Imagine a world where everyday tasks feel like climbing a mountain. For many Malaysians with disabilities, this is not just a thought experiment, it is everyday life.
They face not only physical barriers, but also terrifying walls of discrimination and prejudice. Every day they are told that the world was not built with them in mind.
However, recent developments offer a ray of hope: the government’s announcement to review the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2008, signals a promising change towards inclusivity. The move is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities.
Efforts to strengthen employment rights and create equal opportunities for people with disabilities are not only laudable but crucially important. They represent a broader commitment to strengthening socio-economic inclusion of the disability community and ensuring a better day for all.
While the law lays a promising foundation for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, its effectiveness is undermined by the lack of strong enforcement mechanisms.
What is needed is a firm commitment to rigorous policy implementation that turns promises into tangible protections.
Without strict enforcement, the law’s lofty goals will remain unfulfilled and people with disabilities may become more vulnerable to discrimination and neglect.
In the area of employment, the impact of weak policy implementation is particularly evident for people with disabilities. While the current legal framework is encouraging, in practice there is often a large gap between words and deeds.
Take the example of Qu Li Phan, a wheelchair user who faced discriminatory hiring practices despite having a strong academic background. Sadly, her story is not unique and reflects broader issues that go beyond employment. The stereotypes and prejudices she is fighting persist and shape the lives of many disabled people in our country.
This case serves as a reminder that the public and private sectors must prioritize inclusion and accessibility, including adopting inclusive hiring practices, ensuring physical accessibility in the workplace, and providing critical supports to enable employees with disabilities to thrive in their jobs.
The civil service has yet to deliver on its promise to reserve 1% of positions for people with disabilities. To improve this situation, governments can step up disability-tailored recruitment efforts, provide people with the training and support they need to seamlessly integrate into the workplace, and foster an inclusive culture across agencies.
Equally important is the role of the private sector to promote diversity, implement policies that support people with disabilities, and foster accessible hiring practices and working environments.
Furthermore, limited access to quality education and vocational training exacerbates inequality, hindering people with disabilities’ aspirations and their ability to gain the skills and qualifications they need to succeed in a highly competitive job market.
But this initiative goes beyond the workplace and highlights the need for policies tailored to different aspects of life to ensure inclusion in society.
In developed countries, infrastructure such as ramps and elevators are commonplace in schools to accommodate diverse needs. This approach is also seen in public transportation and housing, where amenities such as wheelchair ramps on buses and disability-friendly apartments are essential.
These policies promote individual self-reliance and contribute to a more inclusive social fabric, and their importance underscores the urgent need to introduce similar infrastructure and regulations more widely.
We also recently highlighted a special needs centre struggling financially to provide basic services like speech and physiotherapy. Relying on donations from the public and disrupted by the impacts of COVID-19, the centre highlights wider challenges of accessibility and support within our community.
Beyond the financial burden, disability care centers face many challenges. Lack of resources, such as trained staff, specialized equipment and therapeutic resources, means they are unable to provide essential services to people with disabilities.
These centres operate with minimal staff and outdated equipment and struggle to meet the complex and diverse needs of the people in their care.
Overcoming these challenges requires concerted efforts to address systemic issues, strengthen regulatory frameworks, and foster stakeholder collaboration.
Prioritizing capacity-building efforts and forging partnerships across sectors will enable disability care centres to provide comprehensive and highest-level services that promote the well-being and inclusion of people with disabilities.
But real change starts with education: teaching children about diversity and inclusion from an early age sets the stage for a future where diversity is seen as a strength, not a barrier.
As we look to the future, we must remember that real progress isn’t just about updated policies and changed laws — it’s measured by the daily actions we take to support and inspire those around us.
By fostering a society that values the contributions of each individual, we advance towards truly inclusive growth.
Datin Sri Umayar Eswaran is chairman of RYTHM Foundation, which established the Taalana School for children with special educational needs.
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