Petpositive on Ijok by election

Opinion
Monday April 30, 2007


A helping hand for the needy

THANK you for your uplifting story about how Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and his team had recently offered financial help to a middle-aged widow Vasantha and her family in Batang Berjuntai — as well as a special wheelchair gift for Leong Yao Wen from Kampung Baru Ijok who has spinal muscular atrophy. “Ong makes second trip to bring relief to two mums” (The Star, April 28).

These people, we believe strongly, are the true winners of the just-concluded Ijok by election.

Being a national society for disabled persons, we are naturally and especially happy for five-year-old Yao Wen.

His special wheelchair will not only keep him comfortable but it will also offer him the precious gift of mobility.

This means that the little child will be able to enjoy the dignity and freedom of being able to move either on his own or with much less problems than previously.

It’s funny that most people refer to someone in a wheelchair as “wheelchair-bound” when in actual fact, wheelchairs for persons like Yao Wen is liberating.

The wheelchair will open up a lot more opportunities for the little lad as he grows up and starts to interact with society and lead a higher quality of life.

We are delighted and encouraged that the ministry’s programme to eradicate urban poverty targets Malaysians with disabilities. To make this effective where persons with disabilities are concerned, every effort and care should be made to seek out the disabled in their homes and helping them and their families to apply for special aid.

Expecting parents of the disabled to come forward on their own may not always work because the stigma towards persons with disabilities and their families is still very strong in our society.

This is why special intervention such as visiting the disabled in their homes as the good minister has done, is needed. Sometimes repeat visits are also necessary, as Datuk Seri Ong has wonderfully demonstrated.

We congratulate Barisan Nasional’s K. Parthiban for his win and would like to urge him to do everything he can to help not only Yao Wen but also the many other disabled persons like him in Ijok. All development projects should also take into consideration the needs of the handicapped.



ANTHONY THANASAYAN,
President, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association.


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In StarMetro: Disabled testing out RapidKL buses

Tuesday April 24, 2007


Snag over Rapid KL bus facilities for the disabled

By CHRISTINA LOW
Photos by UU BAN

MORE than 30 individuals from various NGO's ga-thered at the Bangsar LRT station recently to try out the new facilities for the disabled provided by Rapid KL.

“We were so excited when we were told that facilities for the disabled would be available on public buses as it would definitely help us to get about,” said K. Se-garan, a member of the Indepen-dent Living and Training Centre.

The 20-year-old said with such facilities available, he did not have to rely on taxis or friends to move about.


Troublesome: The bus is parked close to the curb to enable the disabled passengers to get on board.
However, the group was a little disappointed when some flaws in the facilities became apparent.

“Every time the bus stops, it has to be parked near the road curb to enable the driver to lift and connect the ramp to the curb. Only then can those using wheelchairs come down.

In other countries, the bus is designed to match the curb to make it easy for those using wheelchairs and mothers using prambulators for their babies to get in and out of the bus.

“This is a hassle as each time the driver has to get down and assist us.

“Furthermore, the bus not only caters to the disabled but also able passengers,” said Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PETPOSITIVE) president Anthony Thanasayan.

Thanasayan said one solution would be using a hydraulic lift.


Thanasayan: 'Hydraulic lifts have been used in buses for many years in other countries'.
“Hydraulic lifts have been used in buses for many years in other countries. We should follow suit,'' he said.

Another shortcoming is the narrow passageway on the buses. Those using a bigger wheelchair would find it difficult to move in and out.

The group said they did not want to rely on others to move about and wanted facilities that would help them lead an independent life.

“We are thought to be independent but with such obstacles, it is difficult,'' said Thanasayan.

He said Rapid KL should get ideas and feedback from the disabled as different individuals had different needs.

Support Group Society for the Blind of Malaysia (Supporteam) secretary Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russel said the bus company should also announce each stop for the benefit of the blind.

He said the names of the stops should also be announced.

Also, he said the empty space at the front part of the bus for wheelchairs should be fitted with folding chairs for the able-bodied to use.

“The empty space is wasted when no wheelchair users are on board,” said Abdul Karim.

When contacted, Rapid KL's senior manager of corporate communications division Katherine Chew said the company had met up with members from the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) to understand and discuss the facilities that the bus company should provide for its customers before finalising details.

“We even tested the service with them and they seemed happy with it,” said Chew.


A little help: Rapid KL bus driver Pahamib Sarahing helping V. Munusamy alight from the bus.
“Our drivers will be trained to assist the disabled passengers, deaf and also the blind when they board the bus,” she said.

At present there are buses operating on the trunk and city routes for able bodied passengers as well as the disabled.

Chew said the disabled should begin using the services only after the launch in June as all bus drivers would have been properly trained by then.

Copyright © 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)
Managed by I.Star.

In NST: RapidKL Fails the disabled

Tuesday, April 24, 2007, 12.38 AM
NST Online » Local News
2007/04/23

RapidKL buses fail disabled-friendly test


Email to friend Print article

S. Jeyaraj is fit despite being wheelchair-bound. Yet he had to depend on someone to help him board a RapidKL bus.


KUALA LUMPUR: He was a heavy machinery technician who ran marathons and enjoyed golfing.



But S. Jeyaraj’s world literally came crashing down on him on Jan 3 last year.

Eight tonnes of machinery fell on the 29-year-old at his workplace, leaving him wheelchair-bound since.

Jeyaraj and others who share his plight have long been asking that RapidKL buses be disabled-friendly. Their wish was granted two weeks ago.

Yet, despite keeping himself fit, Jeyaraj could not wheel himself up the ramp of a "disabled-friendly" RapidKL bus.
A check organised by the Independent Living and Training Centre recently revealed that the vehicles still do not fully meet the needs of a wheel-chair-bound person.

"The passageway is too narrow, the ramp is too steep and the kerbs at the LRT stations are too high. Just because there is a ramp on the bus, it does not make it disabled-friendly," said Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association president Anthony Tha-nasayan.

He suggested Rapid KL consult members of the disabled community before implementing such "half-hearted" efforts.

Also present at the test was Disabled and Rehabilitation Ward K9 Members Society (Perwira K9) president Ras Adiba Radzi.
Copyright © 2007 NST Online. All rights reserved.

Disabled unhappy with RapidKL buses

Just not good enough, RapidKL told
Ngu Ik Ying
Apr 18, 07 6:38pm:

Even before state-operated bus company RapidKL officially unveils its barrier-free buses on May 3, several “shortcomings” were exposed during a spot check this morning.

The exercise was conducted by 30 members of Malaysians against Discrimination of the Disabled, a coalition of groups representing the disabled, who gathered at the bus stop at the Bangsar LRT station in Kuala Lumpur for an hour from 10.30am.

They managed to test the facilities on two buses during this time, with a few of them attempting to get into and out of the vehicles.

Wheelchair-bound activist Anthony Thanasayan said it was disappointing that Rapid KL did not consult the coalition on the design of the buses, which started servicing certain routes in the Klang Valley from early this month.

"We thought they would meet us, but did not. The company is spending so much money on this but it will not improve the services. After all the hullabaloo over this issue, what we have now is just a mockery (of our needs),” he said.

He said, for example, the access ramp is too short and too steep, causing difficulty for wheelchair-users to board the bus independently.

“The ramp doesn’t cater to the needs of those who suffer from severe spinal cord injuries - they cannot push their wheelchairs up,” he said.

He said the disabled organisations have been requesting the company to hold a meet-the-people session, but that this has fallen on deaf ears.

"The company should change its attitude. Since they are doing this for us, why don't they talk to us to find out what we really need?"

Room for improvement

Former television personality Ras Adiba Radzi, a paraplegic due to a spinal cord injury, said she had trouble securing her wheelchair to the ramp.

While commending Rapid KL’s efforts to help integrate the disabled into the mainstream of society, she pointed out that facilities in Malaysia lag behind those in developed countries like South Korea and in Europe.

“It's a good start for Rapid KL but they should continue upgrading the facilities until these cater to the needs of different disabled people,” she said.

Another activist, wheelchair user Chong Tuck Meng, felt that bus drivers or conductors should receive professional training in handling wheelchair users.

Chong was appreciative of the drivers being helpful when he disembarked, but said wrong handling could prove hazardous to wheelchair users, who could fall. (See photo)

“They need to know the right technique to use in helping us, as well as how to stop the bus without hitting the kerb at bus stops, to prevent injuries to disabled passengers,” he added.

Drivers put a ramp in place and help to push wheelchair-users in and out of the bus. Locks and seat-belts are provided on board for two wheelchairs.

‘Promise fulfilled’

When contacted today, RapidKL senior manager (corporate communications) Katherine Chew confirmed that the company had bought 100 barrier-free buses as promised last year.

Some of these are currently in operation within the Klang Valley, with full deployment anticipated by early June.

“At the moment, our drivers are not trained yet but we will send them for training after we are done with the bus licensing applications and other arrangements,” she said.

Asked to comment on the claim that the company had not heeded requests from the disabled to be consulted, she clarified that several dialogues had been held with 13 organisations in the Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport Group.

She suggested that other groups interested could request to participate in the special public transport committee to be set up soon by the transport ministry.

In relation to complaints about the bus design, she said this is based on international standards and is meant to accommodate two wheelchairs at any time. However, the drivers will not turn away additional passengers.

The buses can be identified by the wheelchair icon on the front of the bus, she added.



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CD Busting Dogs in The Star

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Opinion
Friday April 13, 2007


Train stray dogs to serve disabled

WE ARE most delighted to learn from your newspaper that a three-month extension has been given to popular and pirated CD-busting pooches Lucky and Flo which are currently on loan from Northern Ireland.

We are also pleased to note that the two Labrador Retrievers have now virtually turned into celebrity canines of sorts in their mission to help Malaysia fight CD piracy. (“Dogs to tackle pirated disc hub” – The Star, April 11).

As a national society that aims to use animals, especially pets, for the good of mankind, we at Petpositive are very inspired by Lucky and Flo.

For us, the remarkable canines are not only performing a wonderful job of checking illegal activities but they are also effectively assisting to arrest ignorance and prejudice against dogs that exists in some quarters of our society.

It is strange how we idolise dogs like Lucky and Flo one minute, and then have no qualms whatsoever about doing the opposite like shooting to maim and kill other canines we deemd have little or no value in society.

Often dogs with no licences are seized from their homes or cold-bloodedly shot in front of their owners with little respect given whether they happen to be children, the elderly or the disabled who might be depending on them for animal-assisted therapy.

Some dog owners are unfortunately no better in their treatment of their pets. The animals in their care also end up being victimised as a result. Such owners have more dogs than they can actually handle, neglect their pets and allow them to be a nuisance to others.

If given the opportunity to be rehabilitated and trained like Lucky and Flo, many of the stray dogs could also potentially play positive roles in our society.

They could be used in a variety of ways to help Malaysians. One is to offer comfort to the sick (dogs accept people unconditionally), be a companion to the elderly who live alone and even offer independence to the disabled by physically helping them.

Just like Lucky and Flo who have now permission to go into shopping complexes, Petpositive looks forward to the day when the blind will one day be able to go into shopping complexes with their guide dogs, the physically disabled, pulled along in their wheelchairs with their service dogs and the deaf being helped with their hearing dogs.

Surely, extending independence for such persons – which only their highly trained specialised canines can provide – is far more important and valuable than just shiny fascinating discs.



ANTHONY SIVA BALAN THANASAYAN,

President,

Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).






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Let Lucky and Flo blaze the way
Anthony S Thanasayan
Apr 13, 07 1:44pm Adjust font size:

We refer to the malaysiakini report Anti-piracy dogs' 'work visa' extended. We are most delighted to learn that a three-month extension has been given to popular pirated CD-busting pooches Lucky and Flo which are currently ‘visitors’ to our country from Northern Ireland.

We are also pleased to note that the two Labrador Retrievers in mention have now virtually turned into celebrity canines of sorts in their mission to help Malaysia fight CD piracy. As a newly-registered national society on June 7 last year and which aims to use animals, especially pets, for the good of humankind, we at PetPositive are very inspired by Lucky and Flo.

For us, the remarkable canines are not only performing a tremendous job in curtailing illegal activities but through their service, they are also at the same time effectively assisting to arrest ignorance and prejudice against dogs that - sad to say- still exist in certain quarters of our society.
It is strange how we idolise dogs like Lucky and Flo one minute, and then have no qualms whatsoever about doing the opposite like shooting to maim and kill other canines which we deem have little or no value or purpose in society.

Often dogs with no licenses are seized from their homes or shot in cold-blooded shot in front of their owners with little respect given whether they happen to be children, the elderly or the disabled who might be depending on them for animal-assisted therapy. Some dogs owners are, unfortunately, no better in their treatment of their pets. The animals in their care also end up being victimised as a result.

Such owners have too many dogs than they can actually handle, neglect their pets and allow them to be a nuisance to others. If given the opportunity to be rehabilitated and trained like Lucky and Flo, many of these stray dogs could also potentially play positive roles in our society.

They could be used in a variety of ways to help Malaysians. One way is to offer comfort to the sick (dogs accept people unconditionally), to be a companion to the elderly who live alone and even offer independence for the disabled with physical help.

Just like Lucky and Flo who have now permission to go into shopping complexes, PetPositive looks forward to the day when the blind will one day be able to go into shopping complexes with their guide dogs, the physically disabled pulled along in their wheelchairs with their service dogs and the deaf being helped along with their hearing dogs, etc.

Surely, extending independence for such persons which only their highly trained specialised canines can provide them – when you think about it – is far more important and valuable than just shiny fascinating discs.

The writer is president, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PetPositive).





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Better for Johor to phase out dog-shooters
Apr 4, 07 4:54pm
Crime is rampant - do something, anything!
Mar 28, 07 4:18pm
If you can't treat your pet right, then don't get one
Feb 16, 07 5:04pm
Country judged by how it treats its animals
Jan 26, 07 2:42pm
We need to treat dogs better
Dec 29, 06 3:42pm
Dog cruelly beaten by workers
Dec 15, 06 5:01pm
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