THE last time I checked, the disabled community had yet to be categorised as wacky. Grumbling incessantly for ‘no apparent reason’ is considered quite the norm.

THE last time I checked, the disabled community had yet to be categorised as wacky. Grumbling incessantly for ‘no apparent reason’ is considered quite the norm.

Just the other day, a wheelchair-bound comrade was forced to sell one of his prized possessions which raised half the exact amount he was looking for. He badly needs a brand new anti-bedsore cushion. He is on track towards affording his goal and literally saving his butt. Alas, at the expense of his main source of bread and butter, a laptop which is also in dire need of repair.

A gelled-cushion can carry a ridiculously, unaffordable price-tag of RM1,800 making it sound like a luxurious item. For wheelchair-users, it is not considered a fancy accessory but a basic necessity.

Picture this: a wheelchair-user with a salary of less than RM1,000 in urgent need of fundamental equipment that costs almost double of what he earns. Picture him further not being able to sit comfortably which might affect his working performance such that he ultimately loses his job.

Not exactly sitting pretty, is it?.

This is the prime reason why disabled groups nationwide have been lobbying for the Disabled Worker’s Allowance (Elaun Pekerja Cacat – EPC) to be increased to RM500 monthly from the present RM300.

Before anyone starts making any hypothesis and hallucinating that we are a greedy bunch, do consider this first and foremost – employment for PWDs (Person with Disablities) is hard to come by.

It’s an age-old discrimination thing, so said Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, in a dialogue last week with organisations representing the disabled. She acknowledged the disabled “are having a tough time in coping with the challenges and difficulties of global inflation,” and expressed the need to do more to help the community.

Being one of the many affected, and not just by the recent hike in goods, I feel she deserves a round of applause, and why not, even a standing ovation from the non-wheelchair-user disabled groups (no pun intended). Now, there must be follow-up to ensure this is not just mere lip service.

For starters, cutting the red tape at welfare departments would be doing us a huge favour. The good people at the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyrakat (Welfare Services Department) do provide financial assistance for those in need of new wheelchairs and its various parts.

The application process, however, is a daunting one that can take up to months before the said item materialises. What about those in urgent need, especially when his health is at stake?

The suggested EPC increment by RM200 would be a welcome relief. A good number of those in the community do not come from well-off families. An extra RM200 monthly may not sound a lot but it will undeniably lessen some burden – and at the end of the day, earn a rare, wide smile on their faces.

Employment opportunities have certainly improved but owing to the condition and nature of disability, some members of the community are limited to working from home. In these cases, opportunities for inside-outside jobs are simply rare.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. How pertinent.

As in my friend’s case earlier, his priority is to earn the remaining target of that pricey necessity – that RM1,800 gelled cushion (already at a ‘bargain’ discount).

While he types on the unfamiliar keys of a much appreciated, borrowed computer, he will also have to think of other ways to earn enough to get his virus-infected, previously sturdy five-year-old laptop repaired.

Don’t you hate being bugged?

• Ahmad Daniel Sharani is a committee member of Perwira K9, a support group for people with spinal cord injuries. K9 is the designated ward at Hospital Kuala Lumpur to treat and assist patients in rehabilitation (kerplunk94@gmail.com).

Source: Malay Mail – July 18, 2008