Easy prey

Thursday November 12, 2009



Easy prey

WHEEL POWERBy ANTHONY THANASAYAN

The disabled are targeted by criminals on the prowl.

CRIMINALS are coming up with more devious ways to rob unsuspecting victims. What is more troubling is that they have no qualms about targeting the disabled and the elderly.

Even charity-based centres meant to help such people are not spared. Residents of the self-help Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) in Rawang, Selangor, were among the latest victims of a broad daylight robbery.

A couple of men in their late 20s posing as potential donors made an unscheduled visit to the disabled residential home one morning. Upon discovering that there were only three persons in the centre at the time – a woman in a wheelchair, a young man with epilepsy and a foreign female volunteer – they yanked out a machete and demanded money.

The robbers relieved the victims at knife-point of cash and valuables. They then walked out calmly so as not to arouse suspicion. The police arrived soon after they were called.

Investigations to nab those responsible for the crime are under way.

“It is regrettable that the handicapped are becoming targets of criminals because we are considered easy prey,” said Francis Siva, president of the ILTC.

Francis, a tetraplegic, was not at the centre when the incident took place. By the time he rushed back, the thieves had long gone. “The disabled (and the elderly) are the most vulnerable to crime and we urge the authorities to prioritise our safety by stepping up measures to protect us,” he added.

Ironically, the president of the ILTC was at a special meeting with the police a couple of weeks earlier to discuss security issues for persons with disabilities.

The gathering which included representatives of the learning disabled. the Deaf and blind, was specially arranged by the Welfare Department in Kuala Lumpur.

The following were some of the main points which were raised with the law enforcement authorities. The blind are especially vulnerable to crime on the streets. Several cases were cited involving so-called “helpful” strangers who offered to help the blind cross the streets.

They either help themselves to the purses, handbags and other personal belongings of their victims right in the streets, or do so after helping them halfway across the street. Whilst the stunned and disoriented victim is left screaming in fear in the middle of the road, the thieves quickly make their disappearance. Cries of help have often fallen on deaf ears.

Massage parlours operated by the blind experience frequent break-ins during the weekends and on holidays. Imposters acting as law enforcement officers present an ID to the blind operators which they can’t verify for authenticity for obvious reasons. They then direct the workers into a room whilst they grab all the valuables and make a run for it.

Blind women are frequent victims of molestations whether it is on the street, in a crowded place or in the passageways of their flats. They find mysterious hands touching their privates. Some of the molestations are repeated regularly, often at the same venue.

Such abuse have occurred so frequently that the blind are terrified to go out of their houses, especially those living alone.

The blind are also frustrated when they are asked to describe their assailants’ identity. They claim that because they are unable to provide such details, their reports are not taken seriously. Report forms given to them to fill up are not in Braille.

The Deaf also face difficulty when dealing with police officers who are not trained in sign language. Hence, they are unable to take down the reports of the Deaf and carry out further investigations. The physically disabled complain that there are no disabled-friendly carparks at police stations. Some of them were asked to park outside the police stations and walk with their crutches all the way to the building.

Here are some of the suggestions made by the disabled groups:

> The crime fighting force should be better educated about the needs of the handicapped.

> Set up special hotlines for the disabled and the elderly so that they can get immediate response when they are in trouble.

> When the police make their rounds in the neighbourhood, they should take a special interest in homes where people with disabilities live, especially those who live alone.

OKU trauma diacu parang

Khamis 12-11-2009

OKU trauma diacu parang

RAWANG – Sungguh tidak berhari perut apabila orang kelainan upaya (OKU) turut dijadikan mangsa penjenayah, seperti yang berlaku ke atas kakitangan Badan Latihan dan Hidup Berdikari (ILTC), Taman Garing, di sini.

Setiausaha ILTC, P Gurdip Kaur @Rina, yang berdepan situasi cemas itu berkata, sehingga kini dia masih trauma dengan kejadian diacu parang dan dirompak pada 30 Oktober lalu.

Menurutnya, selain kesukaran melelapkan mata pada waktu malam, pusat ILTC nya kini sentiasa berkunci rapi dan dia sendiri sukar untuk bertemu dan bercakap dengan individu tidak dikenali.

“Saya fikir dalam keadaan sosial dan ekonomi sekarang, penjenayah tidak lagi mengambil peduli latar belakang mangsa.

Bagi mereka, indi-vidu lemah seperti kami ini lebih mudah diambil kesempatan. “Sekarang golongan seperti kami perlu lebih berhati-hati.

Selama ini jika orang hendak datang melawat dan sumbangkan apa-apa kita tidak menolak. Tetapi kini kami sering berasa curiga,” katanya.

Dia berkata demikian dalam lawatan Ahli Parlimen Selayang, William Leong Jee Keen; Setiausaha Politik Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Rawang, Azman Mohd Noor dan Ahli Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, susulan kejadian menimpanya.

Visitors from Sapporo, Japan

Two weeks ago, a Japanese group from Sapporo visited ILTC and donated 4 unit of wheelchairs to the ILTC members.

On the day, we had shared our works at ILTC to the visitors and later we took them to a Tamil School near the centre. They also had an opportunity to learn our Malaysian culture.

Umpan roti samun OKU

31 Oktober 2009

Umpan roti samun OKU
Oleh Md Fuzi Abd Lateh

BUKTI…Gurdip (duduk kiri) dan beberapa rakan lain menunjukkan salinan laporan polis yang dibuat semalam.

RAWANG: Hanya berumpankan juadah sarapan pagi iaitu roti canai dan air minuman kotak, dua lelaki yang menyamar sebagai dermawan menyamun Rumah Badan Latihan dan Hidup Berdikari di Taman Garing di sini, pagi semalam.

Kejadian berlaku jam 10.30 pagi ketika mangsa yang juga setiausaha rumah itu, Gurdip Kaur @ Rina, 49, didatangi dua suspek yang menyamar sebagai pelawat dan ingin menderma makanan kepada mereka sebelum melarikan wang dan barangan berharga RM20,000.

Menurutnya, dia tidak menyangka suspek sebagai penjenayah kerana mereka bijak mempedayakannya dengan berpura-pura sebagai penderma.

Katanya, ketika kejadian, dia berada di rumah itu bersama seorang penghuni, Lawrence Joseph, 22, dan pelajar asing dari Universiti Jerman, Sussanne Neiro, 24, yang menjalani latihan bidang sains politik di negara ini.

“Mereka datang dua kali ke sini. Sebelum menyamun, mereka membawa sarapan iaitu roti canai, bungkusan roti dan air minuman kotak untuk didermakan kepada 15 penghuni di rumah ini.

“Kira-kira 10 minit kemudian, suspek datang semula dan kali ini mengugut akan mencederakan kami dengan parang tajam jika enggan menyerahkan wang tunai dan barangan berharga,” katanya ketika ditemui di sini, semalam.

Beliau berkata, dia mengikut arahan suspek dengan menyerahkan wang RM10,000 hasil jualan kupon konsert amal rumah itu yang disimpan dalam laci pejabatnya.

Katanya, suspek turut merampas barangan kemas miliknya iaitu seutas rantai emas, sepasang subang emas, cincin dan sebuah komputer riba.

“Sebaik mendapat wang dan barangan berharga berkenaan, suspek melarikan diri dengan menaiki Proton Wira merah hati.“Saya kemudian menghubungi polis. Amat sedih, kami yang cacat anggota ini juga disamun mereka yang tidak bertanggungjawab itu,” katanya.

Gurdip berkata, kehilangan komputer riba miliknya cukup menyedihkan kerana banyak data dan laporan kegiatan pusat itu disimpan di dalamnya.

Sementara itu, Sussanne berkata, pengalaman ngeri berlaku kali pertama dalam hidupnya ketika berada di negara ini sukar dilupakan.

Katanya, golongan kurang upaya perlu dibantu dan bukannya disamun kerana mereka memerlukan pembelaan yang sepatutnya. “Saya takut mereka (penjenayah) guna parang ugut mangsa.

Kejadian begini memberi pengajaran kepada semua. Saya tidak anggap negara ini bahaya. Ini kerja orang tertentu saja.

“Saya gembira melayani orang cacat di pusat ini sejak melapor diri tiga hari lalu sehingga akhir Disember ini,” katanya.

Charity Muhibbah Cultural Concert (Sangeet Swagath) on 1st November 2009 at Plenary Hall KLCC Convention Centre

'It's based more on charity than justice'

2009/10/24

'It's based more on charity than justice' KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) is disappointed with the Budget announced yesterday.

Its president, Anthony Thanasayan, said the Budget was tailored more for able-bodied persons rather than the smaller group of handicapped who comprised 10 per cent of the country's 28-odd million population. Anthony, who is also the Petaling Jaya City Council councillor in charge of disabled persons, said, nonetheless, the 2010 Budget was far better than for 2009.

"The increase from RM50 to RM250 a month in allowance for disabled children is lauded.

However, we have been lobbying for RM300 a month as it will be more meaningful to cover expenses like medication, medical equipment and personal expenses.

"We are disappointed that the Budget is more charity than justice-based. Charity is handouts which appears to leave us out of the 1Malaysia concept.

Aren't we part of it?" Anthony said the allocation for infrastructure should have taken into account proper walkway pavements, elevators and toilets for the disabled and elderly.

"The pavements are not friendly for even the able-bodied. Many are uneven and have obstructions, such as potholes, lamp posts and signboards.

"We need universally-designed pavements that have safety features, like railings to prevent children from falling into the drains."

Anthony also said schools should have proper toilet facilities for disabled children.

He hoped the government would also consider providing free Internet service for the bed-ridden and physically handicapped.

Public transport still inaccessible to disabled

Public transport still inaccessible to disabled


Last week, I was involved in the access audit program for public transportation around Klang Valley.

The purpose of the access audit is to explore whether the public transports are accessible to everyone, especially the disabled people.

Three stations were chosen, namely KL Sentral, Masjid Jamek LRT station and the Kepong KTM station. The three stations were found difficult to access, especially for disabled people, the elderly and foreigners.

For blind people, there are no tactile blocks on the floor inside the building. Perhaps, there were tactile blocks outside building, but it was not built accordingly.

In addition, there were no Braille dots on the handrail and information board. These will cause them problems when not travelling with a caretaker.

Most importantly, the announcement does not show clearly the directions, thus they cannot find their way.

On the other hand, the ramp is not built according to standards for wheelchair users, some ramps are too steep and some ramps are too long. Gaps are found in between the platform; and the ramp is not built at the entrance but at the corner like the one in Masjid Jamek LRT station.

When looking for toilets, there is no clear signage. In fact, the cleaner takes the opportunity to rest and store their things in the disabled toilet units, and the wheelchair users cannot use the toilets. For deaf and dumb users, the stations' signage is not useful.

The colour used for the signage is too dim for them to see them properly. The other problem we found is that the staircases are not painted with contrasting colours and do not have handrails.

This is a disservice to the elderly and disabled.Foreigners will find the signage unhelpful and confusing. For instance, it is hard to understand how to make the switch from the LRT to monorails.

Most importantly, the able bodied often make unacceptable use of the disabled facilities. They take toilets and parking spaces allocated for the disabled and prevent the truly deserving from using them.

Meaningful Deepavali

Thursday October 22, 2009

Meaningful Deepavali
WHEEL POWERBy ANTHONY THANASAYAN

It’s good to ponder over life’s many blessings, no matter what our circumstance.

THE recent Festival of Lights celebrations touched many hearts and lives. This was especially so for members of the Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) in Rawang, Selangor.

R. Murugan. 35, has come a long way since he first stayed at the centre seven years ago.

Stricken with polio at the age of two, Murugan recalls what a struggle it was for him to grow up as a physically disabled person in his hometown in Port Dickson. He never went to school and could not afford a wheelchair.

Fortunately, he found an able-bodied woman who loved him and married him. The couple were struggling to make ends meet when they heard about ILTC and decided to make a trip to Rawang.

“We gave Murugan and his family some of the provisions donated to our centre,” said Francis Siva, 50, president of ILTC. “Later we helped him find a low-cost flat and got him a wheelchair.”
Murugan started a titbits stall to support his family. But because he did not apply for a licence, he soon found himself in trouble with the law when the local council raided his outfit.

But after dialogues with the council – together with the intervention of ILTC – Majlis Perbandaran Selayang built a special stall for him to continue his business.

Murugan is proud of his stall. “Although life is a constant struggle, I am able to send my kids to school and put food on the table, and that’s what matters,” he said.

K. Letchumy, 24, is one of the most talkative members at ILTC. However, she was never like that until she came to the centre six years ago.

Born with cerebral palsy, Letchumy spent her days alone in the family flat in Shah Alam, Selangor, when her mother went off to work in a factory and her siblings went to school.
One day, the family heard about ILTC on a radio programme, and contacted the centre.

Today, Letchumy is a different person. She not only helps to take calls at the centre but also cooks, sews and motivates newly disabled persons who visit the centre.

For the first time, Letchumy was able to bring home gifts for her family for Deepavali, through her hard-earned money, working at the centre.

S. Bathmawathy, 26, from Taman Bukit Rawang became paralysed after a surgery.

The single mother whose husband abandoned her after her paralysis, failed in her efforts to seek medical attention locally.

After seeing an orthopaedic specialist in India recommended by ILTC, she was referred to a specialist in Malaysia who performed surgery on her.

Miraculously, Bathmawathy could walk again after the surgery. She says she will never forget the support she got from ILTC during her difficult times. Bathmawathy, who is looking for a job, makes it a point to drop by the centre regularly to encourage other members.

She spent her Deepavali with her mum, recalling all the good things they were thankful for in life.

With the national budget around the corner, Francis says it is his Deepavali wish that the government will come up with an allocation of RM500 a month for all disabled persons in the country.

The ILTC is having a Charity Muhibbah Cultural Show on Nov 1 at the KLCC Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur to raise funds for a new training centre in Rawang. Tickets for the musical performance from India are priced at RM50 and RM100.

For details, please call 019-338 5959 (Francis) or 012-695 6786 (Rina).

Deepavali Greetings From President of Independent Living & Training Centre.

Deepavali Greetings From President of Independent Living & Training Centre.

Dear Friends, Wishing everyone a very happy diwali !!!!!!!
May this festival of light brings joy & happiness to you & your family.

From,
Mr. G. Francis Siva
President

Ms. Rina - Secretary of ILTC
Independent Living & Training Centre

Happy Diwali, The word "Diwali" is the corruption of the Sanskrit word "Deepavali" - Deepa meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. Diwali date changes every year as the day is calculated according to the position of the moon. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Light," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being . The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal.