Some 250 disabled members from ten different organisations were present at the Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50) Dialogue session held at TAJ International College (TIC) recently.
Perak State Executive Councillor for Human Resource, Youth and Sports, Dato’ Shahrul Zaman Yahya, said that the session served as a medium for the disabled community to voice their aspirations.
“I was thrilled to hear their many lofty aspirations, some of which we may have overlooked or under-appreciated,” Shahrul enthused.
According to Shahrul, all aspirations, ranging from job opportunities, to education and infrastructure, will be brought to the centre stage. He proposed that the acronym OKU (Orang Kurang Upaya) be replaced with OLB (Orang Luar Biasa), as it sounds more accommodating.
The OLB Community hopes that the government will train more translators to help more people to understand sign language, and that more job opportunities will be provided for them.
“OLB officers should be posted to various departments to meet the needs of this disadvantaged community. High-tech OLB-friendly facilities should also be provided,” said Shahrul.
Among those present at the session were Malaysian Youth Council President, Mua’mar Ghadafi Jamal Jamaludin and Chief Executive Officer of TIC, Tina Tajuddin.
Luqman Hakim
