Thursday November 3, 2011

Awkward moments

Rules are meant to be bent – sometimes.

LAST week, I received an interesting mail from a blind reader who identified herself as Vicky. She shared how awkward it was for her whenever she needed to answer nature’s call.

“I don’t have to use the toilet for the handicapped because I don’t have a problem with my limbs. But on many occasions when I headed to the loo for able-bodied people, I was stopped by an attendant or a staff member, and redirected to the toilet for the handicapped.

“I realise these people mean well. But no matter how much I try to explain to them that I am capable of using the so-called ‘normal’ toilet, they would insist that I use the toilet for the disabled because I am blind.

“This slows me down, especially when the toilet is occupied. I also do not want to take up space, in case a wheelchair-user comes along with an emergency,” explained Vicky.

On a roll: The writer trying out the Helio during a recent trip to Malacca.

She suggested that perhaps it would be more appropriate to have a label on the toilet door which reads: Reserved for wheelchair users.

On the issue of employment, Vicky opined that it would be best if the Government could step in and subsidise assistive devices such as screen readers for the visually impaired or toilets for those in wheelchairs.

“Otherwise employers may consider us ‘too expensive’ for their budget and pass the job to the non-disabled instead.

“When giant companies such as IBM, Google and even Nasa can employ blind programmers in their countries, why are the blind in Malaysia only expected to become masseurs, basket-weavers, telephone operators or trinket-sellers on street corners?” she asked.

On another note, I’ve been busy testing out the Helio, an innovative high performance wheelchair from Canada. Everything about this latest chair on wheels will make any handicapped person sit up and take notice.

The Helio has an ultralight body. This makes it easy for even a woman to carry the wheelchair into the boot of her car. The wheelchair comes with highly detachable parts, so drivers with disabilities can dismantle the key parts and place them in the back seat without help.

A unique feature of the Helio is that each wheelchair part can be ordered to suit the user’s needs. There are as many as 21 different accessories to choose from.

Despite its light weight, the Helio is no delicate beauty. It has a robust body which gives added confidence to the user. The Helio is so smooth that it glides across effortlessly with a single push, unlike conventional wheelchairs.

The only downside is that the Helio is priced between RM8,000 and RM10,000. You may need to shell out more for add-ons.

Produced by a company called Motion Composites, the Helio comes in six colour frames. It will be making its debut in Malaysia and other South-East Asian countries very soon. For details on the product, please e-mail the local distributor KG Teo at bbbteo@yahoo.com.sg