When Understanding
Leads To Acceptance
When I was asked to take a class of college students pursuing a course in photojournalism last November, I decided it was a golden opportunity to introduce them to their peers with disabilities. By Mary Chen
As the song The Greatest Love of All goes: ‘I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way….”
At CHALLENGES, we believe one way to build a more caring future generation of Malaysians is by supporting youth-focussed projects that sensitise Malaysian youths to disability issues. Acceptance of another person’s individuality only comes with understanding and learning to communicate with one another is the first step in that direction.
So one Thursday morning the mass communication students from Dasein Academy of Art turned up at the Society of Families of Person with Learning Difficulties or PERKOBP in Puchong, Kuala Lumpur.
These students were tasked with taking photographs and write either an article about the centre or a personality piece on the trainees who are teenagers with learning disabilities.
Not surprisingly, many of the students have had no contact with people with disabilities prior to this assignment, simply because they had no reason to in the course of their daily lives. A few of the students panicked, asking me anxiously when faced with their special peers: “Must I talk to them?”, “What do I ask them?”, “Will they know how to answer me?”, “How do I talk to them?”.
I answered them with reassuring smiles and words and sent them back to the centre. As a facilitator, I can only set the stage and/or offer some guidelines but in the end it would really depend on the students’ own efforts to complete their assignments.
As a advocate for disability equality, it was encouraging to see the two groups of young adults warming up to each other, eventually.
Below is what the students had to say of their first-ever experience meeting PWDs.
Savouries from PERKOBP
By Low Bee Sin
When I first stepped into PERKOBP, I was attracted by the aroma from the bakery. Inside, there were two people making siew pao. I was really impressed because of the delicious smell that had everyone crowding inside the room.
Peter Phang, president of PERKOBP, gave us a briefing about the society. He said the society’s main aim is to equip their children with useful skills to let them achieve independent living. They have four main projects, namely Laundry project, Group Home project, Bakery project and Organic Farm project.
The trainees work from 9am to 4pm. They have salaries which they spend by themselves. When chatting with them, I felt very touched and happy. One of the trainees told me that her parents had passed away and that tomorrow it would be her birthday. She is happy because her friends at PERKOBP will celebrate with her. I admire her tough optimism and hope she will have a better future and be happy always.
Give The Disabled Child An Opportunity To Be Independent
By Wong Kai Hang
Parents need to understand that as the child grows up, there is a real need to allow him to take charge of his own life. How long can the parents be there to protect the child? What will happen to the child after the parents are no longer around?
Parents who really care for their disabled child, no matter how old the child is, should let the child learn to live independently. The parents should not just feed them but more importantly teach them survival skills because parents simply cannot be there forever. They must be taught skills to live independently and carry out their daily activities. That confidence will in turn empower the child to take charge of her or his own life, be responsible for their own actions and learn to be independent.
PERKOBP or Society of Families of Persons with Learning Difficulties, is a support group formed in early 1992 by a group of parents’ who were concerned with the welfare of their children who had learning difficulties. The society runs a centre with sheltered workshops for trainees with learning disabilities in Puchong, Kuala Lumpur. Although they are learning slowly, sometimes having difficulty in understanding and following instructions, yet they can still work and complete their tasks.
At the packaging workshop, you can see the trainees busy doing their work. They have their own work areas and responsibilities. You can even see the punch card machine where they clock in and out of office.
PERKOBP runs a few projects at the centre. The Laundry project teaches the trainees how to run a laundry service. You can also see the bakery, with the ovens and the trainees learning to bake. There is also an organic garden to provide additional outdoor activities for the trainees, especially those who cannot sit still for too long. The garden produces organic vegetables and the produce is sold to members and their families.
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