DET Training

On September 29, 2020, the Selangor Action Council for the Disabled (MTOS) and the Malaysian Independence Association for the Disabled (MILAD) hosted a Disability Equality Training (DET) workshop at the Crystal Crown Hotel in Petaling Jaya.

The purpose of DET is to create awareness among the civil servants and promote the integration of disabled and non-disabled people in a more inclusive environment.

The workshop has received 52 staff from all the local councils in Selangor, including Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya, Majlis Perbandaran Shah Alam, Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya, Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya, Majlis Perbandaran Kajang, Majlis Perbandaran Klang, Majlis Perbandaran Selayang, Majlis Perbandaran Sepang, Majlis Perbandaran Kuala Langat, Majlis Daerah Hulu Selangor, Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor, and Majlis Daerah Sabak Bernam.

The facilitators of the workshop were Rizal Mohd Noor, the first disabled climber to conquer Everest Base Camp and Mount Kinabalu Azzrulkhan Hasrullah (aka Adam Khan), Wang Yoon Long of the National Council for the Blind, and the president of MILAD, Esther Lim, and the General Secretary, Pastor Sia Siew Chin. The five mentors have been devoting themselves to advocating the fundamental rights of people with disabilities in .Malaysia and promoting the movement of independent living.

A notable feature of the workshop was the presence of YB Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud. In her closing speech at the end of the workshop, she reiterated that people with disabilities should enjoy the same human rights as everyone else and they should be able to lead their lives as full citizens in society. She also emphasized that all city councils needed to coordinate and work together to empower people with disabilities, and hope that Selangor will soon become an inclusive and barrier-free state.

The turnout for the workshop means that the issue of disabilities began to emerge within the public discourse. The training has not only enabled the authorities to have a deeper understanding of the social model of disabilities, but also allowed them to experience how an unfriendly environment imposed various barriers on the disabled. It is expected that through this workshop, each local council will include barrier-free facilities as its primary consideration when implementing local development plans, and also incorporate the basic human rights of the disabled people into its development policies.