More flak for MBPJ Councillor - this time in NST

Centre and parents appeal to council for help Sheila Sri Priya

Parents of the children with learning disabilities are asking the PJ council to provide assistance to the Kairos centre instead of shutting it down.

PETALING JAYA: Parents are urging the Petaling Jaya City Council not to shut down the Kairos centre for children with learning disabilities.

They are also urging the council to assist the centre.

It was reported that the centre was not equipped with the proper facilities and teachers to teach children with special needs. Councillor T. Anthony said the centre was not run by professionals, and the children were taught using ordinary textbooks, The centre was also not accredited.

The council then rejected the centre's request to be registered under welfare homes. An evacuation notice was also issued.

One of the children's mothers, Helen Quah, who was in tears said: "My son is traumatised when he has to go to a normal school. He is happy at the centre and has lots of friends. He was always bullied by his peers at normal schools."

Another parent, Theresa San, said: "There's no mainstream school for children with learning disabilities. It is unfair to pick on schools that are trying to help them."

Joshua Chin has two children studying at the centre. His eight-year-old son Elliott Chin is autistic. He said the centre has excellent teachers who are good listeners. "I'm satisfied with them, he said.

Another upset parent, Monique Goh, said: "I challenge the councillor to care for my son for just one day. His statement has hurt us all and we urge the authority to give us a more rational councillor to serve the community."

The centre's head Rev. Rudy Lui said the centre was not a profit-making centre as claimed by the councillor.

"We charge a minimal fee that includes learning activities and meals.We are running this place solely on the parents' support and contributions," he said.

Lui claimed that when a proposal was sent to the Education Ministry to acredit the centre, they were told to go to the Welfare Department.

"The Welfare Department then directed us to get approval from the City Council, the Fire Department and the Health Ministry."

"We received positive feedback from the Fire Department and Health Ministry but the council has sent an inappropriate person to check on this centre. We hope the PJ mayor will look into the matter," he said.

The All Petaling Jaya, Selangor Residents Association Coalition, headed by Liew Wei Beng , Tengku Nazaruddin Tengku Zainudin, Mohd Umar Peer Mohd and political secretary Aloysius Francis Pinto, has highlighted the parents' concerns to the media and is urging the council to review its decision.

"The council should aid the centre instead of shutting it down," said Pinto.

"I have an autistic child and it is hard to find a good and affordable school," he added.

The centre has over 40 students and nine staff.

Halloween: Keep your pets safe from human ghouls!

Many youngsters dabble in devilish behavior this time of year, and often, animals are the targets of their pranks. But what's a "treat" for the kids can be a cruel trick for a dog or cat. Here are some tips to help keep your animals safe on this haunting holiday:

Most importantly, keep animals inside. For cats-especially black cats, who have unfairly been associated with "evil forces"-the days leading up to Halloween can be dark, indeed, as pranksters often go on the prowl for roaming kitties. In fact, many animal shelters refuse to adopt out black cats during the entire month of October. (As a worker at a Detroit shelter put it, "Nobody gets a black cat during the month of October if they ask for one, no matter how nice they are.")

Dogs should be kept indoors, too. Some kids think that letting dogs out of their yards on Halloween is a great trick, but it's a terrifying experience for dogs, who run from the noise and strangely dressed people and become lost. Dogs can also be injured when kids poke at them through fences or pelt them with eggs.

Put animals in a secure room during trick-or-treat time. Cats can quickly slip out the front door, and dogs sometimes try to bite unsuspecting kids, thinking that they're intruders. For everyone's safety, it's best to keep animals inside a bedroom or family room, away from all the commotion.

Don't take dogs on trick-or-treating trips, when most kids are more interested in collecting candy than watching the dog. Dogs can easily become frightened by the endless stream of laughing and screaming children and run off or bite someone.

Keep bowls of candy out of animals' reach, and make sure that kids know not to share their goodies with four-legged friends. All candy (and wrappers!) can cause animals to become sick, and chocolate, which contains an ingredient poisonous to dogs, can kill. A simple cat or dog treat will make animals' Halloween great without making them sick.

Keep curious noses and paws away from candles and party favors. Jack-o-lanterns lit up by candles are appropriately spooky, but they can burn animals (and children) or start fires if tipped over. The ink used in some brightly colored decorations, like orange streamers and paper pumpkins, is toxic to animals, and swallowed balloons or party favors can block an animal's digestive tract.

Remember that animals aren't party props. Fido may look cute wearing a witch's hat, but many animals become upset if forced into clothing. Costumes that are kept in place with tight rubber bands can cut off circulation. And while some party-planners think that it's frightful fun to have a black cat jump out of a closet at guests, the frightened kitty (and guest) probably won't agree.

By taking a few simple precautions, everyone-humans and animals alike-can have a safe and happy Halloween.

Note: This article is by People for the Ethical Treatment of Pets or PETA.

Councillor Anthony Thanasayan slammed!

Note: The following article is actually good for the disabled community as it raises very important questions about the professionalism of centres that claim to offer services for people with disabilities.

Thursday October 23, 2008

Parents defend learning centre

By TAN KARR WEI

A GROUP of parents, whose children have learning disabilities have hit out at remarks made by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Anthony Thanasayan.

During the last full board meeting, Thanasayan had announced that the council would act on a learning centre for children with disabilities for misuse of building.

He had visited the centre located in SS1, Petaling Jaya, and according to him, some of the children had only mild learning disabilities and should be going to a regular school.

He also commented that the teachers did not have experience working with the children and that the centre did not have the right facilities.

Help us: Some of the parents with the students at the learning centre.

“We want to ask the councillors if they have looked after children with special needs. They may look normal but you don’t know when they would throw a tantrum.

“Of course, we would be happy if our child can get one-to-one attention from teachers but there are no facilities out there,” said Monique Goh, whose 23-year-old son still attends the centre.

Goh and about 10 other parents organised a press conference with the help of the Petaling Jaya Selangor Residents Association (APAC) to voice their support for the centre.

Asella Hew, 46, said that her 16-year-old dyslexic son Matthew Chan attended a regular primary school from Standard One to Six.

“Every year, I had to tell the teachers about his condition. However, with every passing year, his learning ability was still poor. When I started sending him to this centre, he got better. Now, he looks forward to attending school because he has friends that he can relate to,” said Hew.

She hoped that the authorities could look into their plight as there weren’t many resources.

According to Reverend Rudy Liu who runs the centre, they have tried applying to the Education Ministry but were advised to apply through the Welfare Depart-ment because there were students as old as 23 years old.

“The Welfare Department said we could operate as long as we can get approval from the fire and health departments and the MBPJ for our premises,” said Liu.

He said the fire and health departments had already given their approval.

“We are appealing to the MBPJ to look into our plight. If there’s something we’re not doing right, they should assist us. We’re not doing anything illegal. Our operation hours are only from 9am to 3pm,” said Liu.

According to APAC chairman Liew Wei Beng, MBPJ was concerned about the legality of the centre and whether it was accredited. “There are not many centres providing such facilities so the council could help to find an alternative place if they can’t legalise the place,” said Liew at the meeting.

WEEKEND VIEW: Ramps are beautiful to the disabled - Wheel Power

IT is now a little over three months since I was appointed Councillor for the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) in Selangor.

All in all there are 24 of us with me being the only person with a disability in the team.

Despite my physical difference from everyone else, I am happy to say that I am not regarded nor treated as a “lesser person” in any way.

However that is not to suggest that the good people in the local government are oblivious to my obvious needs.

In fact, during my visits I’m always assured of help. Should I need assistance to push my wheelchair, open a door in front of me or getting my meals, someone will always be there for me.

I don’t know how it was before, but disability seems to be a very normal affair at the MBPJ headquarters. No one pulls awkward stares at me as people in wheelchairs frequently encounter in other places.

Not even by the members of the public who drop by daily.

Sometimes it even seems as if there is a little competition going on between us. If I don’t smile at them first, they beat me to it with a warm greeting or a polite nod.

As a councillor, I also try to take the opportunity to ask them if they are alright – whether their visit to the MBPJ had resolved their problems.

And I often wonder afterwards what they might have thought about such a positive reversal of roles for a change? By that I mean about being approached by a disabled person to render some assistance to them.

Perhaps if all of us saw the world like this – our interdependence on each other – there would be less discrimination in the world today.

As human beings we would all learn to respect each other even more without caring from what backgrounds we come from.

By getting in touch with our own vulnerability (we could find ourselves in a dependent situation one day) we are more likely to be accepting of others in their unique situations.

I was recently referred to a case where an elderly disabled gentleman required a wheelchair ramp in his posh condominium in PJ.

He told me that despite requesting his residents’ association for it for over a year, they never provided it.

They gave several reasons for not doing so. One was that there was already a ramp in the basement.

They also said that there was no space at the entrance of the building and they didn’t want to move a flower pot to make way for the ramp.

The most shocking excuse, which I thought was most unacceptable, was they thought that a ramp would “spoil the beauty of their condo”.

I made a visit with the MBPJ team that included the planning department, architect and even the engineering experts to investigate the venue for ourselves.

There was ample space to design a proper ramp although the flower pot had to make an exit. The ramp at the basement was too dangerous for the elderly chap to use.

If he fell, there would be no one to help him as there is usually no one there. Besides, it is also most undignified to create separate entrances for disabled persons whilst the non handicapped use another.

This is discrimination in the full sense of the word.

We were quite surprised to discover that that gentleman’s wife was also frail even though she is able to walk.

How could one expect her to be able to manage her husband at the basement ramp?

Furthermore, there was a rather high single step to their front door. The developer of the condo, however, was marvellous. He agreed to build an extra ramp to help the couple out.

I’m pleased to say that the entire episode recently came to a happy conclusion.

The residents’ association finally came to their senses and gave us the green light to go ahead with the ramp.

It was finally built last week. There appear to be some problems still, though. Apparently a second grab bar was somehow not included to the facility.

This week the MBPJ team and I are scheduled to visit the place again to make sure that everything is built accordingly.

I would like to point out that although the ramp was initiated for the elderly resident in the flat, the feature was not provided only with him in mind.

The provision of the ramp is for the benefit of all the condo residents should any of them – God forbid – become disabled one day.

The whole episode was a timely lesson for everyone concerned.

And that is to take note that not only are human lives more important than flower pots but also the sober truth in that lovely age-old saying that says, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”

The End

Petpositive write up in BM

Terapi haiwan pintar

Oleh SUBASHINI RAJANDRA

Bukan teknologi perubatan moden yang membawa keajaiban kepada Adlan. Sebaliknya, Laika dan Haley 'mengubati' dirinya yang menghidap masalah ADHD.



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SEKUMPULAN insan-insan istimewa yang melawat dan mempelajari terapi haiwan di SPCA Ampang Jaya, Kuala Lumpur.

"SUKAR dan tak tahu macam mana nak jelaskan tetapi banyak perubahan dilihat ke atas Adlan," ujar ayah Adlan, Shahrul Isa secara ringkas ketika ditemui di kediamannya di Klang, Selangor baru-baru ini.

Bagi dirinya dan isteri yang hanya mahu dikenali sebagai Adida, mereka yakin bahawa terapi baru yang diperkenalkan sejak dua tahun lalu membuahkan hasil yang luar biasa termasuk dalam bidang perubatan. Adlan Haris Shahrul Isa, merupakan kembar kepada Adli tetapi insan istimewa ini mempunyai masalah yang dikenali sebagai ADHD.

AHLI Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya, Anthony Thanasayan turut hadir memberi sokongan walaupun berkerusi roda.

Sekilas pandang, tiada siapa dapat meneka gangguan tumbesaran yang dihadapinya. Tetapi secara amnya, ADHD atau Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder menjejaskan kira-kira tiga hingga lima peratus populasi dunia pada peringkat umur di bawah 19 tahun.

Ia biasanya berlaku sewaktu kecil dan menampilkan corak simptom yang berterusan seperti tidak dapat memberi perhatian penuh, hiperaktif, pelupa dan kawalan impulsif lemah. Buat masa sekarang, ADHD dikategorikan sebagai keadaan diri yang kronik dan berpanjangan di mana tidak ada ubat penyembuh kekal kecuali preskripsi ubat tertentu.

BAWAH: Sokongan yang diterima pada sesi terapi haiwan.

Apabila kembar Adlan dan Adli lahir 10 tahun yang lalu, kedua-dua ibu bapa mereka menyedari ada sesuatu yang tidak kena dengan Adlan. Dia tidak memberi respons seperti kanak-kanak normal, ujar Shahrul yang menyimpul kemungkinan anaknya menghadapi masalah pembelajaran.

Setelah memperoleh pendapat profesional dari psikiatri dan doktor bertauliah, pemeriksaan awal menjurus kepada keputusan ADHD. "Kami berjumpa dengan ramai pakar terapi dan doktor untuk mendapat kepastian dan apabila sudah yakin, kami mencari jalan penyelesaian atau solusi yang terbaik," jelasnya yang mengetahui lebih mendalam tentang kesan penyakit ini bagi menangani masalah anaknya dengan lebih wajar.

MOHD BADRI MOKHTAR

Mengambil tiga biji pil setiap hari dan kerap menghadiri temu janji pemeriksaan di University Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC), Adlan tidak menunjukkan perkembangan yang positif. Dia tetap memecah barang di rumah, tidak peka kepada persekitaran dan menghadapi masalah pertuturan iaitu gagap.

"Malah, dia menjadi mangsa buli di sekolah disebabkan perangainya yang berlainan. Kadangkala, kawan-kawannya memanggil dia berulang kali tetapi dia tidak menjawab bagaikan berada dalam dunia sendiri," sambung Adida pula yang mengadu anaknya suka melakukan aksi memusingkan diri seorang diri di padang.

Jika ditinggalkan seorang diri hanya beberapa meter dari rumah, bapanya mula bimbang kerana Adlan tidak dapat mencari jalan pulang ke rumah. Mendengar rintihan mereka bertalu-talu, bayangkan betapa pilu hati kedua-dua ibu bapa ini melihat anak yang tidak mampu berdikari.


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SHAHRUL ISA (kiri) bersama Adlan (berdiri) dan kembarnya, Adli.

Sambil bergantung kepada teknologi perubatan moden, mereka juga menerokai alternatif lain seperti membawanya mengenali dunia luar semasa keluar membeli-belah, melawat zoo dan keluar makan. Ini supaya Adlan dapat membiasakan diri dengan kehadiran orang ramai.

Pada ketika itu juga, Dr. Subash dari UMSC mencadangkan agar mereka mempertimbangkan terapi haiwan melalui sentuhan dan keakraban hubungan mesra. "Saya dan keluarga telah membuat banyak pembacaan, pemahaman dan mendengar penafsiran dari segi agama sebelum mencapai keputusan untuk membela anjing bagi kebaikan Adlan."

Dengan kehadiran Laika, seekor anak anjing yang diambil angkat dari rumah kebajikan haiwan peliharaan, dalam masa sebulan sahaja, Adlan bertambah baik dan tidak senakal dahulu. "Dia mendengar arahan saya dan mampu membuat kiraan matematik sehingga tiga digit," ujar Adida yang merupakan seorang bekas anggota polis dan kini pendakwah Islam di Al-Khaadem.


Bukan setakat itu sahaja, Adlan sekarang tidak menangis sekerap dulu apabila dibuli. Dia lebih memberanikan diri dan ceria. Kakaknya yang dua tahun lebih tua daripadanya, Alia Ajwa, pun berpandangan sedemikian. "Dia sudah kurang gagap, ceria dan mudah didekati," katanya yang menambah adiknya selalu mendapat markah kosong dalam semua mata pelajaran, pernah sekali memperoleh tempat kedua terakhir di kelas.

Adida sendiri bersyukur kerana tidak menghantar anaknya ke sekolah khas seperti yang dirancang. Kini, dia berpeluang untuk bergaul dengan kanak-kanak normal dalam persekitaran sekolah biasa. Setiap hari dan tanpa gagal, ibu solehah ini menghabiskan masa selama tiga jam mengajar atau sekadar meluangkan masa untuk bersama Adlan.

Perubahan besar ini turut mengejutkan Dr. Subash yang tidak sangka Adlan akan cepat respons kepada Laika disusuli dengan Haley tidak lama kemudian dipelihara di rumah mereka. Oleh kerana Adlan semakin kurang hiperaktif maka pil yang diambilnya juga dikurangkan kepada hanya sebiji sehari. Malah, Adlan perlahan-lahan mempamerkan bakat yang terpendam dalam bidang lukisan.

Shahrul memberitahu, mereka pernah cuba terapi haiwan menggunakan kucing, tikus belanda, ayam dan itik tetapi semuanya gagal. Buat masa ini, keluarga Shahrul membela tiga ekor kucing dan ungka bernama, Aboy.

Councillors not friendly - NST

Some left hungry to meet the wakil Sheila Sri Priya

PJ Mayor Datuk Ruslan Sakiman presenting hampers and duit raya to 200 urban poor at the Hari Raya open house in Stadium Petaling Jaya.

PETALING JAYA: A group of people who attended the PJ Hari Raya open house at Stadium Petaling Jaya, in Kelana Jaya went home disappointed.

They were upset because they were not able to talk to their assemblymen, members of parliament and several councillors during the celebration.

"The VIPs were seated in the air-conditioned area and did not mingle with the public. They were elected by the people and they should be mingling with the rakyat. The people should get a chance to get to know their representatives better," said some unhappy guests.

"It's not often that we get a chance to meet them (VIPs) all under one roof. The mayor (Datuk Ruslan Sakiman) was outside greeting everyone and we felt welcomed. The mayor also made efforts to talk to us and asked after our well being and enquired if we had problems. But the elected representatives did not bother doing that.

"No doubt the Raya celebration was hosted by the PJ city council and it was the mayor's duty to greet us. But other representatives should also take the opportunity to socialise with the rakyat and not isolate themselves," said another guest.

More than 200 urban poor received hampers consisting of groceries and duit raya from the mayor.

The event itself was held on a grand scale. With some 20 items on the menu, including the traditional Malay dishes, roasted deer, ayam golek, kambing panggang, roti bom, satay, char kuey teow, guests were spoilt for choice.

The three-hour open house celebration that began at 3pm was attended by almost 10,000 guests from all over Petaling Jayal. Entertainment was also provided by two renowned Malay comedians -- Wahid Senario and Abon.

"Last year we hosted the PJ council Raya open house outside our headquarters. But it was a waste of money as we had to rent the tents. This year we held it here and focused on providing better food for the guests," said the mayor.

Proposed Petpostive Centre To Provide Animal-Assisted Therapy

PETPOSITIVE UPDATE:

Efforts are underway for the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or Petpositive to have a centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor soon.

"We hope that our centre will be operational by Christmas of this year," said Anthony Thanasayan, the President of Petpositive.

According to him, the Society is currently busy submitting its application to the Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ).

"Upon its approval, the Centre, among others, will offer an opportunity for disabled and elderly persons to visit in order to receive animal-assisted therapy," he added.

The Centre is located near two well-known hospitals in PJ.

Stay tuned to this blog for more updates soon.

PET+BLOGSPOT

Guide dog allowed in mosque

LAST week’s Raya holidays were terrific.

I had the opportunity to learn some very valuable lessons about life through several amazing things that transpired during Aidilfitri.

They all had to do with the wisdom of putting other peoples’ needs before our very own; especially to those who are not as privileged as most of us.

The first was an incredible piece of news that I heard on the BBC.

It reported that a mosque in the UK had become the first place of worship for Muslims to allow a guide dog to accompany its owner into the building.

The owner’s dad Gafar Khatri was thrilled with the development.

“Now because of Vargo, the guide dog, my 18-year old son Mohammed Abraar Khatri, a student in Leicester, can have the confidence to go wherever and whenever he wants without being dependent on others,” he exclaimed.

On Abraar’s part, he only had praise for the religious authorities.

He was particularly touched that they regarded it as “their duty to help him.”

According to the BBC, the Muslim Law (Shari'ah) Council UK had recently issued a fatwa which allows guide dogs inside mosques.

However, it did not include inside prayer rooms.

The move was a result of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the Muslim Council of Britain working together to support Abraar's request.

Guide Dogs for the Blind said it “hoped that mosque leaders - both in the UK and internationally – will now make similar adjustments to enable Muslim guide dog owners to enter their mosques."

A special rest area is available for Vargo in the entrance of the Bilal Jamia Mosque to stay while his owner is praying.

The BBC quoted Mohammad Shahid Raza, director of the Imams and Mosques Council UK as saying: "I believe that in all new mosques such facilities for disabled people will be an essential part of their design.

“The Bilal Mosque is going to provide special provision for such guide dogs to be kept safely and securely within the mosque complex during such visits.

"Such a facility will highlight the Islamic attitude of helping disabled people and enhance the services we provide to the Muslim community," he said, concluding the BBC report.

As an individual who also requires service canines for my independence, I can’t help but agree fully with the sentiments of the UK Mosque council director.

In Malaysia we have no problems with police, drugs and bomb sniffer dogs (and even CD-busting pooches like Lucky and Flo) entering into public buildings, joining national parades, shows, etc.

But why do some of us still have reservations when it comes to even more highly trained canines whose jobs are to enhance the quality of lives and independence of people with disabilities?

My second lesson came when I had to take my mobile phone to the Nokia Service Centre in Kuala Lumpur just before the holidays.

Fortunately, my wheelchair and my disabled-friendly car were not an obstacle to the good folks there when I arrived.

Talk about golden service! I was met at the car park by senior manager Mr Peter Teoh himself. He got into my car and guided me to the nearest parking to the lift.

He then cheerfully took my wheelchair out of the boot and assisted me into it. We took the lift up to the 13^th floor and returned 30 minutes later, my issues fully solved.

The whole process of getting into my car was repeated. I was incredibly touched by the kindness of the senior manager.

Because of his help, I was able to finish the task that I had set out for.

What a tremendous sense of accomplishment this gave me.

A few days afterwards, I was confronted with the mobile blues again. This time, however, it was my service provider Maxis’s turn to do a good deed.

An annoying glitch in my configuration refused to allow me to receive my emails.

I was amazed – and once again, touched - at the hours and even days – that the customer service people spent with me on the phone.

After discovering that I was in a wheelchair, one of the technical experts named S Puven offered to visit me at home to help me out.

However, I insisted on driving near to his office instead.

So there we were; me, parked at the side of a busy main road with traffic beside KLCC. He and another colleague, on foot, working on my phone for more than an hour until the glitch was gone.

Meanwhile, we were surrounded all that time by eager tourists taking pictures of KLCC, street lights, lamp posts, etc., wanting to catch a glimpse of what Malaysia was all about.

I wanted to call out to each one of them and say, hey, here’s a true Kodak moment for you!

The End

Petpositive to have our own centre soon

PETPOSITIVE UPDATE:

The Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association could well have a centre that will be in operation by Christmas this year.

Committee members of the Society that is also known as Petpositive have identified a place in Petaling Jaya that is set to become the nation's first animal-assisted therapy centre.

"We have already started renting a semi detached bungalow that is awaiting the approval of the local government," said Anthony Thanasayan, President of Petpositive.

Once the centre is approved, people with disabilities and the elderly will be able to visit the centre to receive therapy from pets for positive living.

The centre is currently being rented for RM1, 500 a month. If you would like to help sponsor for the cost of the place, please ring 012 220 3146.

In the meantime, kindly keep logged on to this page for more news on Petpositive soon.

PET+BLOGSPOT

Victory for the disabled - NST

Victory for the disabled Sheila Sri Priya

Siow using a ramp with railings for disabled people at Prima Sixteen Phase II Condominiums. — Picture by ROSDAN WAHID

PETALING JAYA: Can you believe that? Some residents of an apartment block rejected the pleas of the disabled on supernatural grounds.

They claimed that it is a bad omen to see disabled people early in the morning.

For more than a year, disabled people living in Prima Sixteen Phase II Condominiums had appealed for ramps and railings to be installed there.

But the fear that disabled people bring bad luck had led to some residents initially objecting to plans to have disabled friendly facilities at an apartments block here.

Petaling Jaya councillor Anthony Sivabalan Thanasayan said the initial response from the residents was uncalled for.

"Most of them felt that such facilities will encourage more disabled people to live in their building.

"Some also said that it was a bad omen to see a disabled in the morning," he added.

He said the residents were also against the developer building the ramp and railings as it would ruin the beauty of the building.

"Their reasons was unacceptable," he said.

But after a year of talks between the developer, joint management committee and Petaling Jaya Municipal Council, the residents finally gave in and agreed.

The disabled living in the building are now happy that kindness won at the end of the day.

Peter Siow Kok Yen, 71, said he is overjoyed with the facilities at the apartments.

He uses a wheelchair and since his wife fell ill, he had no one to help him with his daily chores.

"I cannot depend on her now for assistance. I want to be independent and the ramps are a great help for me," he said.

Before the rams and railings were built, Siow and the other handicapped people felt "trapped" in the condominiums as they could not move easily.

With the aid of the ramps and railings, the disabled can attend social gatherings and medical check-ups on their own.

"I'm not asking for much. Just some facilities to make our lives easier."

He hopes that the ramps can be further improved with cement for the flooring instead of the present granite marble which is slippery.

He also hopes for railings on both sides of the walls to allow those who are paralysed to fully utilise the facilities.

Zainuddin Aziz, the property manager for the developer, Glomac Property Services, said the apartments were built in 1994 and there were no requirements then to make the building disabled friendly.

He agreed with the views of the disabled that there is a need to build ramps, railings and lifts with Braille numbering in high rise buildings.

Zainuddin said: "The disabled like Siow should fight for their rights."

He sad he was saddened by the initial response of the residents who did not want ramps and railings in the condominiums.

"While I was temporarily wheelchair-bound after an accident, my movements were limited. I know what it's like being disabled," he said.

Zainuddin said the ramps and railings cost RM4,000. The ramps are made of metal while the stainless steal railings are L shaped to Petaling Jaya City Council's specification.

Developers are required to submit floor plans of their projects to the city council. Upon completion of their buildings, developers will have to consult a special committee headed by Thanasayan.

"I will personally go and check the facilities to ensure they are suitable for disabled like me," said Thanasayan.