Disabled group upset over ‘terrible’ action

November 4, 2011

The ban on Seksualiti Merdeka festival will earn the derision of forward-looking countries, says Petpositive.

PETALING JAYA: The banning of the “Seksualiti Merdeka” festival by the police yesterday has earned the scorn of disabled rights activist Anthony Thanasayan.

Anthony, the Petpositive (Malaysian Animal Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and the Elderly Association) president said that an event such as Seksualiti Merdeka greatly affected the disabled people as well.

“It is a handicap to be disabled. It is a double handicap to be also gay,” said Thanasayan, who has counselled many homosexuals, both abled bodied and disabled.

“People forget that the disabled, including the deaf and blind, are human too. Sexuality transcends the able-bodied or disabled. They are always advised not to think about sex. For many of us,
our genitalia still work; besides, sexuality is not limited to your genitalia,” said Thanasayan, who is wheelchair-bound himself.

Thanasayan said it is much worse for a disabled person who has sexual confusion to find help, and this could even lead to those who are not homosexual to turn gay in the process.

“This is because the disabled have limited chances to explore their sexuality, whereas an able-bodied person has more chances. Out of desperation, I have seen cases where a man goes into a relationship with an uncle, or brother because they have no other options,” he said.

Thanasayan, who is also a councillor with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), said that an event such as Seksualiti Merdeka allows everyone – abled-bodied as well as the disabled – to know themselves and this is vital for a good relationship or marriage.

“I went to the Seksualiti Merdeka event and I am so happy, because finally I see some people who can approach such issues with maturity, without discrimination,” he said.

“But today I see everything has crumbled. This (banning Seksualiti Merdeka) is a terrible step for Malaysia and would earn the derision of other more forward-looking countries. This kind of action is always based on ignorance; it will promote prejudice. Thus, this will increase the frustration of those in the minority community, and can also lead to suicidal tendencies,” said Thanasayan.

Police have banned the ongoing Seksualiti Merdeka festival, saying strong action would be taken against those who defied the directive.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the law in the country did not recognise any deviationist activity that could destroy the practice of religious freedom.

Seksualiti Merdeka is an annual sexuality rights festival celebrating human rights of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. A coalition of NGOs, artistes, activists and individuals had been organising the event since 2008.

This year’s event, “Queer Without Fear”, started on Tuesday at The Annexe Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. It will end on Nov 13.

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

Love and Hope Charity Dinner

Love and Hope Charity Dinner which was held recently on 16th Sept 2011 from 7.00pm to 11.00pm at Thean Hou Temple, KL.

Love and Hope Charity Dinner was attended by more than 1000 sponsors, donors, receiver of wheelchairs and other well-wishers and was officially opened by Mr. Pathmanathan Nalasamy, Ketua Penolong Pengarah Jabatan Pembangunan Orang Kurang Upaya of Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, YB Teresa Kok, and YB Ronnie Liu.

ILTC extends our heartiest and sincere thanks and appreciation to Pertubuhan Orang Cacat Cina Malaysia for the kind contribution of 4 units of light weight fully detachable wheelchair (every wheelchair costs RM1500) for the ILTC members with the vision to assist people with disabilities to lead independent lives without fear and comprehension as well as to integrate them into society and to be a part of a productive workforce of the nation towards this charity event.

World Hunger Relief Malaysia

The World Hunger Relief Malaysia campaign is an initiative of KFC and Pizza Hut Malaysia stores nationally. All funds raised had donated to the United Nations World Food Program.

More than 8,000 people was taking part in the "Be The Movement" charity walk on last Saturday 29/10/2011 at 4.00pm in Putrajaya, in support of the World Hunger Relief cause under the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

The 5km walk, which starts and ends at the Palace of Justice in Precinct 3, is organised by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Pizza Hut Malaysia, which are owned by QSR Brands Berhad.

Nestle Malaysia and Fitness First are also taking part for the first time in this annual cause.

Apart from the walk, there was a mini-carnival with fun activities.

The main purpose is to create greater public awareness about many underdeveloped nations facing a constant struggle to provide enough food for their people and also to put an end to famine and starvation.

ILTC giving a big thank you to all those that came to the walk.

KFC Holdings (M) Bhd contributed to ILTC RM5000.00 under the corporate social responsibility.

PROGRESS REPORT: Updates - Photos of Construction Progress at ILTC Project on 01/11/2011

Thursday October 27, 2011

How disabled-friendly is Malacca city?

I HAD a terrific time earlier this month when I visited the beautiful and historic city of Malacca. As chairman of MBPJ’s technical committee on disabilities, I was eager to find out what the council had done – and is currently doing – to make their much-talked about national heritage city friendly to residents with disabilities as well as disabled visitors.

I couldn’t think of a more effective way to carry out my task than to make a spontaneous visit to the city. But not without taking an able-bodied assistant with me, just in case.

Our first stop was Christ Church in Malacca town which was built by the Dutch in the 18th century. I was disappointed to discover that the oldest functioning Protestant church to the country had no ramp for wheelchair access.

Thus I was forced to stay outside the church whilst scores of visitors walked in and out of the age-old building to appreciate its beauty from the inside.

The writer and his assistant, Jason Jegathiswaran, taking in the sights and sounds of historic Malacca.

When I asked one of the church officials why a ramp was not built for disabled tourists, I was shocked by his reply that “a ramp would spoil the beauty of this ancient building.”

When I pointed out that there were more than enough entrances to build just one ramp to allow tourists in wheelchairs and those with walking difficulties to access the building, he said that he would bring the matter up with the building committee.

I couldn’t help thinking how short-sighted he was to make such a statement about the usefulness of ramps.

Don’t these people realise that perceptions are changing as society ages and more people are strugging with disabilities brought on by old age, accidents and illnesses?

I have been to countries where wheelchair ramps are always provided as an alternative access for the disabled.

In heritage buildings, the engineers have cleverly constructed ramps in an ancient style to blend in with their natural surroundings. Excuses were never given to avoid providing access for the disabled.

Back to Malacca city, there were no disabled-friendly toilets within a decent distance from where I was. I did see a public toilet for the handicapped when I was travelling in my vehicle. However, that was too far away for my convenience.

The only parking lot for the handicapped that I saw was near the church. However, it was not as long and wide as a proper disabled parking lot should be.

The wheelchair logo on the ground was fading. One had to take a good look to notice it. Needless to say, this wouldn’t go well with drivers with poor eyesight.

Most of the pavements were inaccessible to wheelchairs. Frankly, they were also not good for walking. Luckily my assistant was with me to help me get around.

Because of the lack of wheelchair-friendly pavements, I was forced to use the road where my safety was compromised. At one point, I had to literally get off the road to allow a huge tourist bus to get past me.

In the 10 hours that I spent in the city, I did not come across a single person in a wheelchair. This is a clear sign of how hostile the city is to disabled and elderly denizens when it comes to access to the outdoors.

I must add that there appeared to be some attempts to make pavements wheelchair-friendly but these were scarce and not properly done. There were no guiding blocks for the blind, too.

Despite all these, I managed to take in unforgettable sights like the river boat rides and the colourful rickshaws, and sampled the mouth-watering fare that is unique to the city.

Disabled people, too, want to enjoy the marvellous sights, sounds and smells of Malacca.

Deepavali Greetings From President of Independent Living & Training Centre.

Dear Friends, Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous deepavali.

May this festival of light brings joy & happiness to you & your family.

From,
Mr. G. Francis Siva
President

Ms. Rina - Secretary of ILTC
Independent Living & Training Centre

PROGRESS REPORT: Updates - Photos of Construction Progress at ILTC Project on 18/10/2011

Tuesday October 18, 2011

Space allocated to build aerobridges at KLIA2

AT THE DEWAN RAKYAT
Reports by MARTIN CARVALHO, YUEN MEIKENG, RAHIMY RAHIM and CALVIN YEO

THE Transport Ministry told the Dewan Rakyat that space has been allocated to install aerobridges at the new KLIA2 low-cost terminal if airlines demand for such facilities.

Deputy Minister Jelaing Mersat said Malaysian Airports Holding Bhd (MAHB) was still considering constructing the aerobridges.

“The decision is in the final stages and MAHB had also allocated space to build aerobridges if any airlines need the facilities,” he said when replying to a question from Teresa Kok (DAP – Seputeh).

Kok had asked the ministry to state whether it had approved the construction of aerobridges at KLIA2.

He added that the Government was concerned with the plight of the public especially considering views from the disabled community, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents and the board of Airlines Representatives on the need to build aerobridges.

The estimated cost to build 80 aerobridges was RM132mil.

'Friendly' protest march by blind

'Friendly' protest march by blind

Friday, October 14th, 2011 11:43:00

MAKING A POINT: (From left) Gunabalan, Ajong Sidim and Gobal Rajee standing on a section of the tactile walkway

BRICKFIELDS: A peculiar sight greeted Brickfields residents yesterday when representatives of the blind community, who were protesting against the festive traders who had set up stalls on the tactile walkways they use, ended up side-byside with the ones they were supposed to be protesting against.

Ajong Sidim, 55, a blind legal executive, and G. Gunabalan, 56, a partially-blind businessman, were joined in the "protest march" by Brickfields Indian Petty Traders Association Kuala Lumpur chairman Gobal Rajee and several association members. Also present was Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun.

Starting from the corner of Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4, Ajong and Gunabalan walked to Little India and back.

Although they sometimes had to walk on the road and were rarely able to use the tactile walkway, they managed to make it with the help of Gobal and the association members.

During the walk, stall owners elsewhere were also seen helping blind pedestrians along.

Although there was moderate police presence in the area, the march ended on a quiet note, with the participants returning to their own business after that.

The Malay Mail had previously highlighted the plight of the blind in Brickfields, which led to the Federal Territory Ministry instructing traders to move off the tactile walkway to clear a path for the blind.

Thursday October 13, 2011

The disabled could do with

LAST Friday’s Budget 2012 may have put a smile on many people’s faces. However, not everyone was ecstatic about it and for good reason, too. Take the case of Chong Tuck Meng who hails from Bentong, Pahang.

“I was never really interested in the national budget until I became a wheelchair user following a motorcycle accident 29 years ago,” said the 50-year-old tetraplegic who is a founder member and adviser of Perwira K9 Malaysia, a national disability organisation that supports people with spinal cord injuries.

“The first lesson that I learnt: it is extremely difficult being a disabled person in Malaysia. There are numerous social obstacles and hefty medical bills to contend with.

“I slowly discovered that national budgets can help to alleviate the struggles and hardships that Malaysians with disabilities go through every day.”

Chong wishes the latest budget had specifically addressed the issues he has to deal with after he became paralysed from the neck down.

“The accident changed my life completely. I was a very independent person. Now I need help in coping with daily activities. I need a full-time caregiver by my side to give me a glass of water whenever I am thirsty, and feed me my meals.

“I also need to be turned on my bed every four hours to prevent bedsores. I have to be carried to my wheelchair for my baths and back again. Wounds caused by sitting too long in my wheelchair also need to be dressed daily.”

The operations, cost of medication and services of a full-time care-giver have taken a heavy toll on Chong’s finances.

Though free medical checkups are available for the disabled in government hospitals, many of the medications are not available, and have to be purchased from the pharmacy.

“Getting to the hospital is another obstacle. I have to pay RM200 for a trip to Kuala Lumpur for follow-ups with my specialist,” says Chong.

“Many government dental clinics are not located on the ground floor. This makes access difficult. So I have no choice but to go to a private dental clinic and pay a bomb for their services.

“The Government should identify those who really need help and ensure they are provided with all the medicine they need,” Chong points out. “Hospitals should arrange for home visits by dedicated nurses.”

Chong says he is grateful to his mum for looking after him when he became disabled.

“My mum is 80 and can no longer take care of me. I had to raise RM6,000 to pay for an Indonesian maid as a caregiver. Unfortunately she ran away after two months and I was told to pay another RM6,000 for a replacement maid.

“It took me months to raise the money and it was gone in just two months. We are at the losing end. How are we to manage in such a situation? Why can’t our Government help us in this area? Even politicians have personal assistants, what more we?” laments Chong.

Chong pointed out that in the United States, the government provides the profoundly disabled with caregivers who are called “personal attendants”. For those who need 24-hour care, they are provided with a helper during the day, and another helper at night.

Chong feels a national budget can help in situations like his if the Government:

> Does not impose a levy on maids employed by Malaysians with disabilities.

> Subsidises the salary of maids for the disabled, or better still, pay for the maid’s full salary.

> Helps the disabled to get a replacement for maids who run away, without additional cost.

> Gives RM500 in monthly aid to all persons with disabilities.

Chong feels that even though the latest budget may have missed these pertinent issues, it is never too late to reach out to the disabled.

“When there is a political will to do something, there will always be a way!” Chong adds.

Giving a high-five. Rubbing his girlfriend's hand. Such ordinary acts — but a milestone for a paralyzed man.

From The Associated Press:

PITTSBURGH — Giving a high-five. Rubbing his girlfriend's hand. Such ordinary acts — but a milestone for a paralyzed man.

True, a robotic arm parked next to his wheelchair did the touching, painstakingly, palm to palm. But Tim Hemmes made that arm move just by thinking about it.

Emotions surged. For the first time in the seven years since a motorcycle accident left him a quadriplegic, Hemmes was reaching out to someone — even if it was only temporary, part of a monthlong science experiment at the University of Pittsburgh.

"It wasn't my arm but it was my brain, my thoughts. I was moving something," Hemmes says. "I don't have one single word to give you what I felt at that moment. That word doesn't exist."

The Pennsylvania man is among the pioneers in an ambitious quest for thought-controlled prosthetics to give the paralyzed more independence — the ability to feed themselves, turn a doorknob, hug a loved one.

The goal is a Star Trek-like melding of mind and machine, combining what's considered the most humanlike bionic arm to date — even the fingers bend like real ones — with tiny chips implanted in the brain. Those electrodes tap into electrical signals from brain cells that command movement. Bypassing a broken spinal cord, they relay those signals to the robotic third arm.

This research is years away from commercial use, but numerous teams are investigating different methods.

At Pittsburgh, monkeys learned to feed themselves marshmallows by thinking a robot arm into motion. At Duke University, monkeys used their thoughts to move virtual arms on a computer and got feedback that let them distinguish the texture of what they "touched."

Through a project known as BrainGate and other research, a few paralyzed people outfitted with brain electrodes have used their minds to work computers, even make simple movements with prosthetic arms.

But can these neuroprosthetics ever offer the complex, rapid movements that people would need for more practical, everyday use?

"We really are at a tipping point now with this technology," says Michael McLoughlin of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which developed the humanlike arm in a $100 million project for DARPA, the Pentagon's research agency.

Pittsburgh is helping to lead a closely watched series of government-funded studies over the next two years to try to find out. A handful of quadriplegic volunteers will train their brains to operate the DARPA arm in increasingly sophisticated ways, even using sensors implanted in its fingertips to try to feel what they touch, while scientists explore which electrodes work best.

"Imagine all the joints that are in your hand. There's 20 motions around all those joints," says Pittsburgh neurobiologist Andrew Schwartz. "It's not just reaching out and crudely grasping something. We want them to be able to use the fingers we've worked so hard on."

The 30-year-old Hemmes' task was a much simpler first step. He was testing whether a new type of chip, which for safety reasons the Food and Drug Administration let stay on this initial volunteer's brain for just a month, could allow for three-dimensional arm movement.

He surprised researchers the day before the electrodes were removed. The robotic arm whirred as Hemmes' mind pushed it forward to hesitantly tap palms with a scientist. Then his girlfriend beckoned. The room abruptly hushed. Hemmes painstakingly raised the black metal hand again and slowly rubbed its palm against hers a few times.

These emotional robotic touches have inspired researchers now recruiting volunteers for soon-to-start yearlong experiments.

"It was awesome," is the decidedly unscientific description from the normally reserved Dr. Michael Boninger, rehabilitation chief at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "To interact with a human that way. ... This is the beginning."

___

Hemmes' journey began in 2004. He owned an auto-detailing shop and rode his motorcycle in his spare time. Then one summer evening he swerved to miss a deer. His bike struck a guardrail. His neck snapped.

His determination didn't. Paralyzed below the shoulders, he's tried other experimental procedures in hopes, so far unrealized, of regaining some arm function.

"I always tell people your legs are great ... but they just get you from here to there," Hemmes says as his caregiver waits to feed him a bite of a cheeseburger near his home in Butler, north of Pittsburgh. "Your arms and fingers and hands do everything else. I have to get those back, I absolutely have to."

His ultimate goal is to hug his 8-year-old daughter. "I'm going to do whatever it takes, as long as it takes, to do that again."

Hemmes entered an operating room at UPMC with a mix of nerves and excitement.

"It's good anxiety," he says. "There is so much riding on this."

___

Think "I want that apple," and your arm reaches out and grasps it. You're not aware that neurons are instantaneously firing in patterns that send commands down the spinal cord — make the shoulder raise the arm, extend the elbow, flex the wrist and all five fingers.

A very similar firing occurs when you imagine movement or watch the movement you'd like to perform, explains Boninger, who with Schwartz is leading the Pittsburgh research together with a team of bioengineers, neuroscientists and physicians.

The DARPA arm was developed primarily for amputees. Separate research is under way to help them move it by using transplanted nerves to sense those brain commands. The paralyzed pose a more difficult challenge: getting those signals around a broken spinal cord.

For quadriplegic patients, scientists use implanted electrodes, called a "brain-computer interface" or BCI, to record that electrical activity. The signals move down through wires that tunnel under the skin and out by the collarbone, and are plugged into a computer or a robotic arm.

Until now, researchers mostly have tested miniature electrodes that poke inside the brain's motor cortex and record from individual cells, presumably allowing for precise movements. Pittsburgh's next test-patient will have two penetrating grids implanted in different parts of the cortex for a year to record from 200 cells altogether.

In contrast, Hemmes' chip sat on the surface of his motor cortex, a less invasive method that records from groups of cells. The size of two postage stamps, it's based on a kind of electrical signal mapping used to track seizures in epilepsy patients.

Both approaches need study, says Daofen Chen of the National Institutes of Health, who oversees neurorehabilitation research. He compares the options to eavesdropping on a party by sending in individual microphones or setting up a recorder at the window.

Boninger adds that scar tissue can blunt the penetrating electrodes over time, and the surface chips may be easier to convert to a wireless system, which is important for commercial use.

___

Hemmes' operation took two hours. He had practiced imagining arm movements inside brain scanners, to see where the electrical signals concentrated. That's where neurosurgeon Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara cut, attaching the chip through an inch-wide opening on the left side of Hemmes' skull.

Two days later, Hemmes was hooked to a computer, beginning simple cursor movements. The next week, it was time to test if he could trigger real-life movement using the DARPA arm.

Hemmes reclined in his wheelchair, the robot arm bolted to a steel rod nearby. The task: make the arm reach out to grasp a ball mounted on a board.

The arm whirs forward, then stops, then goes again, then suddenly pulls back.

"It's doing the opposite of what I ask it do," Hemmes says in frustration. "When I think about reaching back, it goes forward."

Dr. Wei Wang, a member of the research team, watches Hemmes' brain patterns on a nearby computer screen, trying to match them to the robotic movements. Focus on your elbow, Wang advises.

Hemmes takes a deep breath and tries. The arm whirs forward this time, reaching the ball. The fingers clench around it.

"There's no owner's manual," Hemmes says, thrilled that the back-and-forth pays off. "I'm training my brain to figure how to do all this."

Letting go is harder, the motor growling as the arm tugs backward before the fingers fully release. Hemmes starts imagining his hand relaxing before pulling backward, and the robot hand follows.

___

Sure, a robotic hand that one day mounts to a wheelchair could be useful. But no matter how well today's prosthetics move, they've got a problem: They don't sense what they touch. Normally, instant messages flash from the skin up to the brain to say "squeeze tighter" so we don't drop that coffee cup, or "tight enough" so we don't hug too hard.

Besides, Hemmes shares the dream of many quadriplegics. He doesn't want a bionic third hand. He wants to move his own hands again.

"These are all scientific goals that are very real," Boninger says.

Recreating sensation means crafting a two-way highway with those brain chips. That's what Duke University, in a study published last week in the journal Nature, did with its two monkeys. When the animals "touched" objects on a computer screen with their video game-like arms, electrical signals flashed back up to implanted electrodes — different signals for different textures, to tell the objects apart.

Sensors in the DARPA arm's fingertips allow for that same kind of feedback. McLoughlin says the plan is for one of the Pittsburgh study patients to begin testing touch capability next year, with a similar attempt at the California Institute of Technology to follow.

What about moving paralyzed limbs? Duke's plan is to turn its research into a robotic exoskeleton that would help the paralyzed move their bodies.

Hemmes is more intrigued by what's called functional electrical stimulation, zapping muscles with electrical currents to make them move. At Hemmes' request, Boninger's team attempted to fit his hand with a stimulator glove that might be linked to his electrode, but it was unsuccessful. The NIH's Chen says still other researchers are working on that kind of approach.

___

Hemmes likened moving the DARPA arm to learning to drive a car with a manual transmission. It took practice, but by week four he was moving the arm sideways as well as back and forth.

The fingers still clenched pretty tight, though. So when his girlfriend Katie Schaffer spoke up — "I want to hold your hand," she said on his last day of testing — Hemmes didn't dare bend them.

The two met after his accident, so he'd never before reached out to her.

"I was just trying to be gentle. I didn't want to hurt her, and I finally got there," Hemmes says. "Definitely the tears were flowing."

He says he was ready for a break after almost daily scientific testing, so removing the electrode and wires the next day wasn't a disappointment. He's confident the researchers will call him back once the technology advances.

"I believe this is the future," he says. "Just let people know there's hope."

'Worst budget for the disabled’

G Vinod

| October 8, 2011

Several disabled groups say Najib's budget has ignored the disabled even though he is calling it a caring budget .

PETALING JAYA: Several disabled groups are so unhappy with the budget that they even have gone to the extent of calling it the worst budget they have seen for many years.

The Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) president Anthony Thanasayan said he had expected more from Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who had termed the budget as a caring budget.

“We hardly got anything. The disabled need at least RM500 monthly to sustain a decent living,” said Thanasayan.

Yesterday, Najib announced Budget 2012 at the Parliament, dispensing various goodies especially to the civil servants and the low income earners.

Among others, he announced salary revision for civil servants and higher employer contribution to the EPF for workers earning less than RM5,000 monthly.

Thanasayan said the disabled groups have put in request for additional aid to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry for many years but received lukewarm response.

What the government should do, Thanasayan said, was to provide care-givers to those disabled who are bedridden and paralysed.

He said this was important as not many of the bedridden people were taken care of by own their family members.

“In the US, the state hires personal attendants to assist bedridden people. Singapore even has a law to compel family members to look after their aged or sickly elders. This is what we need in Malaysia,” said Thanasayan who is also Petaling Jaya City Hall councillor.

Echoing Thanasayan’s sentiments, Independent Living and Training Centre advisor Francis Siva said it was unthinkable that Najib had left out the disabled community in his budget speech.

“It shows how sincere the government is in taking care of our needs,” said Siva .

He also said that this was not the first time the government had shortchanged the underprivileged group as it happened before when allocation for the disabled did not reach the target group.

“Few months back, the government announced additonal funds for the disabled group but till today none of us know how to go about getting the aid due to heavy bureucracy,” said Siva.

All the disabled want, Siva added, was to have a quality life by having a decent shelter and better access to public transport.

“Most disabled are living in a bad shape. It’s not like we enjoy living on charity but is it too much for us to ask for a little dignity?” asked Siva.

He said there was no point for the government to spend huge sums of money for mega projects when the disabled are living in bad conditions.

“We will arrange for a meeting with the prime minister soon to put in our requests,” he said.