Malaysiakini: DISABLED SUPPORT - YEN YEN RIGHT BUT . . .

We refer to issues affecting the disabled reported in the media recently. We are most delighted to learn that Women, Family and Community Development Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen is setting up a special task force to get handicapped Malaysians employed in the private sector.

The minister is spot on in her new mission; especially in ensuring that people with disabilities will also be key players in the special body. All over the world the disability movement is asking for exactly this: that disabled people be included in any matters that involve them. However, it doesn’t only end there.

The minister must be very careful with whom she chooses. The special representatives must come from a wide and varied background in order for her task force to be effective. For example, a person with a spinal injury, for instance, will not be able to fully understand the needs of someone with Parkinson’s disease or some other neurological condition although they may both use wheelchairs for mobility.

The disabled NGOs invited to participate must possess a good track record in fulfilling their objectives and not ‘sleeping ones’ that have hardly made any difference in the lives of their members that they are supposed to serve. And it is vital that their work must involve the disabled poor in rural areas.

One good organisation to work with is the Independent Living and Training Centre in Rawang Selangor. This non-profit society is run by disabled people themselves, headed by a tetraplegic.

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

More reports on disabled at Parliament to follow - PET+BLOGSPOT

MALAY MAIL: Disabled Want Jobs; Not Charity

Saturday, November 17 2007

Disabled want jobs not charity KALBANA PERIMBANAYAGAM

EMPLOYERS are reluctant to hire handicapped people because they have doubts about their abilities, said several groups representing the disabled yesterday. Many of them requested employers to change their perception.

National Council for the Blind assistant executive director Moses Choo said most disabled people are unemployed not be cause they are incapable but because employers have no confidence in them. “Even at the start of an interview, disabled applicants are given signs of rejection.

“For instance, the first question an interviewer often asks is ‘how will you come to work’ and not whether we can do the job.

“Isn’t that discrimination? Why should society have a negative perception of the disabled?” he asked. Choo said sometimes a disabled person can work better because they learn things faster than others.

“Many organisations do not provide necessary facilities to accommodate the disabled. I think the government has to play a role to encourage corporate companies to employ disabled workers,” he said.

Choo also said that with the recent call by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the matter, he hopes corporate bigwigs would not just offer employment to the disabled as a charity but because they can do the job.

Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy Association president Anthony Thanasayan also felt the disabled in the country are `handicapped’ because they are not given an opportunity to prove themselves.

“It’s unbelievable, but it’s true that a disabled person makes a better worker. This is because the disabled know how it’s like not to have a job.

“The handicapped often receive the short end of the stick. To add to the frustration, the government is not helping to portray a positive image of the handicapped,” he said.

Thanasayan said most disabled people who make it to the media are outstanding achievers.“What about those who are able to do the job? Give them a chance,” he said.

The government and media are giving mixed interpretations to the public by asking corporate bigwigs to employ them, and on the other hand portray a poor image when it comes to the frontline.

“At present, knowing an employed disabled person is rare. But with the Prime Minister’s call, I hope many disabled people will get a decent job,” he added.

Penang’s St Nicholas Home for the Blind executive director Ooi Choo Khoon shared the same sentiments.

Ooi felt employers should change their mindset when it comes to hiring a disabled person.“Not all of them are incapable of working or being productive. Most disabled are well trained and blend well with others, but they are not given the chance by certain employers,” he said.

The three were responding to a recent call by the Prime Minister to encourage large companies to hire the disabled.

In an English daily yesterday, Abdullah referred to an example of a capable woman who was a newscaster, but initially she could not get long-term employment because she was wheelchair-bound.

He said Malaysians should adopt a caring culture where those who need help can be certain they will receive help.