Daniel Hakimi Mohd Rostam may only be 12 years old, but the budding footballer from Pahang already possesses qualities of a good goalkeeper. Displaying amazing agility and able to perform reflex saves, Daniel Hakimi has been Shahzan Junior football club’s main goalie in both domestic and international competitions since joining the squad four years ago. Unknown to many, however, Daniel Hakimi, who is third of four siblings, has autism and his journey into football has helped him unlock a deep passion for the game.

How does a blind silver medallist runner become a cyclist within three months and earn four golds in a regional cycling competition? Nur Azlia Syafina Mohd Zais, 19, did just that when she took up cycling as a challenge in June, and bagged fours golds – in the women’s 1km, women’s Sprint, women’s 3,000m and the women’s road race – at the 9th Asean Para Games in Kuala Lumpur in September.

THEY may seem simple but colourful greeting cards are at the heart of a long-term project to benefit the disabled. “Art of Hope uses art to ensure a sustainable source of income for disabled children and their families,” said Society for the Severely Mentally Handicapped Selangor and Federal Territory (SSMH) president Fadillah Yakin.

UPON waking up one day Mohamad Shafiq Mohamed Jamil decided not to give in to depression due to his physical disability. The 22-year-old then found out about the Bangi Industrial Training and Rehabilitation Centre (PLPP) online and decided to enrol for the Fashion Design and Sewing course there.

THE disabled community welcomes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s announcement that the allowances of employed and non-employed persons with disabilities, as well as their caretakers, would be increased by RM50 per month.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – SPEAK MODalities LLC, a company that develops software tools to help children diagnosed with severe, nonverbal autism or other communicative disorders, was recently recognized for best product design in the medical devices category at the 2017 Electronic Component News Impact Awards in Chicago.

Penantian seorang lelaki warga emas orang kurang upaya (OKU) untuk mendapatkan MyKad bakal tercapai apabila Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) Perak memberi khidmat bantuan Unit Mobile Ehsan JPN ke rumahnya di Teluk Intan hari ini. Ismail Sokri, 68, yang masih memegang kad pengenalan plastik berkata sekumpulan kakitangan jabatan itu datang ke rumahnya bagi memperbaharui kad pengenalan lama yang dimilikinya selepas tidak mampu ke JPN kerana lumpuh.

Laura Weiderholt (left) and Taylor Schumacher (right), both have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which is a form of dysautonomia that affects the proper functionality of the automatic nervous system. The two met as teaching assistants in their genetics lab. Weiderholt was instrumental in helping Schumacher become diagnosed with POTS last fall.

A few days after she was born, Sandra Tiong lost her sight and never had the opportunity to see the world. She is among 286 candidates of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Batu Lintang, taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, which kicked off today.

I have a speech disability — a stutter — and interactions with strangers have the potential to be, at the very least, extremely awkward; at worst, I have been mocked, insulted, misjudged or refused service. I avoid interacting with new people, fearful of their judgment. Using the ATM offered me more than just convenience.