Thursday May 2, 2013

We want action, not talk

WHEEL POWER
By ANTHONY THANASAYAN

Improved facilities: Screen readers allow visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesiser. The blind welcome subsidies for gadgets and devices that enhance independence.

There’s much that can be done to help the disabled.

MALAYSIANS go to the polls on Sunday in one of our country’s most eagerly anticipated general elections in history. So, what would people with disabilities like to see changed in the first 100 days after the 13th general election?

Persons with learning disabilities remain one of the most neglected groups in society. They are largely unable to speak up for themselves and need their caregivers to voice their needs.

Many teachers who have been sent to work with special needs children often lack exposure to kids with autism, Down syndrome, dyslexia and other learning disorders. A serious effort is needed to correct this. Special education teachers need to go to learning centres run by NGOs to gain experience so that they can become more effective teachers. Theory picked up from seminars and workshops alone isn’t enough. Hands-on experience in working with dyslexic children, for example, will disclose the finer points of how they learn.

Dyslexics are visual learners and have to see things for themselves before they can really understand ideas. Thus, the curriculum should not be fixed but remain flexible for people like them.

The Special Education Department should start acting on the many suggestions that were handed to them by disability groups nearly 10 years ago. These include planning a mandatory special learning programme for each child as they all learn things differently instead of focusing on writing and the chalk and board method. How about introducing motor repairs, animation and designing, art and drawing, and even theatre in vocational schools?

Employers are sadly not keen to hire learning disabled people because of their handicap. The good news is the Government started training people to be job coaches early this year to help pair each candidate with a suitable task. What’s the progress so far? And can we have more job coaches in the near future?

A minimum RM500 monthly living allowance for all disabled Malaysians registered with the welfare department will go a long way in helping them cope with the high cost of living, medical expenses and purchase of special needs equipment.

Subsidies are needed for gadgets and devices that enhance independence and empower the blind. Screen readers, Braille notetakers and Braille displays, and electronic book readers are off limits to many as they are very expensive.

Let’s have more beeping traffic lights, tactile pavements, and taxi and bus stands outside government buildings, malls, places of worship and important public places. Can buses and trains please announce their stops so that the blind can know when to disembark?

Though this may be too late to implement now, in the next general election, can we use the voting system used in Singapore and some African countries that enable the blind to vote independently? Ballot papers are inserted into a clear plastic holder. Holes are cut matching the boxes where the crosses are supposed to be marked. This aids blind voters to feel the hole and mark the cross there. This can be used as an alternative for those who want to vote without any assistance.

Can we have our very own disability welfare department instead of sharing it with other groups? This will help focus on the many needs of the disabled community. It will also ensure that funds channelled into the department will go to the needy. Please employ more people with disabilities to head the department as they have a better understanding of the needs of the disabled.

It is high time that a member of the disabled community be appointed as senator. Do not be misled by academic qualifications; chose someone who knows what it feels like to struggle everyday with their disability to fit this very important position.

There should be home visits by nurses from the nearest government hospital to care for the disabled who need their services. Transport to the hospital – via ambulance or van for follow-ups – should be provided free of charge.

Specially-trained and subsidised local and foreign maids should be made available to people with profound disabilities. Alternatively, more nursing homes should be set up for those who need such services.

Last but not least, the disabled look forward to better discounts and support from Internet and communication service providers.