MALAYSIA Creating Equal Opportunities For Persons With Disabilities Work with the Deaf in the YMCA of Kuala Lumpur started as a simple act of committing space and personnel resource in 1973 for a group of Deaf youth for social interaction at a time when they were "neglected" by most of society. Today, the Deaf regard the YMCA as an organisation where they can find support to make a difference in their lives, seeking and attaining self-confidence towards self-reliance and independence. From a humble beginning of only 12 Deaf youths, the Integrated Deaf Work Programme was developed and implemented in 1985. Work now ranges from Early Intervention to work with all sectors of the Deaf community and their families. The Parents Support Group links parents of the Deaf for mutual learning and support, especially in matters relating to the rights of their children. Today the Integrated Deaf Work Programme meets the special needs of the Deaf community not only in Kuala Lumpur, but also throughout Malaysia. Programmes and activities are developed together with the Deaf upon identification of a specific need. The staff at the Self-reliance Centre now headed by a Deaf person, are mainly Deaf. The Centre has been successful in meeting the needs, creating public awareness and advocating for the rights of the Deaf and people with disabilities. It is a reference point for various government ministries, including the Education, Health, Human Resource, and National Unity and Social Development Ministries, universities and colleges, for issues on Deafness and different aspects of work with the Deaf, including Sign Language, Interpreting and Deaf Culture. The Centre has also been the training ground for many of the Deaf leaders in various organisations of the Deaf, and the Deaf Youth Club is a model for many such Deaf Youth Clubs throughout the country. Networking with other Deaf Organisations and organisations of persons with disabilities, it has been actively pursuing the rights of differently able persons with the authorities and private sector. These have mainly been in the areas of education, employment, early identification, accessibility to information, including the right to an interpreter (for the Deaf). A Deaf business Laundrette (the first in Malaysia) was set up in 1990 to provide entrepreneur training for Deaf youths. It now has 20 Deaf shareholders and managed by 5 Directors - all Deaf. It has now been a model for other businesses run by people with disabilities. The following are key steps in the promotion of equal opportunities for the Deaf in the Malaysian Society: • Enabling for Participation For further information please contact: YMCA Self-reliance centre for the Deaf, |
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