It’s a bit of a lifeline, a chance to share a conversation, an opportunity to feel part of something. However, living on the first floor of a housing block, I have a new incarcerator, whose reliability is often very poor – the lift.

Microsoft Malaysia, in collaboration with We Rock the Spectrum Gym, today organised an Hour of Code to commemorate the World Autism Awareness Day 2018. The event hosted children on the autism spectrum to introduce coding through its Hour of Code Minecraft tutorial.

Four-year-old Dharma sits silently, his body rocking and his thumb tucked securely in his mouth. The teacher counts to 10 and then with the help of his mother, lifts him to his feet so he can complete his exercise. He’s supposed to push a box filled with toys towards his waiting mother who stands at the opposite end of the room coaxing and cheering him on.

A Chinese climber who lost both legs to frostbite on Everest four decades ago is hoping to finally reach the summit after Nepal’s top court overruled a controversial government ban on blind and double amputee climbers. Xia Boyu is the first double amputee to be given a permit to climb the world’s highest mountain after the ban was revoked.

Decked out in white shirts and bow ties, Qamar Hariz Kamarul Ariffin, 14, and Muhd Aliff Taufiq Mohd Yusni, 15, were supposed to be in school but they were asked to represent the National Autism Society (Nasom) and sing at the Youth and Sports Ministry in Putrajaya.

To educate and foster wider acceptance of special athletes in the country, Special Olympics Malaysia (SOM) is sending a delegation of 52 athletes and coaches to compete in the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2019 in Abu Dhabi. That’s more than the 23 athletes who competed in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles.

ALTHOUGH he is partly hearing impaired, Abdul Hakim Abdul Majid wanted to prove he could do well in his Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations.

When Eman Sulaeman begged his parents to let him play football, the couple worried their young son – born with no feet and just one full leg – would be mocked. But two decades later, the 30-year-old Indonesian goalkeeper is wowing crowds at home and abroad with his “cat-like” reflexes, and sending a powerful message about people with disabilities.