done the needful during our tenure of service to make our environment liveable in order to accommodate us in our old age?

“Do we live and conduct ourselves with the full realisation that we are growing older each day and may one day require special people-friendly facilities? These include covered car parks to protect us from the elements, and toilets wide enough for our children or caregivers to provide some assistance for us.

“What about public parks? Will they continue to be designed only for the fit and young? Or will the outside environment include facilities which enable the elderly to go out and enjoy some fresh air, sunshine and green therapy?”

I was referring to a recent United Nations report that our country is likely to reach an ageing nation status by 2035 with the number of people above the age of 60 reaching 15% of the population.

Welfare Department deputy director-general (Operations) Halijah Yahaya confirmed that the UN statistics was proof that the percentage of ageing people in Malaysia was on the increase.

Incidentally, the United Nations categorises any country with 10% of its population above the age of 60 as an ageing nation.

Speaking at a seminar on caring society in Kuantan, Halijah concluded: “The Government should view seriously the ageing rate among the population because old people have their own requirements.”

I was delighted that no one in MBPJ tried to pretend that enough was being done at the policy level at the moment to include the needs of elderly persons.

Instead, everyone at the full board meeting gave their thumping support to the motion to start planning now so that the city will be ready to embrace more elderly people and their needs in the future.

A similar reaction was received from KTM Berhad in Rawang, Selangor, and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) in Putrajaya.

A group of us in wheelchairs were invited to the local train station to give our input on the present wheelchair-facilities. We found a number of areas where improvements could be made, for example, the toilet doors, uneven pavements and other areas that could pose a hazard to elderly passengers.

KTM Berhad took our suggestions positively and promised to make the necessary changes.

We also had a discussion with the train’s audit access team, and took the opportunity to stress to them the urgency of making the changes now.

At the MOT, we were delighted when Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat also gave the thumbs up to our suggestions. He told us that he himself knew exactly how we felt when he had to use a wheelchair temporarily.

During his meeting with many top guns from the airlines industry, he stressed that disabled and elderly persons should always receive top priority in their services.

The minister said that wheelchairs should be available free-of-charge at airports. He also urged airports to provide special transport vehicles such as ambulifts to carry disabled passengers into the aircraft where aerobridges were not available.

Airports should also consider Deaf passengers during emergencies, he said. Flashing light alarms should be provided at the airport – and even in the restrooms – to warn hearing-impaired passengers if there is a fire as they are unable to hear alarm sirens.

The minister also stressed the need for customer service staff in all airline companies to be trained in assisting disabled passengers.

“They must have some basic understanding of disabilities (and old age problems) and know exactly what to do to make such passengers’ travel comfortable,” added Ong.

One other issue that was raised at the MOT meeting last week was for airports to provide parking lots for the disabled at the entrance, instead of reserving these lots for VIPs.

Helping others is one of the greatest gifts you can give

Helping others is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
Masterskill Student were doing their pratical at ILTC and make a difference in the centre — things happen because of volunteers. Giving back, you just see how important volunteering is and how much it helps you as well as the community. It gives you a sense that you’re doing something good.

Thums-up for the Plaza Masalam

Thumbs-up for the Plaza Masalam

Accessibility for the Disabled - I have noticed Two Accessible Parking spaces located just right next to enterence. Plaza Masalam is located near Tengku Ampuan Zabedah 9/19, Shah Alam near Kayangan.

Ponnai Virumbum.....

Naan Kaanum Ulangangal

Kanmaniye Kathal Enbathu

beautiful song... I feel like flying..
this is real music which touches the soul...
I realy lovE YOu for giving such a nice song

Pyaar Deewana Hota Hai

Pyaar Deewana Hota Hai

Ai Mere Bete

Beautiful song, Kishoreda, you will live in our hearts for ever