Page 18 - Mainstreamer e-Magazine 01 June 2022 - Final (4)

CRITICAL THOUGHTS

for People with Disabilities 2016-2022. suggests that the awareness to register as PWDs is
increasing. Such awareness might be good on one
One aspect of the needs of PWDs which hardly hand, so that the government can measure the
receives any attention is their quality of life number of people in need by subsidising a range
(QoL), despite numerous researches on QoL in of facilities for them. However, a better system
Malaysia. However, a few studies at the PhD level, should be employed to systematically check the
for instance, have shed some light on the QoL of validity and concept of disability. Cases on the
PWDs. Table 1 below shows the mean score of QoL increasing number of people registered as having
for the three groups of PWDs, namely the visually learning disabilities in this country require further
impaired, the physically disabled and those with investigation by the authorities.
hearing and speech impairment. Thirdly, although there are laws and policies
“ in place, such as the Persons with Disabilities Act

2008, which guarantees the rights of PWDs, the
absence of a punitive mechanism makes such laws
Removing these barriers and
and policies unenforceable in many ways. Only
providing accessibility are crucial
can PWDs obtain their rights. Without imposing
steps in allowing PWDs to stay through the government or individuals’ goodwill
competitive, hence not being punitive actions such as issuing summons,
imprisonment, or any other forms of penalty, it
labelled as a burden to society. is left to the agencies’ or individuals’ choice as to
Researches indicate that lack of whether they want to acknowledge the rights of

accessibility to public facilities PWDs.
remains the vital barrier that haunts It is also essential to consider other vital issues
PWDs.” of PWDs such as their development through NGOs
or civil societies, previous incidents involving PWDs
From one survey using the World Health that stimulate action, and stories of PWD achievers
Organization’s instruments of 7 domains and 3 in this country.
global items, the QoL of PWDs differed by category
and gender. Although the information on the QoL The author is currently researching disability
of PWDs was only limited to three impairment issues. He also enjoys doing outdoor activities
groups; visual impairment, physical impairment, like jogging and hiking.
and hearing impairment, at the very least, it
helped measure the general QoL of PWDs in
Malaysia.

The overview of disabilities issues in Malaysia
highlighted in this article reveals important
insights. Firstly, Malaysia is among the many
countries that swiftly responded to the
international development of PWDs. Malaysia
ratified the UN CRPD, but almost immediately,
laws and policies were enacted to cater to the
needs and rights of PWDs in the country. Key
performance indicators (KPIs) were set for relevant
ministries and government agencies to ensure that
appropriate actions were taken in line with the
national development policy.

Secondly, there appears to be a trend that

17 Vol. 01, Issue 1 | June 2022