I became the proud owner of
a new personal disabled identification card last week.
And I must say that I am very
impressed with it.
I half expected it to look as
good as it did when I first applied for it more than a month ago.
It certainly beats my two
previous disabled IDs.
They were given to me over time after
I registered myself as a handicapped citizen as a teenager.
The disabled signed up back then
with the promise that these “magic cards” would give us special recognition and
bring along certain benefits.
The latest ID, the size of our
normal identity cards, comes in a lovely pink colour.
There is a very noticeable white
wheelchair outline with a person sitting on it against a blue backdrop. This is
the proper international sign or logo for disabled people.
Below it are these words in
English: “Persons with Disabilities” (PWDs). This is the way an increasing
number of disabled people wish to be referred to these days.
PWDs who prefer this term argue
that the general public are more likely to focus on the person first and their
respective disabilities, second.
It is hugely encouraging to see
such positive changes – that are taking place in countries around the world –
also happening here too.
Not only that but the bold words
and colours on the latest disabled ID also helps to add on a certain level of
dignity on the card bearers than in the previous ones. The former seemed to
give the impression of them as a bunch of people who were merely looking for
handouts.
Yes, PWDs generally need a
helping hand from society. And that’s because if we care to be honest about it,
it is really our fault as a nation for not including PWDs needs and rights from
the beginning into much of our infrastructure.
Had we done that long ago, many
disabled Malaysians today would be well educated and gainfully employed like
their overseas counterparts and certainly be less of a burden in our society.
And it is for this reason why
bearers of such cards should be given special consideration in almost every sphere
of our lives.
It’s the least that we can do for
our “negligence.”
It’s great that some public
transport are giving half fares, phone and internet companies subsidising
prices, etc, to help handicapped Malaysians to catch up with the rest of the
citizens.
However, it mustn’t stop there. They
must continue not only to get better but even outdo themselves when it comes to
exercising everyone’s social corporate responsibilities to the disadvantaged.
Another giant plus point about
the new ID is that it bears some of the nation’s most important logos: 1) The
Coat of Arms or Emblem of Malaysia. 2) The Women, Family and Community
Development Ministry and 3) The National Welfare Department.
This is a great move that will undoubtedly
encourage more and more government bodies and private agencies to conduct
campaigns on how everyone can help to register PWDs and see what further steps
can and need to be taken to improve the quality of lives of disabled
Malaysians.
Finally, a couple of glitches
with the card that needs to be looked into:
1)
The card says it must be returned if the disabled
person is no longer disabled. When I asked, I was told it referred to very rare
cases where the blind got their sight back through surgery. I think this clause
should be removed as it can be misleading to suggest that disabilities can be
cured. This not only gives false hopes to PWDs but makes them vulnerable to
exploitation from unscrupulous salespeople promising “miracle cures” for
diseases instead of helping persons come to terms with their conditions so that
they can start moving on with their lives with their disabilities. And what a
nightmare it would be for those good people out there who give special benefits
for the cards, fearing that it could suddenly be abused. Just cancel the card
for the rare cases!
2)
Getting the card was a breeze for me. I passed it
on to a friend I knew in the welfare headquarters in Putrajaya who did the
needful. However, collecting it was initially another story. I was told I had
to turn up at the local welfare office or get a friend to collect it as though friends
sort of grew on trees these days. The cold hard fact is it’s hard for disabled
people to find friends; let alone to get them to do errands for them! Fortunately,
the problem was solved by another call to Putrajaya. I was told that any
disabled person who couldn’t make it to the local welfare centres can request
that the officers personally come to their homes instead. My glossy card finally
arrived at my home where the exchange was over in 60-seconds flat! Imagine
that. And the frontline staff at the local welfare thought it couldn’t be done.
The End
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