Friday, November 19, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Another change to be brought about by DAMAI - Positive Feedback from DBKL
Earlier this year Damai had wrote a letter to Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan to highlight and seek resolution on the allocation of car park for disabled drivers in areas fall under DBKL jurisdiction.
Pursuant to the said letter, Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan Datuk Raja Nong Chik had instructed Ketua Pengarah DBKL to conduct a meeting with Damai’s representative on the said issue (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/8546-disabled-unfriendly-kl-city-hall-comes-under-fire). We had on the same day submitted a memorandum to the Ketua Pengarah seeking an immediate action to resolve the said problem. The Memorandum also contains Damai’s recommendation on the specification and design for disable car park.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and identify areas which in need of disabled parking lots. Damai had highlighted to DBKL that all areas under DBKL jurisdiction must provide parking for PWD. DBKL shouldn’t pick and choose areas which can be deemed as “an area urgently requires parking for PWD”.
However we were informed by the representative from DBKL that they want to have a pilot project in specific areas identified by Damai before they can decide to implement the same in all areas within their jurisdiction.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Use budget allocation for disabled training
V Murugeswaran Oct 19, 10 4:18pm
The government had allocated RM6.4 billion under the 2011 Budget for the Education Ministry to build and upgrade schools, hostels, facilities and equipment.
The Ministry of Education shall draw up an intensive and comprehensive plan to ensure the money allocated to upgrade schools will be utilized in line with the ‘inclusive education’ system.
The inclusive education system comprises of an accessible infrastructure and well-trained teachers whom can cater for all students.
The inclusive system will enable the disabled students to attend ‘normal schools’ just like their normal peers without being segregated to their own group based on their disabilities.
This problem has been long overlooked by the government. The importance of education can be emulated by Edward Everett’s famous quote ‘Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army’.
And a whooping RM1.2 billion has been allocated to the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development to carry out various welfare and community programmes which include RM280 million for training programs to benefit 80,000 registered disabled individuals in this country.
I strongly recommend the allocation should be utilized more to provide comprehensive training such as IT courses, automobile repairing, sales and marketing and others to enable the disabled individuals to cope up with the rapidly growing economic and contribute to the productivity of the country.
The writer is president, Damai Disabled Persons Association Sel & WP.
Monday, October 18, 2010
No ramp at bank, so they have to wait outside for transactions
These people have to wait outside, come rain or shine, unlike the able-bodied customers who enjoy a conducive banking environment within the premises.
The bank has no ramp access, and as such wheelchair-bound customers cannot get inside.
This group of people are regular customers at the BSN branch as they have to withdraw their Disabled Workers Allowance (DWA) of RM300 banked into their account by the Social Welfare Department.
The DWA is an incentive introduced in 2008 by the government for disabled workers, registered with the department, earning RM750 or less a month. Its aim was to encourage the disabled to be more productive.
More than a hundred disabled workers have been suffering since the transaction is done outside the bank, where a bank officer goes back and forth to the counter inside to process their transactions, before the money is handed over under public scrutiny.
Handicraft maker Mehboob Sulaiman said she was not keen on having her transaction done in the open as it makes her a target for theft.
"I have no choice but to do my banking transactions outside as there are no ramps built for us. The ramps and hand-held bars will be useful not only for the disabled but old folks, too, who find using the staircase cumbersome," she said.
Trader A. Rajoo said that on one occasion, he and his wife were forced to leave the bank as there was no bank officer to help them.
Although Rajoo said he had asked a bank customer to get a bank officer to come outside, no one came.
"As it had started to rain, we had to go home," he said.
Damai Disabled Persons Association president V. Murugeswaran said the bank should consider installing disabled friendly facilities, and treat the disabled customers like any other.
"We had a similar problem with another bank but they took our plea seriously and made it possible for us to access the bank. We hope the same can be done here," he said.
Disabled can do more if we help the right way
Monday October 18, 2010
THE Government has allocated RM6.4bil for the Education Ministry to build and upgrade schools, hostels, facilities and equipment.
The Ministry is to draw up an intensive and comprehensive plan to ensure the money allocated will be utilised in line with an “inclusive” education system.
The inclusive education system comprises accessible infrastructure and well-trained teachers to meet the needs of all students.
The system will thus enable disabled students to attend “normal” schools just like their peers without being segregated.
This problem has been long overlooked by the Government. The importance of education can be emulated by Edward Everett’s famous quote “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army”.
A whooping RM1.2bil has been allocated to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to carry out various welfare and community programmes, including RM280mil for training programmes to benefit the 80,000 registered disabled individuals in Malaysia.
I strongly recommend that the allocation be utilised more to provide comprehensive training programmes such as IT courses, automobile repairing, sales and marketing and others to enable the disabled to cope with the rapidly growing economic.
It will also help them contribute to the productivity of the country.
Mr. V.MURUGESWARAN,
President, Damai Disabled Persons Association,
Selangor and Wilayah Perseketuan.
Budget 2011: Help the disabled
The ministry should draw up a comprehensive plan to ensure that the money is utilised in line with the "inclusive education" system.
The inclusive education system comprises an accessible infrastructure and well-trained teachers who can cater for all students.
The inclusive system will enable disabled students to attend "normal schools" just like their normal peers without being segregated based on their disabilities
.
This problem has been long overlooked by the government.
The importance of education can be seen in Edward Everett's famous words: "Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army".
A huge sum of RM1.2 billion has been allocated to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to carry out various welfare and community programmes, which include RM280 million for training programmes to benefit 80,000 registered disabled people in the country.
I strongly recommend that the allocation be utilised more to provide comprehensive training and courses on fields such as information technology, automobile repair, sales and marketing to enable the disabled to cope with the current economic situation and contribute to the country.
V. MURUGESWARAN,
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Perkhidmatan BANK Komuniti yang tidak mesra OKU
Saya merujuk kepada perkara di atas.
Persatuan Damai ingin membawa perhatian pihak Tuan terhadap masalah yang dihadapi oleh golongan OKU dalam menggunakan fasiliti-failiti yang disediakan oleh BSN memandangkan kebanyakkan daripada cawangan BSN adalah tidak mesra OKU. Malah , kami telah membawa kepada perhatian media akan kesukaran yang ahli-ahli persatuan kami secara khususnya dan kesemua komuniti OKU secara amnya alami di Kepong sewaktu ingin mengeluarkan elaun OKU setiap bulan.
It’s not a walk in the park to get your welfare aid
Trying time for the disabled
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?sec=central&file=/2010/10/2/central/7145026
BSN vows to be disabled-friendly
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/11320-bsn-vows-to-be-disabled-friendly
Pihak BSN telah melalui satu kenyataan akhbar online (Free Malaysia Today) menyatakan bahawa akan mengambil langkah segera bagi mengatasi masalah tersebut. Namun begitu sehingga hari ini kami masih tidak nampak sebarang langkah positif yang diambil oleh pihak BSN untuk mengotakan janjinya.
Pihak BSN mengelar dirinya sebagai satu “Bank Komuniti” namun begitu cawangan-cawangannya tidak mesra OKU, ini jelas menunjukkan golongan OKU di Negara ini tidak termasuk dalam definisi “Komuniti” yang dimaksudkan oleh BSN.
Baru-baru ini kami telah berkerjasama dengan pihak Maybank bagi isu yang sama. Pihak Maybank telah memgubahsuai beberapa cawangan mereka dan dalam proses untuk mengubahsuai lebih banyak lagi cawangannya agar ianya dapat berkhidmat kepada golongan OKU di Negara ini. Sila rujuk laman blog persatuan Damai untuk mendapatkan gambaran lanjut. http://damaidisabledpersonsassociation.blogspot.com/
Bagi pengetahuan pihak BSN terdapat undang-undang kecil (UBBL) yang memerlukan semua bangunan awam dibina dengan spesifikasi mesra OKU. Saya lampirkan disini sesalinan undang-undang kecil tersebut bagi rujukan pihak BSN.
Mr. V.Murugeswaran
PRESIDENT
Damai Disabled Persons Association Sel & W.P.
No. 4, Lorong 1A/71J, Jalan Carey,
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel : 03 7782 3603 / Fax: 03 7782 3962.
Website: www.damai.org.my
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Budget 2011 reactions
A Success story – Joint effort by MAYBANK and Damai Disabled Persons Association
Damai had earlier this year highlighted to the media and the Malaysian community through various electronic media and news papers on the impact of having financial institutions which are not accessible for people with disabilities (PWD) especially for those who are on wheelchair. http://www.damai.org.my/nstonline1.html
MPPJ had also played their part in this success story, they had provided special parking bay for PWD right in front of Maybank. I was amazed with the signboard which read “Di Larang Meletak Kenderaan Di Petak Kereta Kecuali OKU Sahaja”. I have to commend MPPJ for playing their role in providing car parks for disabled drivers and hope to see more designated parking for PWD’s in areas which fall under MPPJ’s jurisdiction. Having said that, I also sincerely hope that MPPJ’s officers will ensure that the car park designated for PWD’s will not be misused by public.
Pictures below speaks by itself. The success story of the joint project by Maybank and Damai
Few doors away from the renovated branch, I saw Bank Simpanan Nasional and immediately my mind wander to the issue Damai had highlighted in relation to the hardship PWD’s have to endure in getting their “PWD monthly allowance” from BSN branch at Kepong. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/10979-its-not-a-walk-in-the-park-to-get-your-welfare-aid
Bank Simpanan Nasional should take immediate steps to ensure they cater for PWD’s since they are one of the financial institutions which in-charge for distributing the monthly allowance. At the moment, PWD who intends to go to BSN (PJ branch) can utilize the designated car park and the ramp built by Maybank. I strongly urge BSN to keep to their promise to renovate the branches to cater PWD http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/11320-bsn-vows-to-be-disabled-friendly
Pictures below reflect the hurdles PWD’s have to endure every month . Time for BSN to emulate Maybank’s effort
Budget 2011: Good but not good enough
FRI, 15 Oct 2010 21:19 By Patrick Lee
Friday, October 8, 2010
BSN vows to be disabled-friendly
By Patrick Lee
FRI, 08 OCT 2010 15:25
PETALING JAYA: Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) has promised to make most of its branches disabled-friendly.
“We have received the same feedback from our customers on the same matter and are in the midst of providing (wheelchair) ramps,” said a BSN spokesperson.The bank also told FMT that its staff would provide help to its
disabled customers whenever necessary.At the BSN Kepong Baru branch last week, FMT noticed how a group of disabled people were made to wait along a busy road to receive their social welfare payments.With no wheelchair ramp, the disabled people said sometimes they had to wait for over 30 minutes before being attended to by a bank officer.A number of senior citizens present also had trouble making their way into the bank.Calling itself a “community bank” that was “progressively improving”, the spokesperson said that the bank was in the process of providing access at many of its branches.However, BSN did not mention when it was going to build a wheelchair ramp for its Kepong Baru branch.'
Lame excuse'
President of the Damai Disabled Persons Association,V Murugesan, was not impressed.“It's a lame excuse. They are only trying to calm us down and make us wait. Anybody can say something like that. They have been saying this for umpteen years. Helping the disabled is not a one or two-day issue,” he said.The wheelchair-bound activist said while BSN did not have a listening ear, other banks such as Maybank were more attentive.FMT previously reported that Maybank had embarked on a RM16-million nationwide project to make its branches more disabled-friendly.Murugesan said that 12 Maybank branches, including six in the Klang Valley, had added wheelchair ramps to their outlets.“Not only does Maybank talks to us, but we also go to their branches and test the ramps (for them),” he said.In comparison, Murugesan said BSN had failed to contact Damai or any other disabled association regarding the matter.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.come
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The disabled go to the bank to collect their monthly disabled persons allowance.
S. Krishnan, 36, said the lack of a ramp made it difficult for some disabled people to be independent because they had to depend on customers who were walking in or out of the bank to get assistance.
On the streets: A bank employee attending to (from left) Krishnan, Mehboob Sulaiman and Murugeswaran outside the bank.
Photo by P. NATHAN
“The bank employees then come to us and the transaction is made outside the bank. It can be dangerous because there is a risk that we could become victims of snatch thieves,” he told reporters at the bank yesterday.
He added that the narrow one-way street also made it hard for both the disabled and other road users.Krishnan said there were at least 50 disabled people in the area from various disabled persons’ associations.
The association president, V. Murugeswaran, said every building should provide disabled-friendly facilities under the Uniform Building By Law.
He added that the disabled also dealt with banks and they should also be treated equally with facilities needed by them.
“We had the same problem with another bank before, but it responded well to our pleas and made it possible for us to access its building. We hope the same can be done here,” he said.
Friday, October 1, 2010
It’s not a walk in the park to get your welfare aid
