TWO terrific events are
taking place this weekend involving people with disabilities.
The first is in the morning of
today at the community forest in Kota Damansara in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
If you think that being blind is
no fun – think again!
As many as 100 blind Malaysians
will be having a time of their lives by taking a walk through the Kota
Damansara Community Forest Park – said to be the oldest in Peninsular Malaysia.
The eager and raring to go group
of all ages and backgrounds will be led by Selangor executive council member
for the environment Elizabeth Wong.
The VIP and her visually
impaired friends will be spending as long as 1½ hours with the forest’s unique
fauna and flora, including its trademark artificial lake.
The event is to commemorate
World White Cane Day (WWCD) which falls on the same day. WWCD is an occasion
for the blind to highlight their concerns to a sighted world.
For most of the blind, it will
be their first experience being so close and personal with Mother Nature.
“Many blind persons have never
been inside a forest. This will be a rare opportunity for them to do so,” says
Yam Tong Woo, 59, who is blind himself.
“Each blind person will be
assigned with a sighted volunteer who will then take them into the forest and guide
them to touch and smell the abundance of the pioneer plants and rare species
there in order to appreciate them,” adds Yam, who is protem president of a
newly registered society called the “Adult Blind Association of Selangor”.
Yam goes on to point out that
one doesn’t necessarily need the gift of sight to be able to appreciate the
forest.
“I know many sighted people who
don’t even stop to admire the forest when they are in it. In fact, it is the
blind who tend to ironically appreciate the greenery more,” says Yam, the
organising chairman of the event.
Saturday’s event which is also
organised by the Friends of Kota Damansara group and the Petaling Jaya City
Council intends to give the blind a sense of independence in the forest.
“The ultimate goal is to show
the blind that they can do virtually anything that the sighted can.” Concludes
Yam.
If you are blind and would like
to take part in the programme which starts at 8am, please contact Yam at 012
305 3853.
Malaysians living in Ipoh,
Perak, meanwhile, will be able to know more about Parkinson’s disease – and how
to stay on top of the condition if they have it.
A public forum to empower
Persons with Parkinson’s (PwP) and their caregivers will be held this afternoon
from 1.30pm to 5pm at Syuen Hotel at 88, Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil in the
city.
Attendees of the event will get
to hear everything about the insidious disease of the nervous system which
causes the muscles to become stiff and the body to shake, and which gradually
gets worse as a person gets older.
The event will share the latest treatments
as well as knowledge on how to become a more effective caregiver for PwP.
Dr Lim Shen-Yang, a consultant neurologist
and professor of medicine at the University of Malaya will be one of the
speakers.
Prof Dr Lim who lectures locally
and abroad is medical advisor to the national Malaysian Parkinson Disease
Association based in Kuala Lumpur which is organising the Ipoh event.
A second speaker is Mr Tarun
Amalnekar who is physiotherapist and
lecturer in Masterskill Global College in Ipoh itself.
He will share on his expertise
in choosing the best exercise activity for PwP which is crucial in fighting
against Parkinson’s.
Another highlight of the
afternoon session which will certainly prove interesting are stories of
struggles by a couple of PwP themselves.
“Despite having Parkinson’s
myself, I am delighted to be given the challenge to be organising chairman of
the forum,” says Samuel Ng who got the disease five years ago when he was 42
years of age.
“We are targeting about 200
people. We hope PwP will make it a point to attend the event rather than shying
away in their homes,” he adds.
“When I was diagnosed, I found
it difficult to accept that I had become a PwP. But when I started having it
treated – including my depression over it – I started to be able to take
control of my life again and be positive in the face of Parkinson’s.” Concluded
Samuel.
Samuel can be contacted at 012
557 1682.
The End
No comments:
Post a Comment