Wednesday October 6, 2010

Basic disable-friendly amenities needed in public places

By YEE XIANG YUN

JOHOR BARU: Handicapped businessman Low Yuen Nien wants basic amenities for the disabled to access public buildings freely.

The 47-year-old who is wheel chair bound, said he lost the ability to

walk when he was three due to polio.

“Banks, shopping complexes and government buildings should install rams and have designated parking spots for the convenience of physically-impaired people.

Commendable: Low (in wheelchair) showing a certificate he received in 2000 after being chosen as tokoh for OKU while his wife Lydia Tay and Michael Tay look on.

“A lot of my friends who are physical challenged share the same frustration on the lack of disable-friendly amenities at most places here,” he said during a press conference organised by Johor Baru MCA Public Complains Bureau deputy chief Michael Tay recently.

Low urged the government and authorities to design OKU-friendly parking lots and entrance in future projects.

“Sometimes when I visit the hospital, I get told off by the security guard for parking my car near the entrance as there are no designated parking spot for the disabled.

“I feel disheartened and disappointed by the situation and I hope such circumstances will be improved soon.

“I still rely greatly on my wife and friends to manoeuvre my wheel chair whenever there are no rams installed at certain buildings,” he said.

The father of four added that laws should be enforced and fines should be imposed on those who misused parking spaces for the disable.

Speaking on Low’s plight, Tay said he had forwarded a letter to the authorities on Low’s behalf.

“I have sent a letter requesting for more amenities to be installed at public buildings to make life easier for people with such difficulties.

“I hope that that the request would be seriously considered as disabled people want to lead a normal life and be independent too,” he said.

Tay said letters have been forwarded to local councils in the state.

Group demand for disabled-friendly facilities

Saturday October 16, 2010

Group demand for disabled-friendly facilities

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN

A GROUP of Ampang’s physically disabled residents are demanding for disabled-friendly facilities such as special parking lots and ramps at banks in the area.

Though the banks provide priority counters for the disabled, those who are in wheelchairs are not able to get to it due to the lack of ramps.

Due to this the group is unable to collect their monthly disability allowance from the government, which is put directly into their bank accounts. In dire need: (Back row, from right) Tnew, Lee and Lee’s assistant Ba Lee with the disabled residents.

“We usually wait outside while someone from the bank help us withdraw our money,” 40-year-old Wan Siew Ming said, adding that it was also difficult to access public facilities such as transport and playgrounds.

“When I take my 11-year-old child to the playground, I have to wait at the side of the field due to some metal barriers that is built to prevent motorcycles,” Wan said.

He also said that installing disabled friendly facilities were provided for under both the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) and Uniform Building by laws.

“I wonder how the local council approved the construction of these business and commercial areas that do not follow the given guidelines particularly when it comes to the disabled?” Wan said.

Most of them have also experienced at one time or another, inconsiderate members of the public who misuse the limited disabled parking facilities and car stickers.

Another resident Tan Lay Har wrote in to one of the local banks in a letter on Aug 6 but he has not received any reply so far.

As a last resort, the group approached Teratai assemblyman Jenice Lee for assistance.

Lee said that she would contact the banks and assist in applying for disabled parking lots to be made available in front of the banks.

“I will also contact MPAJ and ask for better enforcement on the laws that provide for the disabled. I also urge people to think of others and be more sensitive to the needs of the disabled by not misusing facilities meant for them,” she said, adding that some people needed to be more civic-minded.

Councillor Jennifer Tnew said that she will refer the matter to the Building and Architecture Department and expediate matters of modifying business premises to make it more disabled friendly.

Below you can see some pictures of the groundbreaking ceremony of the Independent Living and Training Centre event in Rawang, Selangor.

Thursday October 14, 2010

First brick laid for new building for the disabled

LAST Friday, a ground-breaking ceremony which was like no other, took place in Rawang, Selangor. Nearly 150 people gathered at Kampung Sungai Tambahan Dua to witness the laying of the first brick of a brand new building that would bring hope to the disabled community.

Nearly half of the crowd were people with physical disabilities. I was there, too.

With their wheelchairs, walking sticks and crutches, about 60 disabled guests braved the narrow roads and rough tracks leading to an empty site surrounded by thick grass, shrubs and trees.

It is here that the disabled centre will be built. The force behind this project is an NGO called the Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) which has been operating at a rented building about 2km away.

The new piece of land was given to the centre in 2005 by former Rawang assemblyman Datuk Tang See Hang. To date the ILTC has collected RM380,000 and needs another RM570,000 to make up the RM950,000 needed for the building.

Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar (right) about to lay the first brick for the new building for the Independent Living and Training Centre.

The new disabled centre has turned out to be timely for the ILTC group as the owners of their present premises want the building back. It’s now a race against time to complete the centre as they have to move out by August next year.

The groundbreaking ceremony was a simple affair. It was officiated by Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

Set up in 2000, the ILTC currently has close to a dozen citizens. Residents stay at the centre for a period of time to learn independent living skills. These include taking care of themselves and picking up new skills such as driving, cooking and computer training. These services are provided free of charge.

ILTC founder and president Francis Siva, 50, has been paralysed from the neck down following a driving accident about 25 years ago. He spent more than five years in the hospital after the accident. He was depressed and suicidal until he met two other patients who taught him the value of life.

One was a terminally ill young man on the bed to his right. He had wanted so much to live but cancer took his life the week after.

The other, a patient on his left, was worse off than Francis because he could not move his body at all. And yet he remained cheerful throughout until he died.

It took Francis a good two years to fight off his depression. When he came out of it, he reorganised his life and moved on to form the ILTC.

Francis now runs the ILTC together with help from his secretary, Gurdip Kaur, who also uses a wheelchair.

With this new building in the pipeline, the disabled can look forward to another new chapter in their lives.

Those who are able to help, can contact Francis (019-338 5959) or visit iltcmalaysia.blogspot.com or e-mail: iltcmalaysia@gmail.com.

ILTC CENTRE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

SELANGOR EXCO MEMBER YB. DR. XAVIER JAYAKUMAR kept his promise to disabled group ILTC in Rawang and turned up to officiate the groundbreaking ceremony for our new centre.

Other politicians just say they are coming and send a representative afterwards.
The handicapped community were thrilled by his presence. YB. Dr. Xavier Jayakumar officiating the groundbreaking ceremony of the ILTC event in Rawang, Selangor. It was attended by several dozens people with disabilities.

ILTC CENTRE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY: YB Dr Xavier Jayakumar signing the guestbook at yesterday's event.

Not only did he make it a point to shake each of the hands with the disabled community present, he also promised follow up measures in support of ILTC's efforts.

Japanese Foreign Students From Sapporo City University (Japan) Visited ILTC

Recently on September 23, 2010 we had another opportunity to meet the two dozen Japanese foreign students from Sapporo City University.
They were visited ILTC and donated 3 units of wheelchairs to the ILTC members – Coordinated by ONO Natsuyo - Associate Professor (Nursing Science) Sapporo City University.
We had opportunities to interact with Japanese students.
During the time no matter how different the language, we feel that we were able to understand each other because we wanted to communicate with them. We want to express our appreciation and extremely proud of their generosity of the Japanese students who helped to donated 3 units of wheelchair to needy’s. On the day, we have shared our experiences and struggling to create a basic fundamental rights society in Malaysia towards disabled person.

A Fruitful Meeting with Persatuan Mekar Naluri (Malarum Nenjanggal)

On 23rd September 2010, we had a fruitful meeting with Persatuan Mekar Naluri (Malarum Nenjanggal) is a charity group established by a group of youths in Puchong, Selangor; for the purpose of the care and development of underprivileged homes, disabled persons; single parents and poor families with the motive of .........
"Help The Helpless". Since its inception, Persatuan Mekar Naluri has helped numerous homes and centres in improving their activies and lives by providing manpower and social services. On behalf of ILTC, we are pleased to inform that, Malarum Nenjanggal Management Committee has decided to organize a “Charity Cultural Show” to be held on the 4th December 2010 (Saturday) – 8.00pm. – SJK © Han Ming Hall, Batu 14, 47100 Puchong, Selangor Darul Ehsan. The main aim of organizing this programme is to raise fund towards maintaining our training centre and also in aid of building fund of our organization.

Paper Article - China Press

China Press - 25/09/2010

Paper Article - Malaysia Nanban

Malaysia Nanban - 25/09/2010

Paper Article - Sinar Harian

Sinar Harian - Sabtu 25, September 2010

Respect all life

Thursday September 30, 2010

Respect all life
Group draws attention to the rights and welfare of animals under our care.

LAST week, a group of disabled folks from Selangor took a bold step to do something that had never been done before. They drew public attention to an important issue –the need for all Malaysians to respect and protect the rights and welfare of animals.

The issue arose after nine pedigree canines were put to sleep by the Kuala Langat District Council (MDKL) on Sept 19.

Fed up with the lackadaisical attitude towards the welfare of animals, the handicapped decided to do something about it.

They wanted to meet with the MDKL president personally to impress upon him why dogs are Man’s best friends.

They also wanted to stress that the MDKL should have made every effort to save and retrain the animals instead of putting them down.

A dozen people with varying types of disabilities packed themselves and their foldable wheelchairs into two special vans last Friday.

They started off from Rawang and took nearly two hours to reach MDKL’s headquarters.

It was one challenge after another for the team from the word “Go!”

The first obstacle was to get everyone to meet at one venue early in the morning.

A few of them had cars and motorcycles, and managed without too much difficulty. The rest had to hire taxis. Some of the taxi drivers made a fuss about having to put the foldable wheelchairs into the boot of their car.

Many had to wake up an hour or two earlier so they could be at the pick-up point on time. They had to feed their companion pets first before leaving.

Several of the parking lots reserved for the disabled at public restrooms along the way to MDKL were taken up by able-bodied drivers even though there were wheelchair signs at these parking space. As a result, they had to use parking lots meant for the able-bodied.

The situation was no better when they arrived at the MDKL. The only two car parks for the disabled were occupied by the council’s staff. The group had to wait until the staff moved their cars.

Inside the building, there were no disabled-friendly toilets. The visitors prayed that they would be able to sit through the event without having to use the toilet.

However, the group were pleased that they were able to meet the president.

They wasted no time in expressing their disappointment that authorities such as the Department of Veterinary Services was not involved in the removal of the dogs from an abandoned farm.

The veterinarians would have been in the best position to assess each animal and its behaviour.

Even if one or two were found to be aggressive, the DVS would have known how to sedate, remove and rehabilitate them later, before giving up all hope.

The group went to great lengths to explain to the council how each of the dead dogs, which included Rottweilers, Dalmatians and a boxer, could have easily found loving homes because they were pedigrees.

Former councillor for the Selayang municipality, Gurdip Kaur, a wheelchair user who has a pedigree service dog of her own, pointed out that with proper training, any one of the canines could have been successfully paired off with an elderly or handicapped person.

Francis Siva, who is paralysed from the neck down, said that Rottweilers were not “dangerous dogs” as mistakenly assumed by some people.

Serving as adviser to Petpositive, an animal-assisted therapy organisation for the disabled and the elderly, Francis said the breed was being used by several members of the society as therapy canines to help improve their quality of life.

“When dogs attack, it is almost always the owners who are to be blamed,” said Francis, who is also president of the Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) in Rawang.

ILTC committee member Hajjah Khairozy, who has a walking difficulty, related an amazing experience she had three years ago with a stray dog that saved her life.

The dog which was in front of her house started barking non-stop when her home suddenly caught fire. Even her neighbours had no idea what was going on until they were alerted by the canine’s barks.

After hearing all that they had to say, Francis said the council president conceded that they could have handled the situation better rather than culling the canines.

“He even promised us that there would not be a repeat of the incident,” he added.

Disabled protesters harassed for seeking info

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 12:10

Free Today Malaysia

Disabled protesters harassed for seeking info .
By G Vinod
BANTING: A group of 12 disabled individuals wanted to find out why the nine pedigree dogs belonging to the alleged murderers of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati were killed in such a cruel manner.

They got more than they bargained for: they were harassed by unknown persons at the Kuala Langat district council and the Kuala Langat police headquarters when they visited these places today.

The members belonged to the Independent Living and Training Centre and The Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association.

The group, led by ILTC coordinator Francis Siva, arrived at the district council at 9.45am to demand an explanation over the decision to kill the dogs.

“We went there to speak to the officer, Abdul Razak Jaafar, to seek answers over the killings. He told us that it was the police who gave the instruction.

“Suddenly, three unknown men started harassing us at the office after a press conference and used racial slurs against us before being stopped by some officers,” Siva said.

Insults hurled

But their ordeal was not over. When they went to the Kuala Langat police headquarters, they were again harassed by another group of five men.

“We spoke to an officer, Assistant Commissioner Nordin Manan, who told us it was not the police who decided to put the dogs to sleep.

“When we left, we were again harassed by another five men who started hurling insults and banging our vehicle while we were moving out,” Siva claimed.

Siva was shocked that though they were being harassed in front of Nordin, it took him (Nordin) nearly five minutes to stop the troublemakers.

“We are not even safe even in a police department,” he said.

When asked what he planned to do next about the harassment, Siva said he will consult his lawyer before pursuing any legal action.

“I am also planning to meet the new Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar over the matter,”he added.

Group cries foul over killing of nine dogs at poultry farm

Saturday 25 September 2010

Group cries foul over killing of nine dogs at poultry farm
THASHA JAYAMANOGARAN

BANTING: Yet another group has come forward to express their dissatisfaction over the actions of Kuala Langat District Council officers, who last Sunday had put nine dogs, belonging to the main lawyer suspect in the quadruple murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and her three aids.

Committee members of the Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) today held a protest in front of Majilis Kuala Langat building to address their dissatisfaction against the council for euthanising the nine dogs, comprising six Rottweilers, two Dalmatians and one Bulldog, at the poultry farm at Gadong during investigations into the murders.

During the protest, members assembled outside the building carried several signs condemning the killing of the dogs and questioned the council's authority in taking such measures.

Following the protest, a meeting was held between ILTC and Kuala Langat district council president Abdul Razak Jaafar on the matter.

During the meeting, ILTC committee members wanted to know why the council did not consult with the Department of Vetirinary Services (DVS) or other animal welfare groups such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to take the dogs away instead of putting them to sleep.

They also wanted serious action to be taken against those involved in putting the dogs down and an assurance this incident would not be repeated in future.

“We want to know why they killed the nine dogs just like that. This is an unacceptable and a cruel act," ILTC president Francis Siva said when met with reporters after the meeting.

“I feel the council needs education on this. Dogs are important to us, as they help us disabled in terms of security and they make our lives easier as the dogs are trained to help us in our daily activities," he added.

Francis stated the Centre was upset with the council's seeming lack of understanding and again called for the Selangor Government to take action against those responsible for the dog's death.

He questioned why the killing of the dogs was carried out on a quiet Saturday, without anyone's knowledge, stating that such action can be deemed as suspicious.

Francis's call was echoed by ILTC secratary Gurdip Kaur.

Stressing on the importance of dogs, Guldip spoke of a previous incident when her home was almost robbed.

She said, “one day, there was an attempted robbery at my house and my dog came to lick my leg to indicate that someone was at the window . I take care of my dogs like they are my children and they do listen to their owners when they are trained."

ILTC committee member Hajjah Khairozy also related a similar experience three years ago when she told The Paper That Cares that if it was not for a dog she would not be alive today.

She said the dog barked constantly in front of her house to alert her to the fact her house was on fire and said, "even my neighbors were not aware that my house was on fire. I am blessed to be alive today because of a dog," she said.

ILTC were advised to lodge a police report on the matter by Kuala Langat district ASP Nor Imran Abd Rahman.

Meanwhile, Abdul Razak told reporters the reason why the dogs were put to sleep was because they were found to be a danger to police carrying out the murder investigations, and so he said the dogs were given lethal injections.

“The dogs tried attacking the police, and it was too dangerous so we had no choice. We tried contacting DVS to transfer the dogs, but we could not get hold of them at that point," he explained, adding council officers thus had no choice but to take immediate action.

OKU bantah MDKL bunuh anjing

Sabtu 25-9-2010

OKU bantah MDKL bunuh anjing

BANTING – Badan Latihan dan Hidup Berdikari (ILTC) yang terdiri daripada golongan orang kurang upaya (OKU) membantah tindakan Majlis Daerah Kuala Langat (MDKL) membunuh sembilan anjing liar dengan ubat pelali berdos tinggi.

Tindakan itu dibuat berikutan anjing berkenaan cuba bertindak agresif terhadap kakitangan MDKL serta membaham ayam, kambing dan menyerang mereka di lokasi kes pembunuhan Pengasas Kosmetik terkenal, Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya di Ladang Gadong, Tanjung Sepat.

Presiden ILTC, Francis Siva berkata, beliau kecewa apabila MDKL mengambil keputusan membunuh anjing liar berkenaan tanpa memikirkan kehidupan tersebut dapat diselamatkan.

Menurutnya, bantahan yang bermula jam 10 pagi itu bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti mengapa pihak terbabit tidak berbincang dengan jabatan terlibat terutamanya jabatan haiwan bagi mengelakkan kehidupan liar itu pupus.

“Selain itu, ILTC yang berperanan meningkatkan kebajikan dari setiap sudut meminta Kerajaan Negeri Selangor memberi maklum balas terhadap tindakan pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) berkenaan membunuh kehidupan liar berkenaan.

“Sebagai manusia ahli ILTC tidak boleh menerima hakikat mengapa haiwan liar berkenaan dibunuh sedangkan haiwan lain yang terdapat di Ladang Gadong berkenaan dipelihara semula,” katanya yang mengetuai bantahan berkaitan sembilan anjing liar dibunuh di perkarangan MDKL semalam.

Sementara itu Yang Dipertua MDKL, Abdul Razak Jaafar berkata, beliau mendapat arahan daripada polis untuk menangkap anjing liar berkenaan kerana dipercayai mengganggu kerja siasatan polis di lokasi berkenaan.

Menurutnya, semasa tangkapan dilakukan, anjing berkenaan bertindak agresif ke atas kakitangan MDKL sehingga memaksa MDKL memberi suntikan pelali.

“Pihaknya hanya menerima arahan polis bagi membantu melancarkan perjalanan siasatan di lokasi ladang berkenaan tanpa niat,” katanya.

Sementara itu, sedikit kekecohan berlaku apabila beberapa orang awam tidak berpuas hati dengan tindakan kumpulan OKU terbabit yang mengadakan bantahan terhadap anggota MDKL membunuh anjing liar berkenaan sehingga mencetuskan kekecohan tetapi dapat diselesaikan kakitangan MDKL dan anggota polis yang tiba.

Dalam pada itu, kelihatan kakitangan MDKL meminta kumpulan OKU bersurai tetapi mendapat tentangan daripada mereka kerana tidak berpuas hati dengan layanan yang diberikan MDKL.

Ahli ILTC kemudiannya ke balai polis untuk membuat laporan.