AirAsia launches ambulift for disabled passengers

Sharing one of our success story with AIRASIA

v.murugeswaran and m.manoharan HAD AUDIT ACCESS IN TWO KTM STESEN WITH MOT,KTM AND OTHER NGO'S - part 4

v.murugeswaran and m.manoharan HAD AUDIT ACCESS IN TWO KTM STESEN WITH MOT,KTM AND OTHER NGO'S - part 3

v.murugeswaran and m.manoharan HAD AUDIT ACCESS IN TWO KTM STESEN WITH MOT,KTM AND OTHER NGO'S - part 2

v.murugeswaran and m.manoharan HAD AUDIT ACCESS IN TWO KTM STESEN WITH MOT,KTM AND OTHER NGO'S - part 1

What a Shame !!! Ex-Law keeper breaks the rules

The pictures above speak thousand words

The disabled in this country has been facing so many obstacles in carrying out their daily routine. Despite all that, we try our best to live independently with the minimal facilities being provided for us where ever we go. The above pictures were taken at the car park area reserved for disabled drivers at Sunway Pyramid. It took me more than 30 minutes to find a disabled parking lot. Most of the parking lots reserved for disabled are taken and the most frustrating part is that it is taken by “normal” people. It amazes me how irresponsible human being can be at times.

We always complain that the car park reserved for the disabled are being mis-use, the main reason for all this is due to the lack of enforcement by the relevant authorities in this case is the Sunway Pyramid management. The management should clamp a car parked at the designated parking lots which does not have disabled persons sticker.

I have came across so many occasions where car park designated for OKU being mis-used, but yesterday’ incident was indeed a classic one. If you note, the car parked at the OKU parking lots bears a sticker saying “Bekas Penguatkuasa Polis” (No indication that it’s belongs to a disabled person ). How can ex- police officer mis-use facilities provided for the disabled? It is such a humiliation to the police department. I sincerely believe that when one put such stickers on their car they bear huge responsibilities to act in a best manner and be an example for the public at large.

I have put a very “polite” note on his car, hopefully the next time he has an intention of parking his car at places designated for OKU he will come to think of my note .

IBM helps NGO to reach out to the disabled

The run’s proceeds will go towards Damai’s programmes to reach out to the disabled in rural
PM areas with limited access to its services.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010, 08.07

PETALING JAYA: IBM Malaysia raised RM40,572 for the Damai Disabled Persons Association of Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan (Damai) through its inaugural Smarter Planet Charity Run 2010 recently.

The contribution will help Damai to reach out to disabled people in rural areas with limited access to its services and centres.IBM On Demand Community volunteers have been working closely with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) for the disabled for the past few years on ICT skills training programmes.

The charity run is IBM's continuous corporate responsibility efforts to support Damai's outreach programme.

The run attracted close to 1,500 people and saw the participation of some 800 IBM employees and their families and friends, clients, and business partners. IBM's Smarter Planet Facebook community also showed up. The 5km charity run took place in Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya.
IBM Malaysia managing director Ramanathan Sathiamutty presented the run's proceeds to Damai president V. Murugeswaran at a cheque presentation ceremony just before its flag-off. "The proceeds from this run will enable us to realise our dream of owning a Mobility Van to promote our services in remote and rural areas," said Murugeswaran.For IBM, the charity run is about making the world a better place to live, building a smarter planet and improving quality of life.

"We are glad that our contributions will help Damai to reach out to, educate and develop those who are in need in areas otherwise not reacheable," said Ramanathan.By a smarter planet, IBM means building cities and infrastructure for better services to the people, excellent public transport that caters to people from all walks of life, and education systems and talent development programmes that will equip Malaysians with the skills to contribute to the country's development.

IBM SMARTER PLANET CHARITY RUN 07/08/2010

Please click on the header above to view the entire album

Venue : Central Park Avenue, Dataran Bandar Utama

We would like to take this opportunity to thank

IBM SMARTER PLANET CHARITY RUN, specifically Li Ern Phang,Low Nate Chee Mun,Roslin Abdul Rahim and their team members

for the hard work in driving more 1000++ participants and made the event a success.We are also would like to record out highest appreciation to Rama Nathan Managing Director, IBM Malaysia and Mr. Eric Wong Director marketing,communications and corporate citizenship & corporate affairs who had approved RM 40,572.00 being the proceeds from the event to enable Damai to fulfill its dream to own a Mobility VAN for the association members .

The van will be utilized to help our members and non-members to do their daily routine such as attending to their medical check-up, attending an interview, going to work and etc.

Secondly the said van will be utilized mainly to promote awareness camping for the disabled individuals in remote and/or rural areas whereby in the present we have difficulties to reach them due to the inaccessible public transportation.

WE TRULY APPLAUD IBM’S SOCIAL CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITIES

Mr. Rama Nathan Managing Director IBM Malaysia Presenting Mock cheque to President of Damai Mr.V.Murugeswaran

MEETING INVITATION BY KETUA PENGARAH DBKL YBhg Datuk Hj Salleh Bin Yusup

PENYERAHAN MEMORANDUM

OLEH AHLI-AHLI JAWATAN KUASA KERJA PERSATUAN DAMAI

MEMINTA DBKL MENYEDIAKAN KEMUDAHAN INFRASTRUKTUR DAN TEMPAT LETAK KERETA UNTUK ORANG KURANG UPAYA (OKU) DI SEMUA KAWASAN YANG BERADA DI BAWAH BIDANGKUASA DBKL

Tarikh : 28 Julai 2010

Kepada : YBhg Datuk Hj Salleh Bin Yusup
Ketua Pengarah DBKL

'Disabled-unfriendly' KL City Hall comes under fire

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:00

By Patrick Lee

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) came under heavy criticism today for its lackadaisical attitude towards providing better access for disabled persons in the city.

Damai Disabled Persons Association of Selangor and Federal Territory president V.Murugeswaran said a recent meeting with DBKL had proved futile.

“They (DBKL) have set up a Disabled Persons Unit (DPU). The officers, however, are all able-bodied people.“At the meeting, they opposed our list of demands which included our request for ramps and modification to roadside curbs.

“They classified our list of demands as ‘short-term projects’ and had a lot of reasons against it,” said Murugeswaran But what shocked wheelchair-bound V.Murugeswaran most was when they asked him to “understand the situation”.“They want me to understand that it is not easy to build a ramp for disabled people!They want us to compromise and wait... but for how long?”

Murugeswaran said it was obvious that the DPU was set up because of “top-level pressure and the unit was not really bothered”.“After several disappointing responses to our letters, we got fed up with DBKL and turned up to see (Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister) Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin. “He (minister) instructed the DBKL officials to speak with me directly,” he said, adding that this was how DPU could have been set up.FMT caught up with V.Murugeswaran, who together

with representatives from Maybank, were at DBKL yesterday evening to hand over a memorandum to DBKL director-general Salleh Yusuf.The memorandum wants DBKL to expedite the installation of disabled friendly facilities.Quest for facilities Murugeswaran's quest to make Kuala Lumpur more disabled-friendly began in 2008 when he found that one of Damai's members had been taken advantage of.

The member, suffering from a near-total paralysis, had lost RM5,000 after being duped by a “friend”.The money was lost when the member allowed his “friend” to use his ATM card on his behalf.Murugewaran believed that the situation might have been averted if disabled individuals had proper bank access.“We need to be present at the banks to get our pensions and allowances. But most banks are not disabled-friendly.”“The only bank which was willing to listen to our grouses was Maybank,” he said.He said Maybank then embarked on a RM16-million nationwide project to make its branches more disabled-friendly in keeping with its corporate social responsibilities.

Murugeswaran added that some Maybank branches built disabled ramps after getting permission from City Hall.But Murugesan, however, maintained that ramps and modifications to road curbs were the responsibility of DBKL and should not be fobbed off onto the private sector.

FREE COMPUTER CLASS - VOLUNTARY SERVICE BY IBM STAFF HEADED BY Wong Ying Keat

The president of Damai - Mr. V. Murugeswaran was interviewed by Mix FM

The president of Damai – Mr. V. Murugeswaran was interviewed by Lite FM and Mix FM on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ( CRPD ) According to him the convention is TOOTHLESS since Malaysia opted not to ratify the optional protocol.

The Person’s with disability Act which was passed in 2007 also can be placed in the same category as no single provisions in the said act which provide for sanction and/or punishment if the rights conferred under the act is not implemented.

In fact there is legislation which was enacted much earlier than the said act which is left redundant i.e Uniform Building By-Laws and The Street and Drainage Act.

It is high time for the Malaysian Government to sign the optional protocol and to draw-up an Anti Discrimination Act to supplement The Person’s with disability Act 2007 which will then be an effective tool to protect the rights of the disabled people in this country

The president of Damai - Mr. V. Murugeswaran was interviewed by Lite FM

Malaysia Signs Convention On Rights Of Persons With Disabilities

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysia on Tuesday signed the instrument to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and withdrew its reservations on several articles in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

The signing of the instrument by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil showed the government's commitment to protecting and improving the welfare of the disabled, women and children.Shahrizat said the Convention on the disabled outlined eight common principles, including respect and self-reliance, removing discrimination against the disabled, and their full and effective participation in society."We hope it will bring change to the lives of the disabled in this country," she said at the signing ceremony, here.Shahrizat also handed over the instrument ratifying the Convention to Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot Jaem to be sent to the United Nations for further action.

On the withdrawing of Malaysia' reservations on certain articles in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Shahrizat said the government would give children the freedom to have their say and the right to form associations and to assemble peacefully.

She said the move was in line with the recognition given to children's rights as they would be the nation's future leaders.Besides that, she added, the government would also fix the minimum age for women to marry and make the marriage registration compulsory, remove prejudices and customs that discriminated against women, and stress on opportunities to be given to women to hold public office.

Shahrizat said when the government agreed to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, it acted by appointing two women as Syariah Court judges recently."This is a positive step in raising the status of women in this country by giving them important decision-making positions," she said.-- BERNAMA

The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes

Preview Ten Outstanding Young Malaysian (TOYM ) Award

Maybank shows some heart for disabled

streets

2010/06/20By Naveen Mathew Menon

CHERAS: Banking giant Maybank has once again shown its compassionate side by launching five disabled-friendly branches and 11 other branches with some disabled-friendly facilities.

Now, the disabled can easily use the banking services in branches such as the one in Taman Connaught. Senior executive president and head of Maybank's Consumer Banking Lim Hong Tat said the bank was happy to offer such facilities to its disabled customers.

"We are pleased to officially launch the largest number of branches, five in total, that provide services and facilities for customers who are physically-challenged, namely wheelchair-bound users," said Lim at the launch of the new branch in Taman Connaught.

"Our disabled-friendly facilities extend from outside the building with designated parking lots and ramps to provide easy access from the main road to the branch premises."There are specially-built ATM machines installed at a suitable height for those requiring self-service banking, cash deposit machines as well as a customer care desk for those who require counter services.

"The facilities at this branch have been designed in accordance with the Guidelines On Buildings Requirements For Disabled Persons issued by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government as well as input from the Damai Disabled Persons Association."We thank the association for its cooperation in the design of the facilities. The other four disabled-friendly branches are in Sitiawan and Lumut in Perak, Senawang, Negri Sembilan, and the Petaling Jaya main branch. "About RM280,000 was spent to upgrade the branches to be disabled-friendly," he said.

Eleven other branches also incorporated some disabled-friendly features such as ramps for easier access to the premises. Maybank plans to have such disabled-friendly facilities in 12 more branches by the end of July next year."All new branches will incorporate disabled-friendly facilities if the infrastructure of the premises permit and if they are in accordance with local authorities guidelines. Our aim is to have at least one disabled-friendly branch in every state."He added that this initiative was all part of Maybank's core values called "Heart", an acronym for humility, efficiency, appreciation, respect and trust.

"Maybank is celebrating its 50th year in the financial services sector. Given this golden opportunity, we felt there was no better time than now to reaffirm our commitment to the community."Also present at the launch were V. Murugeswaran, president of Damai Disabled Persons Association of Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan and M. Manoharan, vice-president of the association and Janice Ong, branch

manager of Maybank branch in Taman Connaught.

Maybank to enhance customer service

Business News Thursday June 17, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) has allocated RM16mil for its customer service transformation programme that started in April 2010, a senior official from the bank said.

Currently, the pilot programme involves 70 branches in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan, which will be expanded nationwide by August this year, according to senior executive vice-president and head of consumer banking, Lim Hong Tat.

Focus of the programme is on training and development that will enhance the service performance of all Maybank frontline personnel.“So far, about RM3mil to RM4mil has been spent on training and new uniforms,” Lim said after launching the bank’s disabled-friendly branches here yesterday.

Ultimately, Maybank wanted to transform into a one-stop centre where all the customers’ needs could be met in a timely and friendly manner, he said. Maybank, Lim said, had embarked on sharing of best practices for customer services with its unit Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII). BII is ranked first in customer services in Indonesia, according to Lim.

On the launch yesterday, Lim said Maybank had invested RM280,000 to upgrade five branches to be disabled-friendly, and these comprised those in Taman Connaught in Cheras, Sitiawan and Lumut in Perak, Senawang in Negri Sembilan, and the Petaling Jaya main branch.
“At 11 other branches, we also have some disabled-friendly facilities such as ramps for easier access to the premises,” he said.

Maybank also plans to have such facilities in 12 more existing branches by the end of July 2011, with estimated cost of up to RM40,000 per branch. — Bernama

Lim said all new branches would incorporate disabled-friendly facilities as allowed by the infrastructure of the premises and in accordance with the local authorities’ guidelines

Maybank peruntuk RM16 juta tingkat khidmat pelanggan

Lim Hong Tat (tiga dari kiri) memberi layanan kepada orang kurang upaya selepas majlis pelancaran cawangan Maybank untuk orang kurang upaya di Maybank Taman Connaught, Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR 16 Jun - Malayan Banking Bhd. (Maybank) memperuntukkan RM16 juta bagi program transformasi perkhidmatan pelanggannya yang bermula sejak April lalu.

Naib Presiden Eksekutif Kanan dan Ketua Perbankan Penggunanya, Lim Hong Tat berkata, program perintis yang melibatkan 70 buah cawangan Maybank yang kini meliputi Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Melaka dan Negeri Sembilan itu akan diperluaskan ke seluruh negara menjelang Ogos tahun ini.

Beliau berkata, fokus kepada program transformasi ini ialah latihan dan pembangunan yang mana akan meningkatkan perkhidmatan para petugas di kaunter hadapan cawangan-cawangan Maybank.

"Sehingga kini Maybank telah membelanjakan RM3 juta hingga RM4 juta untuk latihan dan pakaian baru," katanya kepada media selepas melancarkan cawangan Maybank yang menyediakan kemudahan mesra orang kurang upaya di Taman Connaught di sini hari ini.
Menurut Hong Tat, program transformasi perkhidmatan pelanggan telah memberi kejayaan kepada Maybank yang mana Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) telah memenangi tempat pertama bagi anugerah amalan terbaik untuk perkhidmatan pelanggan di Indonesia.

Sementara itu, Maybank Taman Connaught merupakan antara lima buah cawangan yang dipertingkatkan dengan kemudahan orang kurang upaya dan bank tersebut telah melabur sebanyak RM280,000 bagi menyediakan kemudahan tersebut.

Cawangan lain yang menyediakan kemudahan mesin juruwang automatik yang direndahkan serta laluan untuk kerusi roda ialah di Sitiawan dan Lumut di Perak, Senawang di Negeri Sembilan dan cawangan utama Petaling Jaya di Selangor.

Hong Tat berkata, Maybank merancang untuk menaik taraf kemudahan seperti itu di 12 cawangan lain sehingga Julai ini dengan anggaran kos antara RM40,000 bagi sebuah cawangan.
Tambahnya, semua cawangan baru itu akan menyediakan kemudahan untuk golongan kurang upaya sebagaimana yang dibenarkan oleh pihak berkuasa tempatan.