By Ravindran Raman Kutty
KUALA LUMPUR: After reading my piece on poor toilet conditions in Malaysia, my neighbour and good friend, Andrew Hong, told me that he believed that the poor toilet condition and poor treatment of persons with disabilities (PWD) in Malaysia are a consequence of apathy rather than anything else.
As a PWD, Andrew feels that the PWD community has been sidelined by fellow Malaysians. One of the prime examples of this is the blatant abuse of the few parking spaces allocated for PWD drivers at public outlets that are often taken up by able-bodied Malaysians with little consequence. Such negative and uncaring attitude displayed by the culprits is probably the result of lack of civic education.
Malaysia has a population of nearly 30 million, and this includes including PWDs who are described as those having long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are approximately one billion people living with disabilities worldwide. In 2012, Malaysia had around 445,006 registered persons with disabilities. This number could be bigger because registration is voluntary.
The government has taken many initiatives to protect their interests. In 2007, Malaysia established the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities aimed at increasing their involvement and contribution in the nation’s growth.
Then in 2008, Malaysia enacted the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 and became a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in that same year. This was ratified in 2010 as a move to address the group’s welfare even more.
Although the government has been doing much for the PWD, there are still several issues left unsettled. These include social stigma, lack of representation in parliament and policy or decision-making on matters pertaining to PWDs and deprivation of economic stability due to poor access to education and the type of work they do.
The inherent lack of facilities for the PWD is still apparent in most public places such as shopping complexes, places of worship, housing estates, bus terminals and taxi stands.
Lack of parking facilities, the absence of ramps for easy access into buildings, not providing wider lanes or sidewalk areas for wheelchairs, lack of PWD toilets, poor public transportation, are just some of the missing facilities that could help ease the difficulties that PWDs already face.
The insufficient number of schools and teaching manpower for PWDs is also a problem, in addition to the lack of job opportunities for them to earn a living. Let’s not forget that PWDs also have families, homes and needs equivalent to those with able-bodied traits. Even cinemas have not factored in the needs of PWDs seriously.
The above factors deprive the PWDs from being included into society. It is a potential economic waste to not train and employ them as they stand to be part of the nation’s manpower too.
According to the Director of Disability Development Department of Malaysia Norani Hashim only 581 people with disabilities have been employed in the public sector since 2008.
However, the private sector performed more satisfactorily as they were able to recruit a total of 17,000 workers with disabilities. This is in line with estimates that about 10- 20 percent of the people with disabilities are considered economically active and are either employed or engaged in private practice.
Being gainfully employed is an important aspect of human life. It enables a person to be self-reliant, independent and to live with dignity. However, studies found that the notion of ‘equal employment opportunities’ for people with disabilities is neither a priority nor a practice with Malaysian employers. There are still many Malaysians with disabilities who are unemployed. Even those who are employed earn a much lower salary than warranted by their academic qualifications.
To compound the problem, discriminatory treatment (either by their employers or colleagues) is still rampant despite the existence of Malaysia’s People with Disability Act. This proves that the Act is unsuccessful in protecting Malaysian people with disabilities from discrimination or exploitation.
It is therefore proposed here that either the existing Act should be revised or Malaysia should have an Anti-Discrimination Act like the United Kingdom’s Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) and The Americans with Disability Act 1990 (ADA).
Perhaps these suggestions may be implemented to safeguard the interest of PWDs:
There must be an enforcement of a quota for a minimum number of PWDs hired in both public and private sectors with provisions of an incentive of tax relief/rebate for the employers.
The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) must ensure that there is compulsory PWD access in all buildings and facilities thus making PWDs more mobile and dynamic.
There must be at least three seats in Parliament and Senate respectively reserved for PWDs to ensure that there is proper representation of PWDs in the implementation of law and policies for the PWDs in our country.
More effort must be taken of made to normalise and destigmatise PWDs through proper education system, teaching of children from the formative years thus ensuring greater acceptance among all sectors of society.
Besides education, the print, online and electronic media should highlight more positive and success stories of the PWDs; produce more movies highlighting the greatness of PWDs with focus on children and adults.
Another area of concern is the housing industry. The government must pay attention to the issue of PWD housing to ensure they are given equal treatment and have the same opportunities as the others. As stated in the National Housing Policy, there is still not enough housing for PWDs.
Previous studies have shown that houses for wheelchair-users have various benefits, such as reducing the cost for home care services and the cost of home renovation or modification.
These special homes enable young PWDs to leave their family home and lead an independent life. Wheelchair-bound children could eventually establish their confidence by having control of the home environment, while older wheelchair-users will face fewer risks of falls and injury.
A wheelchair-friendly house also helps the owner to have an independent life and reduces their dependence on assistance in carrying out their daily activities. Houses for wheelchair-users are really an ideal place for PWDs. While there are several types of disabilities, physical disability is the second highest group after learning disabilities in Malaysia.
People with learning disabilities might face difficulty in learning, but not difficulty in everyday life, such as taking care of themselves. On the other hand, wheelchair-users face the most barriers in life and many studies have also found that even houses for them are still wrongly designed.
Living in Malaysia, we can barely see facilities for wheelchair-users in accessing commercial buildings, government buildings or public transportation, even though we want to achieve a barrier-free living environment. Aren’t wheelchair-friendly houses a basic need for people who are wheelchair-bound? Have we ever considered how their life might be? Do we need to experience their plight before we consider their needs?
The PWD is an integral part of our society and nation. They cannot be seen as a stepchild. Neither should they remain a topic only during pre-election. They must be respected and treated with dignity. Their simple and basic needs like parking facilities, housing, proper toilets, better access into cinemas, customised bus and train facilities, wider sidewalks, equal employment opportunities, greater education opportunities and facilities and schools must be created and developed quickly to match our development with civilisation.
Brick and mortar alone do not bring progress; it is our care for the PWDs and the lesser fortunate ones that makes our progress more meaningful. – Bernama
(This article is the personal opinion of the writer.)
