Welfare

Zion Harvey became the world’s youngest recipient of a double hand transplant earlier this month, after a complicated 10-hour operation performed by doctors at the The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

A letter from MTL, Kuala Lumpur

The 25th anniversary of the American Disability Act is striking a bitter chord in global citizens with disability, including Malaysians.

University of Pittsburgh scientists are working with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under a two-year, $2.3 million sub-award to develop the new International Society of Wheelchair Professionals.

Previous studies have shown that houses for wheelchair-users have various benefits, such as reducing the need for care service and the cost of modifying the house. These special homes enable young PWDs to leave their family home and lead an independent life; reduce home care and lessen the risk o f falls for older wheelchair-users.

Limbs for Life Prostheses Centre is an initiative to help poor amputees who cannot afford an artificial limb.

In Malaysia, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been cooperating for six years with local authorities to help address this problem and since 2005 the agency and the Malaysian Welfare Department began a project to train so-called job coaches who support job seekers with disabilities.