SARAWAK must formulate policies to alleviate the daily struggles of the increasing number of blind and physically handicapped people in the state to facilitate their mobility in public, said Sarawak Society for The Blind in Malaysia chairman Isak Ngau.
The Federal Government has given huge sums of money to Sarawak from the annual Budget, thus the state should enact specific policies and channel funds towards the needs of the visually and physically handicapped in the state, he said.
"A group of our Society members recently travelled along the Pan Borneo Highway from Kuching to northern Sarawak to attend the International White Cane Day event in Bintulu town.
"Throughout the journey, we endured a lot of difficulties as there were no public toilet facilities for the blind or those in wheelchairs to use.
"At bus terminals, there were no railings that could lead blind people to the public toilets. "We had to ask the public to bring us to the nearest available toilets.
"In the bus terminals, no rubber footpaths were leading to food outlets that we could detect using our walking canes.
"Again, we need to seek help from the public to bring us to the nearest food stalls.
"For those in wheelchairs, they too faced similar difficulties, with public toilets and food outlets not equipped with ramps for wheelchair use,” he said.
He said in developed countries, all public places and premises catering to the public have specific facilities to meet the needs of the blind and wheelchair-bound.
Ngau, who trains the blind in different massage techniques, said the state must enact policies to make sure local council authorities, public transport operators, building managements, and others, provide the needed facilities to cater to the blind and those on wheelchairs.
On Oct 22, it was announced that the Sarawak state government is taking concrete steps to formulate policies to ensure adequate community care for those aged 60 and above in this vast state.
State Minister for Women, Community Wellbeing and Early Childhood Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said new policies need to be drawn up fast as Sarawak will be categorised as an aged state by 2028. - October 24, 2024
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