By Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
TANJONG MALIM: The 2026 Perak Persons with Disabilities (OKU) Awareness Month should not end as an annual event, but instead serve as sustained momentum to create more opportunities and empower the OKU community.
Wife of the Perak Menteri Besar and Baiduri Perak president Datin Seri Aezer Zubin said efforts to empower the OKU community must focus on their potential, talents, abilities and contributions to their families, society and the state.
She said differences in abilities should not be a reason for people with disabilities to be excluded from mainstream society.
“Instead, we need to build a more caring society that understands their needs, respects their rights, and provides them with the space and opportunities to enjoy life like everyone else,” she said.
She said this when officiating the 2026 Perak OKU Awareness Month launch ceremony at the Banquet Hall, Perak State Secretariat Building, here today.
She said access for the OKU community to education, skills training, employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, social activities, sports and the arts must continue to be expanded.
At the same time, she said support for families and caregivers was also important as they serve as a source of strength for children with disabilities in building more independent lives.
“Do not see their limitations as a barrier to their future.
“Allow them to try, the space to learn and the confidence to become independent,” she said.
She also urged the OKU community in Perak to continue moving forward, creating, learning and trying without allowing other people’s perceptions to determine their capabilities.
“You are not merely part of society. You are part of the strength of society,” she said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) Registrar Helmi Zaifura Abdul Rahman said this year’s OKU Awareness Month would run for more than a month, from Oct 1 to Nov 6.
He said various programmes had been organised, with emphasis placed on the direct participation of the OKU community.
The programme is jointly organised by the Perak Women and Community Development Secretariat (Wanita Perak) and UPSI’s Centre for Inclusive Studies for Communities and Persons with Disabilities (CIRCLE), in collaboration with various agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Among the activities are the OKU-Thon Trivia competition, an OKU student public speaking competition, a sign language storytelling competition and a TikTok Awareness competition aimed at spreading awareness about facilities and the needs of the OKU community.
Meanwhile, Perak Women, Family, Community Welfare and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman Datuk Salbiah Mohamed said the state government would continue advancing the OKU agenda through coordination among various parties.
She said this included efforts through the Perak OKU Action Council and its working committee to ensure issues and the needs of the OKU community could be discussed in a more structured manner.
