Accessibility

The Rotary Club of George Town raised funds to buy a RM65,000 brand new MPV for the Eden Handicap Service Centre Penang to transport those who are intellectually disabled.

A “life-changing” app that can track disabled rail users in real-time will be rolled out nationwide in Britain. The app will update station staff on where a passenger is at any point, useful in the event of a delay, change of platform or missed train. Four rail companies are using an early version, with the full one to be available across Britain next autumn.

As a special needs teacher who works with adults with special needs including autism, the recent case of Ahmad Ziqri Morshidi, the 22-year-old man with autism who was arrested for allegedly molesting a woman, highlighted to me how ignorance about autism drives people’s reaction to it.

In light of the plastic straw ban in the Federal Territories next year, advocates representing persons with disabilities (PWDs) have urged eateries to provide alternative drinking straws to those with limited physical movements. “Straws are needed by those with neurological problems or have limited physical movement such as tetraplegics or quadriplegics,” said founder and chairman of the non-governmental organisation OKU Sentral Ras Adiba Radzi.

Lazimnya, apabila berdepan dengan golongan istimewa itu, rata-rata masyarakat akan menunjukkan simpati dan belas kasihan terhadap mereka. Namun, sejauh manakah tahap pemahaman individu normal tentang golongan istimewa ini?

My second year of high school, my best friend had to have surgery and needed to use a wheelchair for a while. Her return to school was horrible. The school didn’t accommodate her the way they were legally supposed to. She felt like a burden every time she asked for help with anything. For me, her experience was a wake up call.

Many of us take getting around our cities and towns for granted. But it’s not as easy for those with a disability, and the elderly. Not knowing where the toilets are for instance – and are they accessible?
This can impact a person’s social experience and sometimes whether they even leave the house. How can we make design more inclusive?

She founded Disrupt Disability, an organisation with the aim of drastically reducing the cost of custom wheelchairs using tech solutions like 3D printing and making custom chairs widely available.

Hadeel Ayoub slips a black glove onto her hand before beginning the swish of sign language that is meaningless to the untrained observer. Then she pushes a button on her wrist, and a small speaker relays the message drawn in the air: “Let’s Dance!”

Nearly 13% of the American population has a disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest findings. Speaking personally, I have a 20-year-old son with special needs who would be positively impacted by more acceptance and tolerance, and who I believe brings hidden talents and gifts to the table that should not be ignored.