Penang Watch

NST Online » Local News
2008/08/25
Disabled hope for 'friendly' budget

KUALA LUMPUR: The disabled are hoping that the 2009 Budget, to be unveiled on Friday, will be disabled-friendly.
They hope the government will provide an allocation to make transport and public amenities more accessible to them.

Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (Beat) coordinator Christine Lee said most public transport and amenities were "unfriendly to the disabled".

Lee, a wheelchair user, said the government should ensure that buses purchased from next year would have low floors while non-step vehicles would be equipped with ramps and other disabled and elderly-friendly features.

"They should also be equipped with audible announcement facilities for the blind and clear signage for the deaf.
"We want facilities that are accessible not only for us but also for the elderly," she said at a gathering at the Bangsar Light Rail Transit station here attended by some 20 disabled people from various associations.

Lee said what they wanted was a transport policy that took into consideration the needs of the disabled and the elderly.

"We only want the decision makers to make the right decision that would make our lives easier."

Beat assistant coordinator V. Murugeswaran said the lack of accessibility to public transport had resulted in the disabled not being able to accept jobs offered by the government.

Referring to a news report that only 50 disabled people had taken up jobs out of 10,000 offered, Murugeswa-ran, who is also a wheelchair user, said:

"We can't afford to buy a car or a motorcycle and not all disabled people can drive. The government must understand this. They should do something that would allow the disabled to grab the opportunities." -- Bernama