Disabled Looking For More Accessibility In Forest

Saturday October 20, 2012

The blind part of group out on a jungle trek

By MUHD BASYAR MUSTAPHA
basyar@thestar.com.my

Good response: The crowd at the International White Cane 2012 celebration.

ABOUT 100 visually impaired individuals recently proved that their disability does not stop them from enjoying Mother Nature.

They gathered at the Kota Damansara Community Forest Park in Petaling Jaya and completed a jungle trek in celebration of the International White Cane Day 2012.

The celebration is on Oct 15 every year and enables the blind community to highlight their concerns to the world. This year they decided to conduct an activity and keep close to nature.

State Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment Committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said the white cane was not only perceived by many as a symbol for blindness but also represented the mobility and safety aspiration of the blind.

“Many of the participants took up the challenge of trekking through the forest to enjoy the flora and fauna.

“Their determination de-serves praise and admiration. It shows that vision impairment does not limit our independence and ability to enjoy Mother Nature’s offerings.

Adult Blind Association pro-tem chairman Yam Tong Woo said though he and the other participants could not see nature, they could enjoy it by listening to the birds chirping and taking in the fresh air.
“We would like to thank Friends of Kota Damansara and the Petaling Jaya City Council for organising such an event and including the blind community.

“We hope to see more facilities for the visually impaired in place next year, such as the extended walkway in the forest so that we too can enjoy nature, just like the others,” said Yam.

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