Angel of Light for Deepavali

Anthony SB Thanasayan

Anthony SB Thanasayan is a wheelchair user who is powered by his service dogs who help him stay on top of life. He is president of Malaysia's first and only animal-assisted therapy society called Petpositive.

Anthony SB Thanasayan

Published: 26 October 2014

 

The Festival of Lights – or Deepavali – was celebrated by Hindus the world over and here in Malaysia, on Wednesday.
 

Many Malaysians chose to commemorate the auspicious occasion by cleaning and decorating their homes and offices.
 

Others, as usual, bought new clothes, participated in special prayers and held open houses for their families and friends.
But for some people in particular, this year's festive event took on a more significant meaning of the true spirit of the season – exemplifying victory of light over darkness, good over evil and hope over despair. 

 

ML, 40, has elephantiasis. The incurable condition has caused the right leg to swell to a massive proportion.
 

It is also a painful disability which has made her unable to walk permanently.
 

Elephantiasis has not only robbed the mother of three school-going children of mobility, but she also finds herself constantly depressed and lonely.
 

She suffers stigma from what others in her neighbourhood think about her and is now virtually trapped in poverty.
 

ML became a single mum when her husband died three years ago.
She is now being cared for by her elderly mother who lives with her. ML's mother cooks and looks after her children.
 

Fortunately for the family, who live in Klang in Selangor, they are being helped by an "Angel of Light".
 

The service centre run by Sri Andalas assemblyman Dr Xavier Jayakumar in Taman Seri Mewah 4 has been providing them with a variety of aids, from immediate needs to long term.
 

These include food provisions to schoolbooks and uniforms and monthly bus fares for each of ML's children who live about 5km from the school.  
 

Another key assistance is in providing transport money for taxi fares.
 

This is to ensure that ML doesn't miss any of her regular medical check-ups. She visits a specialist at the University Malaya Medical Centre in Petaling Jaya.
 

Her regular trips are also to collect her medication.
 

ML's monthly rentals for her low-cost flat are also taken care of by the assemblyman's office.
 

Although all she can do now – because of the condition – is to sit in a chair all day, ML feels a great sense of relief that many of her basic needs are met, thanks to the help she and her family are receiving from the Sri Andalas service centre.
 

SF, 35, is another woman whom the centre has also been assisting.
Born blind, she is a mother of four children – the eldest being 16 and the youngest six.
 

SF lost her husband in 2006. He died in prison, leaving behind his loved ones with the loss of the only breadwinner (as a driver) in the family.
 

To make matters worse, SF and all her children had no birth certificates at the time. And things only got off from the frying pan into the fire.
 

A so-called "good Samaritan" offered to help SF get their legal documents. The situation, however, ended up with the "kind man" taking advantage of her situation and raping her.
 

He was never seen again after that.
 

The family approached the Sri Andalas office in desperation in 2010.
 

Then began the long and arduous journey to help SF and the family to get the documents they needed.
 

First, a death certificate of the father was obtained.
 

Then it took countless trips to Port Dickson's (PD) government hospital in Negri Sembilan where SF was born.
 

The trouble was in tracing documents that were already 30 years old and no longer recorded.
 

SF had to make a number of trips with the help of the assemblyman's office to the various departments in PD just to keep the authorities "serious and interested" in their mission.
 

This took nearly a month to accomplish. 
 

All the hard work and persistence paid off. Everyone got their birth certificates last September – including the identity card for SF's 16-year-old son.
 

Last year, on November 8, was the first Deepavali the entire family celebrated having their official documents with them.
 

This year as many as 500 people in need received a RM100 voucher each to shop for their basic needs. Both SF and ML were among the recipients.
 

For more information, please contact: Pejabat Perkhidmatan Wakil Rakyat, Dun Sri Andalas, No 15a, Jalan Mohd Tahir 8, Taman Seri Mewah 4, off Jalan Sungei Jati 41200 Kelang. Telephone: 03-3373 4595 & 3374 4595.
 

The office is open on weekdays from 9am-5pm. On Saturdays, 9am-1pm. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. – October 26, 2014.  

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/anthony-sb-thanasayan/article/angel-of-light-for-deepavali#sthash.gobqSCNR.dpuf

No King's Treatment in Hotel Istana

A hotel ‘misadventure’ Anthony SB Thanasayan is a wheelchair user who is powered by his service dogs who help him stay on top of life. He is president of Malaysia's first and only animal-assisted therapy society called Petpositive.

Published: 19 October 2014

For most of us, spending a business trip or simply staying in a hotel just for a break in Kuala Lumpur is a pleasurable experience. But not if you are in a wheelchair – even if there happens to be disabled-friendly logos in the building!

This is unfortunately and sadly true for many, if not, most hotels in Malaysia.

The situation becomes more complicated and frustrating for patrons with disabilities –whether they decide to visit in their wheelchairs, white canes or walking sticks. It's also a problem for people without disabilities when they decide to bring along their elderly parents, disabled children or handicapped friends.

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend a two-day conference on children with disabilities in Hotel Istana over at Jalan Raja Chulan in Kuala Lumpur.

Little did I suspect that this popular hotel in one of the best locations in KL with its spacious indoor landscaping and pillarless ballroom would pose quite a challenge for me and my wheelchair.
Here are a few examples:

No reserved car parking for disabled drivers at the entrance: luckily, I got someone to ferry me there and back.

What if I had driven there? A friend working in the hotel line once told me that some hotels actually had a policy of "only allowing BMWs and Mercedes-Benzs to park at the entrances." They did this because they wanted to promote a "classy" look in hotels.

I vehemently disagree. On the contrary, hotels that provide handicapped parking show the world that theirs is a caring hotel and they have gone the extra mile to look into the comfort and convenience of all its patrons, especially the disadvantaged.

Wheelchairs couldn't enter the disabled friendly restrooms: I was shocked to discover this.
I must have looked pretty awkward and comical to the rest of the non-disabled patrons with the back of my wheelchair with its two big wheels sticking out of the toilet's doorway with the rest of my other half inside.

Even if I did manage to get inside, it was too cramped to get to the water closet. The only way would be to I get up and literally walked over to it which was impossible in my case. Istana really needs to widen this up into a room space not only large enough for a wheelchair, but also for an able-bodied helper as well.

Dangerous makeshift ramp at the Taman Sari Brasserie restaurant: the portable ramp was used over a couple of steps in order to bring my wheelchair down to the dining area as well as back up to the reception floor again.

It was not only too small but also treacherously steep. Three of the employees had to help me over it, which experience has taught me, is only a foolish thing to do as they are not trained to handle wheelchairs. Wheelchairs, too, were never designed to be carried.

No disabled-friendly rooms out of the 505 total guestrooms in Istana's 23 floors: I was verbally told this by the staff. It's high-time that at least one or two rooms should be made disabled friendly for the benefit of Istana itself.

Many disabled people from around the world are travelling these days and there is no reason for Malaysia not to be a favourite destination for the disabled and the elderly.

The good news is, there is fortunately a happy ending to this story.

During my visit to Hotel Istana, I managed to highlight these and other issues of accessibility to Tom Spaan, the hotel's director of food and beverage.

We went on a tour around the hotel.

He wrote back apologising for the inconveniences I experienced and said Hotel Istana was in the process of getting a suitable contractor and would get the corrections done soon.
"Once again, please accept our sincere apologies as we are looking forward to welcoming you back at Hotel Istana in a not too distance future," Spaan concluded.

Needless to say, you can bet that when that happens, not only me but all wheelchair users will truly be made to feel like kings in the hotel, which is a 10-minute walk from the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and Petronas Twin Towers. – October 19, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider. - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/anthony-sb-thanasayan/article/a-hotel-misadventure#sthash.fjcNRqv0.dpuf

Budget that places the disabled last

A budget that places the disabled last

Anthony SB Thanasayan

Anthony SB Thanasayan is a wheelchair user who is powered by his service dogs who help him stay on top of life. He is president of Malaysia's first and only animal-assisted therapy society called Petpositive.

Anthony SB Thanasayan

Published: 12 October 2014

 

I don't wish to be a big meanie and try to burst anyone's bubble out there, but the latest budget tabled in Parliament on Friday will certainly go down in history as one of the biggest let-downs in recent years for the handicapped in Malaysia.
 

And it's not really hard to see why "Budget 2015", this time, drew many unhappy faces.
RM50 increase in monthly allowance for the disabled who are working:
Please note that this new jump of allowance of RM350 from RM300 only applies to those who qualify for it. Their salaries cannot be more than RM1,200 a month. So don't be misled into thinking that all disabled people with jobs are going to get it.
 

Furthermore, some applicants for the allowance say their requests were rejected when welfare officers discovered satellite television and refrigerators in their homes, regardless of who pays for them.
 

Some disabled recipients of the employment aid have even accused the welfare officers of cutting their money midway without even informing them about it. They are then made to reapply for it which involves a whole tedious process.
 

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how low and negligible RM50 really is for the handicapped.
 

A decent wheelchair can cost as much as RM2,000 and electric ones are five times that amount. Let's also not forget that repairs and maintenance costs also run into the hundreds.
 

What does one do when there is no choice but to get them fixed?
 

Then, there are increasing medical bills to consider. These are related to their various types of disabilities which often keep the handicapped – even if he or she is employed – in the same financial position where they started.
 

The main reason for their disappointment is disabled groups have been lobbying the government instead for a monthly RM500 living allowance for all disabled people in Malaysia, regardless if they are working or not.
 

That clearly fell on deaf ears with Budget 2015, leaving them to feel as if what they are being offered instead are scraps from the government's table.
 

RM50 increase to RM200 allowance for the jobless disabled: this is, unfortunately, a bit of a misnomer, too.
 

Unemployed disabled people whom I met did not necessarily get the full RM150 (the old amount). Some would get RM30, others RM60. Only one I knew received a maximum of RM90 a month – not a single sen more.
 

And come on now, RM200 for the jobless? Shouldn't it be more like 10 times the amount when you have nothing in your hands?
 

I can't imagine our prime minister or welfare minister being forced to look after themselves with only that amount of money!
 

The problem was in some of the welfare officers making arbitrary decisions on the amount based obviously on their own personal "handicapped" thinking.
 

The officers assumed that all jobless disabled people were just "plain lazy" – even if they were bedridden or struggling to be employed because of their genuine conditions.
 

The budget promises "RM1.2 billion in financial assistance for poor families, children, senior citizens and the disabled" in that order.
 

Considering the fact that the United Nations officially defines the disabled as the "poorest of the poor" in any and every society of the world, perhaps we ought to rearrange that listing a little bit and place the disabled first, rather than in the last category.
 

The UN also has the disabled as the "largest minority group in the world".
 

And another thing to ensure that the disabled do in fact get the aid that they so badly need in our society, we should not only put in a lion's share into their development but give plenty of thought on how that can be best achieved.
 

Finally, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities gets an annual grant of RM1million. Why this amount for a group that barely meets four times a year? What has it done to improve the quality of the disabled’s lives in society when they hardly interact with the disabled community?
Perhaps the biggest question (and disappointment) we all need to ask is what has the new disabled senator who sits in a wheelchair done to give us a good budget?
 

There is no point in blaming the prime minister or even the welfare minister, when people who have the experience of handicap fail to use their gifts to educate those who are "less informed". – October 12, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/anthony-sb-thanasayan/article/a-budget-that-places-the-disabled-last#sthash.TEXA5VKW.dpuf

A guide dog for the blind that made others see red

On guide dogs for the blind

Anthony SB Thanasayan

Anthony SB Thanasayan is a wheelchair user who is powered by his service dogs who help him stay on top of life. He is president of Malaysia's first and only animal-assisted therapy society called Petpositive.

Anthony SB Thanasayan

Published: 7 October 2014

 

Animal lovers around the globe celebrated World Animal Day on October 4, marking the event, which was set up in 1931, with a variety of activities to bring attention to the plight of all animals and our relationship with them as human beings.
 

While most of these efforts are often laudable and do much to raise awareness about the unique role that animals play in enriching our lives; some, unfortunately, fall way below the mark.
Recently a video of a blind man trying to take his guide dog around Kuala Lumpur caught the attention and admiration of many, mostly sighted persons.
They saw a man and his canine guide trying to get into a bus and a taxi but was shooed away because of the animal. This, despite the fact that the individual had tried to explain to them that his pet was a special assistant. The duo received the same treatment when they tried to access into a shopping complex. They were promptly surrounded by the security staff and showed the door.
 

No amount of explanation succeeded to convince the authorities to let them in as a special case.
As a result, the video, and a number of media that carried the story afterwards, concluded that Malaysians were an uncaring bunch who refused to consider the needs of those with really special needs.
 

The blind, however, especially those who have been championing for their rights only saw red in the video.
 

Whilst they too were in support for assistance dogs in Malaysia one day, they argued that the video and the stories in the media were at best half-baked and full of distortions about the situation of the blind in the country.
 

A spokesperson for a blind organisation who didn't want to be named said, "The video caused a lot of damage to the image of the blind in Malaysia.
 

"It went overboard in emphasising the usefulness of guide dogs by implying that the blind in Malaysia can't have a high quality of life and purpose without service animals.
 

"This is utter rubbish. It unfairly devalues the purpose of white canes which aid the blind to go about anywhere they want. It is an indispensible tool for the blind, even for those who have guide dogs."
 

Another visually impaired Malaysian William Koh, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, and has been using a guide dog since he became totally blind through glaucoma points out that there must be a strong and viable support service in any country that wishes to start a guide-dog service.
"The dog, for instance, must be trained in Malaysia's particular surrounding (with all the relevant bodies involved) in order for the animal to work effectively," he explained.
 

William went on to point out that he had to stay with his guide-dog-to-be for a full month in the training centre before they graduated from class.
 

In all that time, he had to prove to the trainers that he was able to take care of the basic needs of his dog like feeding, bathing and general care.
 

If there was any problem such as William's canine not being able to adapt to his new partner or vice versa, the centre would try to see if another canine was available as suitability was a key ingredient in all guide dog applicants.
 

(This was not shown in the video. Instead, the dog was brought to the blind man in his home. Another situation that doesn't work with guide dog training.)
 

After the full month orientation programme, a human trainer was sent to William's home to work with his dog. They had to teach the guide dog how to go to the bank, post office and other places where William frequented in his normal activities before the duo were paired off successfully.
 

Some of the other concerns are:
 

• Guide dogs need to be properly trained and accredited to internationally recognised guide dog organisations.
 

• How will dogs that are not trained in Malaysia be able to cross our infamous streets where vehicles are known to dash through red lights when crossing - especially motorcycles?
 

• What happens if stray dogs which are common in Malaysia attack guide dogs and their human partners?
 

• Guide dogs in Australia cost A$30,000 (RM86,000). William got his free of charge from the Seeing Eye Dog of Australia. Will the same be done in Malaysia after they are trained locally?
The bottom line is the answer to having guide dogs in Malaysia will never work just by importing an animal from overseas. They must be trained locally. This must include all the relevant parties, private and government bodies to get involved with more ongoing awareness about the purpose of such canines in our society.
 

It is not a matter of simply blaming people of being uncaring. – October 7, 2014.
 

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/anthony-sb-thanasayan/article/on-guide-dogs-for-the-blind#sthash.odc4amz3.dpuf