Good Move For The Disabled By MBSA

Fine tuning disabled transport

Anthony SB Thanasayan

Anthony SB Thanasayan is a wheelchair user who is powered by his service dogs who help him stay on top of life. He is president of Malaysia's first and only animal-assisted therapy society called Petpositive.

Anthony SB Thanasayan

Published: 9 March 2015

 

It was sweet music to the ears of residents with disabilities in Shah Alam, Selangor, when a local daily last week reported that the City Council (MBSA) is now providing free transport services for handicapped people.
 

No one jumped for joy at the news more than persons with physical and walking disabilities, whom this facility is all about.
The services, provided by two vehicles, is now said to be running on weekdays from 8am until 5pm.

It is given free of charge, enabling and ensuring most disabled people can have unimpeded access to them – whether or not they are employed or can afford it. 

 

This is certainly money put to good use. The MBSA deserves high praise for such a move.
 

By doing so, it successfully places itself among the ranks of being the second local council in the state and nation (next to the Petaling Jaya City Council or MBPJ) – to provide such a facility in the city.
This unique service will effectively reach out further, and deeper into the disabled community to serve those who desperately require it.
 

I'm referring to profoundly disabled persons who are virtually stuck to their beds and can't get out of their homes.
They find it more difficult to do physical transfers, and thus are unable to use conventional transport like cars and taxis to get around.
 

The van which MBSA provides is an excellent alternative.
It is able to take them in, complete with them sitting in their wheelchairs. They get in on a special built-in lift from the back of the vehicle. No need for abandoning their wheelchairs and shifting their bodies onto the van's seats are required.
 

Having said all this though, in order to make their services top class to its handicapped users, MBSA needs to look into the following.

• Prevent abuse and promote education: Ensure that the van service is being used by the poor and not the rich. Domination by the rich who often have alternative means of transport defeats the purpose of a van service to help the needy.
  MBSA should conduct publicity of the van's services in all the poor areas of Shah Alam. Leaflets in a variety of languages should be distributed to the various communities and NGOs helping them. Even passing them on to mosques, churches, temples, hospitals and clinics is a good idea in making sure the message is spread out to as many people as possible.
  The best approach is to be able to speak to the disabled directly. However, this is not easy as many of them seldom come out, thinking that "their lot in life" is to "stay away" from the public eye. Some disabled people I know simply refuse to use the facility thinking that they should leave it for other "more deserving cases" who need them. These people need to be educated that using the van is their right.

• Education for van drivers: Be sure to select the right drivers; and not anyone for the job. They must be gentle and kind and with heaps of patience. They must also be sensitive to the needs of the disabled.
  Turning up on time at the disabled person's homes and venues is a must. Waiting and extra five minutes or so, is divine on the driver's part.
  Drivers need a basic course on what disabilities are. Put them in a wheelchair or on crutches and drive them around for a week in order to let them know what the experience feels like. Invite wheelchair users who are qualified to do the training.
  Be sure to recognise the work that these special van drivers do – and never forget to reward them from time to time.
  Having said that, there must be a confidential number for disabled people to call and complain – if they are mistreated. Complaints must be taken seriously.

• Safety a top priority: Wheelchairs must be strapped at all times with the provided four safety belts for each wheel. They must be fastened securely at all times, even though a trip may sometimes last a few minutes. In addition to wheelchair belts, a safety belt for the disabled person must also be fastened. (A friend of mine died in an accident when she was thrown out of her wheelchair because the driver had not put on the safety belt to secure her in her electric wheelchair.)
  Disabled vans should never speed on the road when there are disabled people in them. Great care on balance of the disabled person should be taken when taking a corner or riding over bumps. Prompt action should be taken against drivers that violate this. Appropriate grab bars should be placed in strategic points for passengers with disabilities to hold onto for safety. Old ones should be promptly replaced.

To find out more about MBSA's van service, please call: 03-5522 2735. – March 9, 2015.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/anthony-sb-thanasayan/article/fine-tuning-disabled-transport#sthash.FbnNG6r7.dpuf PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or Petpositive. Our stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then are now 250,000 and ever increasing! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Kindly note that views expressed in PET+BLOGSPOT are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.org You can also find us in Facebook under PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support for our work. Thank you!

Are People With Disabilities Asking Too Much?

aNt's aNgle:

SO A LOT of people were happy - and some upset I hear - by my comments in the media, last week.

That was when I placed my vote for an ambulift rather than an aerobridge in KLIA2's airport.

It's the obvious choice, really.

The airport is a low-cost carrier. 

I've been made to understand that even if the airport were to provide it (a cost of RM80.00 per port for approximately three hours) the airlines company have refused to use it. 

If true, who is going to pay for it? The passengers, causing the ticket fare to rise?


The able-bodied don't really need it. They can manage the stairs. 


Only the disabled need it. Not everyone though. The blind, Deaf and people with learning disabilities can manage steps. 


Only those who are physically disabled. 

So is it fair to make such a demand on KLIA2 for an aerobridge, especially when they have already provided an alternative?

What is more important is to make sure that all the current facilities provided by Malaysian Airport Holdings Berhad are up to the mark with it comes to being user-friendly to handicapped passengers.


Here's a Letter for the Day from a reader who makes some interesting points on the issue. He wishes to remain anonymous:

"Dear Anthony, 

"I have many friends who are wheel-chair bound and having read this article in the local daily I thought best for me to comment on this matter.
 
"Firstly, gathering to protest is not going to solve the problem. But, I believe it did serve a certain individual's agenda.
 
"Secondly, why protest when you are given every opportunity to have a dialogue with the relevant authority and present your case - provided you have the facts and figures.
 
"Thirdly, why argue when in actual fact you should be gathering feedbacks from those affected. My question is "How many are really affected?". 

"Do you have the statistics? MAHB would be more than willing to look at the numbers.You can only put forward your request. You never insist.
 
"Finally, this individual should not mislead the OKUs and make baseless comments.I find this character to be very irresponsible."

PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or Petpositive. Our stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then are now 150,000 and ever increasing! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Kindly note that views expressed in PET+BLOGSPOT are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook under PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support for our work. Thank you!

Accessible buses finally in Malaysia?

Thursday November 13, 2008

Getting in and out of buses a breeze for the disabled

Story and photos by CHARLES FERNANDEZ

FIFTEEN new Nadi Putra buses fitted with special lifters for the disabled or orang kurang upaya (OKU) were recently added to the current fleet of 55 buses servicing Putrajaya.

The newly-introduced buses will display the OKU sticker for easy identification and they come in four colours.

Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique received the buses on behalf of the Putrajaya Corporation (PJC), witnessed by PJC president Tan Sri Samsuddin Osman, FT Deputy Minister Datuk M. Saravanan and FT Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib.

Boost for disabled: A passenger is being lifted onto the bus.

The lifter is placed at the back door and is controlled by the driver and the whole proceeding is viewed via a CCTV network fitted in the bus.

“Before the delivery of the new buses, Nadi Putra had 55 buses with 51 powered by NGV and four diesel-driven ones. Since June 2006 we use NGV for all buses operating here,’’ said Zulhasnan.

He said the 15 buses would service new housing areas in Precincts 5, 6, 15 and 18 to complement the current fleet of buses running the routes in Precincts 9 and 14.

“However, the numbers are still not enough to satisfy the needs of the residents and working community here who are encouraged to use the ‘Park and Ride’ system already in place,’’ added Zulhasnan.

As for long-term plans, Zulhasnan said the government had approved RM70mil for the purchase of another 104 buses which would be introduced in stages within the next two years.

When asked if the disabled community could use the services for free, Samsuddin said for the moment it was free.

“The fare is already subsided. It is only 50 sen,’’ he said.

Samsuddin added that the number of passengers using the Nadi Putra services had also increased from 100,000 in May last year to 230,000 until the end of October this year.

MALAYSIAKINI: Bullet Train To Singapore Scrapped (No Tears From The Handicapped)

QUICK COMMENT: IT'S HARD TO SAY whether news of the scrapping of the bullet train is good news or bad - for the disabled and elderly community.

If plans of the project had continued, there would be some hope that the high speed train would be disabled-friendly. Or would it?

Judging from the past, one could never say if the promises given out by the authorities for a disabled-friendly environment would come into fruition or not.

Remember how disappointed it was for KL-folk when the monorail turned out to be handicapped-unfriendly.

Whatever the case, I think the majority of Malaysians with disabilities would not feel anything about the loss of this latest transportation plans if the blueprint hadn't included accessibility features.

Without it, it won't make any difference to us.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT

Malaysiakini article today:

A proposed multi-billion dollar high speed train linking Kuala Lumpur to Singapore is off the cards due to exorbitant project costs, according to press reports today.

The decision by Malaysia's Economic Planning Unit, which evaluates and helps implement key projects within the country, comes less than a week after both countries said they were exploring the possibility of the link.

"The government will not go ahead with the project because the financial model submitted involves a significant cost to be borne by the government," the Unit's director general Sulaiman Mahbob told the Star daily.

The paper said Sulaiman did not reveal how much the government would have had to bear.

The RM8 billion train project proposed by Malaysian property and utility firm YTL Corp in 2006 envisaged top speeds of 350 kph, cutting journey time from about seven hours to 90 minutes.

Long term saving

YTL's managing director Francis Yeoh had earlier said the new train would save the government "tens of billions of ringgit" in fuel subsidies in the long term, the paper reported.

Last week, Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and his Singapore counterpart George Yeo agreed to study the possibility of the train link.

Yeo said the two sides decided to set up a joint ministerial committee to explore the proposal after Rais raised the issue with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

It takes about five hours to drive between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Malaysia and Singapore's bilateral ties have often been stormy since the city state was ejected from the Malaysian Federation in 1965 over ethnic issues, but they have undergone a marked improvement since Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became prime minister in 2003.

- AFP