PWDs CAPABLE WORKERS

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Persons with disabilities are capable of performing up to par in the workplace despite their shortcomings if given ample opportunity and proper guidance, a career symposium was told today."Persons with disabilities, especially the visually challenged, are hardworking, not easily influenced by external forces, and are less distracted people," said president of the Malaysian Society for the Blind Mah Hassan Omar.He told the National Career Symposium for the Visually Challenged 2008 here that employers were reluctant to employ persons with disabilities because they felt that they needed to look out for their well-being."In fact, all they need is to be given the opportunity to work and proper guidance," he said.Mah said there were some irresponsible employers who took advantage of the situation when they handed out work beyond the disabled person's capacity."There were also complaints that their employers did not even provide them with desks to work on," he said.The Public Service Department (PSD) had create 10,000 jobs for persons with disabilities but only 700 of them were registered with the public sector, he said.The two-day symposium is to initiate better understanding between employers and the visually challenged workers as well as to provide updated information on facilities and equipment with the latest technology to assist in increasing the productivity and quality of the visually challenged workers.-- BERNAMA

3 DECEMBER 2008

International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The 2008 theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and justice for all of us". Since its beginning, the United Nations has been committed to realization of universal human rights for all, including the rights of persons with disabilities. This commitment has been translated into international norms and standards, such as international human rights conventions and international, national and local action for making a difference in the lives of people all over the world.2008 is a significant year for taking action to make this commitment a reality: the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, legally binding instruments as well as the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Wednesday December 3, 2008
Disabled in Subang Jaya voice their woes
By OH ING YEEN
THE disabled community will have something to look forward next year, Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu announced at the recent Dialogue with OKU (people with disablities) that there would be a special welfare programme for the disabled in the state next year.

The objective of the meeting was to provide a platform for people with disabilities living in Subang Jaya to voice out their problems and to seek solutions.

“This dialogue will be useful as we can use it as a reference for the programme,” he said, declining to reveal further information about the programme as it is still in the planning stage.

Disabled-friendly environment needed: Kok telling the difficulties he faces in travelling.

Also present at the meeting were Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) secretary Slamat Hamzah, Social Welfare Department (JKM) officer Jama’eah Abdul Ghani, sign language interpreter Azlina Mohamad Isa, as well as MPSJ councillors Ng Sze Han, Gary Chong, Sapiyan Mohd Din, Rabiah Omar, Datuk Dr Subramaniam @ Mutu Nadarajan, Joseph Xavier and Chia Yew Ken. Agnes Lee, who is involved in rights for the disabled, was the moderator.

Preceding the meeting was a performance by members of the Beautiful Gate Foundation, which drew cheers from the audience.

Among the issues and suggestions put forward by the disabled and their caretakers were:
>Improvements at the Social Welfare Department in terms of parking and accessibility;
>MPSJ to rectify the inconsistency in the distribution of stickers for the disabled and caretakers;
Awesome: Performers from the Beautiful Gate Foundation drew applause from the audience for their amazing performance.
>A government hospital in Subang Jaya;
>Education and job opportunities for the disabled;
>JKM to improve on its services; and
>Flexibility in banking in the allowance for the by the JKM.

Alan Kok, who is wheelchair-bound, hoped that Subang Jaya could be a more disabled-friendly place to live in.
“Even if some buses have disabled-user facilities, I have difficulty travelling to the bus stop itself.
“We have a lot to offer; it’s not that we don’t want to work. We can work from home, and in jobs like translating and web-designing,” he said.

Citing the MBPJ Transit OKU as an example, some voiced the need for a similar mode of transport for the disabled in Subang Jaya as well as other municipalities. “This is so that the disabled can travel from one town or city to another without transportation problems,” said Bathmavathi Khrishnan of the Malay­sian Confederation of the Disabled.
She also raised the issue of the need for a government hospital in Subang Jaya and for the public community halls to be more accessible.

Yeoh said while some of the issues could not be solved on the spot, the problems and suggestions would be compiled and looked into.
She added that flaws in the system would be highlighted to the decision makers for action.

She appealed to the media to highlight the need for employers to offer jobs for the disabled.
She also commended the caretakers and was choked with emotion when she related the experience of her bedridden grandfather.
“You are also taxpayers, you are also Malaysians, you deserve every right, just like all of us,” Yeoh told the members of the disabled community who were present.

Jama’eah said the process for the disabled to register with the social welfare department.
“You will be issued a card, which is like a licence, and it is useful when applying for financial assistance, OKU organisation membership, workshops and other benefits.

“For those who are bedridden, the representative can send the application on their behalf.
“A doctor will then verify the category of disability,” she said.

Slamat said that “OKU” should mean “Orang Kuat Usaha” instead of “Orang Kurang Upaya”.
“We will do our best at our level for sustainable planning for every- one,” he said.

“The issues brought up today can be resolved but it will involve various parties, such as the Social Welfare Department, Special Education Department, Works Ministry and other relevant parties,” Liu said

Announcement - Courtesy New Straits Times
PUBLIC FORUM : STEM CELL THERAPY in Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre

UPDATE ON STEM CELL THERAPY by Dr. Chua Kok Seng Consultant Anaesthetist. Some stem cell therapies are already established and are carried out all over the world. These transplants are already saving lives but they are mainly limited to the haematopoietic system. In the last decade, stem cell research has been progressing at a furious pace and the landscape is changing by the month. Now stem cell research is venturing into areas of medicine that were once considered as “incurable” and these areas are diabetes mellitus, stroke & spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, end stage cardiac failure, and the list goes on and on. Come and listen to what the present and future stem cell therapies can do for you.

21 September 2008 (Sunday)
2.00 pm, Auditorium, 8th Floor,
Contact person:Miss Sheemi Mayanti
Contact no:03 - 4255 2761

MBPJ BUDGET DIALOGUE

15 September 2008
Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya held its Budget 2009 discussion this afternoon. Together with Residents’ Associations, and other NGOs, several disabled persons’ organisations from PJ were also invited to a dialogue session to give their suggestions on how the RM 250 million or so collected from assessment, quit rent and other rentals is to be spent in the following year to develop PJ into a truly livable city.

I attended the meeting representing the Malaysian Confederation of the Disabled.

In the morning I called our State Assemblyman for Bukit Gasing and Residents’ Association President YB Edward Lee to ask if he was going. He said he was, and so kindly offered to give me a lift. No he was not my driver, the son drove us.

At MBPJ I met some familiar faces - Anthony Arokia, President of Persatuan Mobiliti (that provides transport service for PWDs for a nominal fee), Manogaran, Vice-President of Damai Disabled Persons’ Association, Thomas Yeoh from Beautiful Gate Foundation and Mary Chen from Dignity & Services, who is also the editor of Malaysia’s first cross-disability magazine Challenges.

However, conspicuously absent at that very important dialogue session was Anthony Thanasayan, a disabled person who was recently appointed as MBPJ Councillor.

I was pleasantly surprised that the Mayor, Dato Mohd. Roslan Sakiman himself chaired the session. He was very approachable, listened intently to our suggestions, personally took down notes, and did not hesitate to give clarifications where it was necessary.

Our suggestions:

(1) to strictly and speedily enforce the Uniform Building By-Laws (Sect. 34A of the Street & Drainage Act)

(2) to re-activate the ‘Technical Committee on Buildings’ that was set up about three years ago comprising PWDs

(3) to have more than one Transit OKU special bus service for PWDs, as the demand for it is overwhelming. To have a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the service, to have sufficient staff to take calls, arrange the schedules etc.

(4) to ensure that the built environment, particularly walkways are barrier-free, and to have ramps and curb cuts adhere to recommended specifications

(5) to make bus stops accessible – in view of low floor wheelchair accessible RapidKL buses being introduced, and the PJ community buses (picking up and dropping off elderly passengers who have mobility problems)

(6) to have accessibility for PWDs at places of recreation and sports and also at community halls ( covered car parks, ramps, lifts, toilets)

(7) to have railings along roads that are close to monsoon drains ( for safety of blind persons)

(8) to have bleeping signals together with an activation button at pedestrian crossings and traffic lights (for blind persons and wheelchair users)

(9) to have tactile surfaces near buildings and entrances to serve as a guide for blind persons.

(10) to also extend free medical services to PWDs (currently offered to only elderly and low income groups)

At the end of the meeting which lasted about 3 hours, the Mayor summed up the suggestions from the floor and gave us the assurance that they would be incorporated into the budget.

26th – 27th August 2008
OUT OF KLANG VALLEY AND BACK
Got a call from Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) on 25th afternoon inviting me to participate in a workshop at Malacca on setting up the Association of Sports and Recreation for PWDs (state and national level) . I was asked to be there by the evening of 26th for the briefing. The workshop was on 27th August. Oh no... I thought how? I’m gonna miss the excitement of waiting for the announcement of the Permatang Pauh by-election results!!

I weighed the pros and cons and also quickly figured out how much that trip would cost me in RINGGIT for fuel and toll! Thought about it for a while... but then I just could not say ‘no’ to the invitation especially when the KBS officer insisted on my attending it as my name was recommended by a sports officer in her department. So I took it up as a national service!

26th August 2008
In the afternoon I dashed to the workshop to give my car a quick check-up. Got my mechanic to inspect the fluid levels in the various compartments under the bonnet, test all indicator lights and check the tyres. After checking he gave an ok, and off I went at 4.20 p.m.

It has been a few years since I did an outstation stint in my car. During my first twenty odd years I drove a lot especially to Ipoh, Cameron Highlands, Penang, Alor Star and south to Seremban and Port Dickson. This was my first trip to Malacca.

Outstation driving is indeed a different ball game. I had to re-tune my brain. I had to keep a comfortable distance between my car and the vehicle in front and back – which is different on the trunk road; to ‘feel’ the speed of my car; compute quickly time needed to overtake a vehicle – depending on whether it is a car, lorry, tanker or bus, the clearance available, look into the rear and side mirrors to gauge the speed of cars approaching on the fast lane etc. These kept me alert and awake. Of course I also had my usual repertoire of sentimental Tamil old songs from the 1960s and early 70s to keep me company as I enjoyed the drive.

As it was a weekday there was hardly any traffic heading south. I took a relatively slow drive, admiring the scenic view on both sides. I think we are blessed to be living in Malaysia which still has vast areas of unspoilt natural beauty. Of course while approaching townships I could see some hillocks and plains being balded in the name of development. However it was a pleasure to get away from the hustle and bustle of Klang Valley for a change. The lush greenery and natural vegetation, the tropical rainforests, hills and mountains in the distance, the neatly planted rows and rows of oil palm trees were picture perfect against a clear blue sky – and it was soothing to the eyes and mind.

Upon exiting the Air Keroh exchange I thought I would soon be entering the town proper. When I saw no sign of it I called my friend Dawa, only to find out that I had to do another ten kilometers before reaching Malacca town.

I reached Malacca at 6.10 pm. I felt very alive and refreshed upon arriving. My first trip to the historical city. The hotel entrance was certainly unfriendly, with a flight of stairs and no ramp. But the organiser was there to meet me. She got the hotel staff to guide me to the back where I could park comfortably. I then used the rear entrance, which had a ramp. I knew it was not purpose built for wheelchairs, but for their goods trolleys. And from there I could use a lift.

As soon as I checked into the rooom washed and freshened up. Was able to catch a glimpse of the run up to the by-election results on tv. Then after a quick evening meal I went off to the seminar room for the briefing. Minutes before the briefing started I got the much awaited news – of course my friend who was there in Permatang Pauh said it was unofficial & the sms said Anwar had won by a margin of some 16,000 + . He later confirmed that the margin was 15, 671 votes. This further reiterated the growing influence of PKR.

27th August 2008
The workshop was attended by few local PWDs from Malacca and from KL. There were representatives from the Malaysian Paralympic Council, KBS, Dept. of Social Welfare, Dept of Youth & Sports Malacca and also coaches who train PWD athletes.

The workshop ended at 2.00 p.m. I drove back in the evening, not exploring much of the town as it was drizzling. Just did some sight seeing from my car. I drove past the Stadhuyst, the lighthouse and the Meuseum. There were plenty of tourists milling around, taking snapshots and going on joy rides in colourfully decorated trishaws.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN ..........

It’s here again! Every four years, ever since I was a child, I have eagerly awaited this event.

It was awesome! It was sheer bliss to be at the Bird’s Nest stadium right here in my living room. I was mesmerised by the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympic Games which commenced at 8.08 08sec on 08.08.08. Malaysia shared the momentous timing being in the same time zone. With its theme ‘harmony’ breathtaking performances depicting events from across the centuries of rich Chinese history and civilisation ‘unscrolled’ on to the centre stage and was so captivating!

The performances were interspersed with dazzling displays of fireworks. One of China’s four major inventions is gunpowder which is also used to make fireworks. The other inventions – the art of paper making, printing and the compass were also artistically woven into the stage choreography.

It was reported that eighty world leaders including US President George Bush, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Nikolas Sarcozy and HRH the Yang di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia were among the 91,000 people in the audience, while another 3 billion from around the world viewed from their homes.

The march past by athletes was led by Greece, honoured for being the birthplace of the modern Olympics. I was excited on seeing the Malaysian contingent led by Azizul Hasni Awang entering the Stadium. The Swiss contingent’s flagbearer was my favourite tennis star Roger Federer.

Few are aware that an athlete who is a disabled person is taking part in this Olympics. Natalie du Toit, a 24-year old swimmer from South Africa who is an amputee will be competing with able-bodied athletes in the 10km open water event. She was given the honour to be the flag bearer for her country. She will later participate in six events in the Paralympics too, from 6-17th September.

The Olympic Flag was carried by eight retired Chinese athletes and coaches, four of them women, of whom one was of Tibetan descent.

Eight torchbearers, all Olympic champions from China took turns during the last leg, after torch had travelled some 137,000 km through six continents over 129 days passing through 21 cities (including Kuala Lumpur). The climax of the ceremony, was ingeniously executed as the last torchbearer, ex-gymnast Li Ning was airlifted to ‘fly’ half-way around the stadium, with visuals of all other torchbearers trailing, to finally set ablaze the cauldron.

For the next 16 days I will feast with the Olympics.

But on a sad note, I dearly miss my neighbour Maraiah Naidu this time around. He was a noted Malaysian sportsman in the 1970s who had represented the country in the 400 metres in the Asian Games (1978),SEAP Games (1975) and SEA Games (1977). He then went on to mountain climbing, and did the Kala Pattar in the Himalayas in 1984. He made it a point to attend the 1988 Seoul and 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2002, but although still under treatment, he managed to attend the Athens Olympics in 2004. He told me “I cannot miss this one, it is just too special”. He came back feeling satisfied having achieved his dream. He passed away in June 2006.

Disabled Schoolboy Assaulted
Barely three months ago Malaysia celebrated the signing of a very important international treaty, The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities whose objective is to promote, protect and ensure full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. The Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 came into force three weeks ago.

I strongly urge the authorities concerned as well as the National Autism Society of Malaysia to look into the matter immediately.


31 July 2008

Autistic teenager bullied by schoolmates
THE father of a 16-year-old autistic schoolboy claimed his son was assaulted by two classmates and that the actual perpetrator was a teacher. THE father of a 16-year-old autistic schoolboy claimed his son was assaulted by two classmates and that the actual perpetrator was a teacher.
A. Suriyakaanth is enrolled in a special class at Sekolah Menengah Seksyen 19, Shah Alam. The incident occurred on Tuesday about 10.30am.
His son had often been bullied in school but this was the worst incident, said the boy’s father, Arunaselam Letchimanan.
Added Arunaselam: “My son is autistic and because of that, he is not popular in class. But how can this happen? Aren’t teachers supposed to be guardians of their wards? “Apparently, my son was not at his best behaviour in class.
So the teacher instructed two other boys to beat up my son.
Suriya was punched in his face by the boys.” About 11.30am, the school called and asked that he pick up his son. However, when Suriyakaanth’s brother arrived in school at 2pm, the boy was nowhere to be found.
The school authorities, he added, said Suriyakaanth had left the school compound.
“Aren’t they supposed to be responsible for my son’s welfare during school hours? How can they let him out and then tell me they don’t know where he is?” asked Arunaselam.
Later, however, a friend who stays near the school informed Arunaselam that Suriyakaanth was in his house.
Arunaselam has already complained to the State education department but no action has been taken, he said.
School authorities declined to comment on the allegations

PWD disregards needs of PWDs!
The indiscriminate approval by the Public Works Department (PWD) of these stalls obviously reflects what the government thinks of persons with disabilities (PWDs). Road shoulders are safe passageways for disabled persons too.

Saturday July 26, 2008
MPAJ hawker stalls built on road shoulder
By BAVANI M
THE usual complaint by residents is often about the illegal stalls sprouting in places like pedestrian walkways and road kerbs, causing obstruction to the public.
But at Taman Muda in Ampang, Selangor, the stalls built by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) in Jalan Bunga Raya are the cause of the residents’ misery.
The 14 hawker stalls have gotten the community there all riled up because they are located right smack on the road shoulder.
“This is weird. This is not the place to put stalls. Isn’t it illegal?” Taman Muda resident Nancy Foo said.
Pandan MP Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is also puzzled by the whole thing.
Unsuitable location: The 14 stalls built by the MPAJ along Jalan Bunga Raya in Taman Muda Pandan.
Ong, the Transport Minister, told a community gathering at his constituency earlier this week that he couldn’t understand the MPAJ rationale for building the stalls at such an awkward place.
He said building the stalls on a road shoulder was certainly inappropriate and was illegal, even if they were built by the MPAJ.
He wondered why the authorities were not doing anything about it.
“The residents are complaining that they should not be there and I agree. It's not a suitable location. Moreover, there are no public facilities like toilets, so it is certainly not hygienic,” he said.
Ong said he was also disappointed that some parties had made a lot of noise about the stalls before the March 8 general election but, after being elected the state assemblyman of the area, had done nothing about the matter.
The assemblyman for the area, the state seat of Teratai, is Jenice Lee of the DAP.
When contacted, Lee said she had done everything possible to get the stalls relocated, but to no avail.
“I will seek the help of Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to have the matter resolved as soon as possible,” she said.
Meanwhile, in a statement e-mailed to StarMetro, MPAJ public relations officer Norhayati Ahmad said the Public Works Department (PWD) technical team had approved the location of the stalls.
“The PWD gave the MPAJ the green light to build the stalls there and the previous state government, in a bid to rid the area of illegal stalls, approved the project under the state economic planning unit,” Norhayati said.
According to Norhayati, most of the stalls in Pandan are over 20 years old and need to be rejuvenated and relocated.
On the hygiene and safety factors, she said they were no longer an issue since the new stalls had been installed with grease traps to prevent any contamination and pollution and ample parking spots had been allocated.

Sports for Disabled Persons Nationwide

July 28, 2008 18:27 PM
Sports Association For The Disabled To Be Set Up In Each State
PUTRAJAYA, July 28 (Bernama) -- A sports association for the disabled will be set up in each state to expand and strengthen their sports development, in line with other sporting activities."Today's meeting decided to form a sports association for disabled persons in every state."Its development programmes will be outlined by representatives of their respective state sports council," Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob told reporters after chairing a Youth and Sports Development Programme Coordination Meeting here Monday.On the fund allocated by the ministry to form the association, he said the amount had not been finalised."To form a sports association for the disabled is not easy because there are not many athletes for every type of sport."So, plans must be made carefully before we announce the amount of funds to be allocated," he said.-- BERNAMA

Dituduh Merogol
Wanita Terencat

Bekas pegawai polis bela diri

tuduhan rogol wanita terencat

oleh: Siti Nurazlinee Azmi bhnews@bharian.com





MALU: Mat Susah menutup wajahnya ketika beredar

dari mahkamah, semalam selepas diperentah membela diri

atas tuduhan merogol gadis terencat akal. - Bernama



KUALA LUMPUR: Bekas Asisten Komisioner Polis (ACP) diperintah Mahkamah Sesyen di sini, semalam, untuk membela diri terhadap tuduhan merogol seorang wanita terencat akal, lima tahun lalu. Hakim Datin Anita Harun memerintahkan bekas ACP Mat Susah Sadikin, 66, membela diri selepas yakin pihak pendakwaan berjaya membuktikan kes prima facie terhadapnya dan menetapkan 11 September ini untuk kes pembelaan. Tertuduh yang pernah berkhidmat sebagai pegawai kanan di Cawangan Khas Bukit Aman didakwa merogol mangsa yang ketika itu berusia 23 tahun di stor kedai runcit miliknya di Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Kampung Baru di sini, antara jam 4 petang dan 7 malam di antara 1 Oktober hingga 31 Oktober 2003.

Charged for Raping Mentally
Handicapped Woman



26th July 2008
Ex-cop to enter defence


Former Assistant Commissioner Mat Susah shielding his face outside the Court.

Earlier he had tried to run away from photographers taking his pictures

KUALA LUMPUR: A retired senior police officer, who was charged with raping a mentally disabled woman five years ago, was yesterday ordered by the Sessions Court to enter his defence.

Judge Datin Anita Harun said in her decision at the end of the prosecution's case,that they succeeded in proving a prima facie case against retired assistant commissioner Mat Susah Sadikin.Mat Susah, 66, was formerly an officer with the Special Branch at the Federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman. He had been charged on Dec 7, 2006 with raping the 23-year-old woman in a storeroom of his grocery store, at Jalan Raja Muda, Kampung Baru, here, between 4pm and 7pm in October 2003.He claimed trial and was allowed bail of RM20,000.

The trial, which began in 2007, saw nine prosecution witnesses brought to the stand and the prosecution's case was wrapped up on March 11.Mat Susah was represented by counsel Mohd Radzuan Ibrahim while DPP Nurul Ain Hamzah prosecuted.Anita set two days for the defence's case, beginning Sept 11.

An Extraordinary Guy Who Inspired Millions
Randy Pausch, the computer science professor who rose to fame after giving a quirky last lecture about celebrating life in the face of his terminal cancer, died Friday 25th July 2008.
The 47-year-old died at his home in Chesapeake, Va., according to Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow, who helped launch Pausch to fame after writing about the speech — which also garnered widespread attention when it was posted on video sharing site YouTube.
He was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006.
A year later, Pausch took part in a lecture series at the university that saw professors give hypothetical final talks and speak about what mattered mostto them.
* Randy Pausch's "final" lecture was given on 18 September 2007 at Carnegie Mellon University. Here are some highlights:
* "It's wonderful to be here. What they didn't tell you is that this lecture series used to be called 'The Last Lecture'. If you had one last lecture to give before you died, what would it be? I thought, damn, I finally nailed the venue and they renamed it."
* "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
* "How do you get people to help you? By telling the truth. Being earnest.
* "Apologise when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself. .
* "Remember, brick walls let us show our dedication. They are there to
separate us from the people who don't really want to achieve their dreams. *Don't bail. The best of the gold's at the bottom of barrels of crap."
* "Show gratitude.
* "Don't complain. Just work harder
* "Work hard.
* "Find the best in everybody. You might have to wait a long time, but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting, it will come out. And be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity."

Persons With Disabilities Act 2008 (Malaysia)

The Persons With Disabilities Act 2008 came into operation on 7th July 2008. Not a whimper about this important event was reported in the media. Even the Minister concerned has made no official statement so far regarding this. Disabled people in Malaysia had waited anxiously for six years for its enactment. Despite having a state-of-the-art communications system the government is still slow in disseminating information to disabled persons.

The Journey....
The Persons with Disabilities Bill was first drafted in 2002 by a Technical Working Group of the National Advisory & Consultative Council on the Disabled, headed by a disabled practising lawyer. After being deliberated upon at various levels it was finally tabled in Parliament for the First reading on 17th December 2007. After going through Second and Third readings and the Committee Stage, it was passed in the Lower House (Dewan Rakyat) on 18th December 2007. It was then taken to the Upper House (Dewan Negara) on 24th December 2008 where it was passed without any amendments. The Act was given Royal Assent on 26th January 2008 and came into force on 7th July 2008.

Dawning of an Episode

Felt the urge to add one more facet to my life. Putting all inhibitions aside I rose to the dawn of a brand new day today. With my adrenalin reverberating I embark upon this journey ........