Eye-opening day out with disabled

Something happened during the holidays recently which surprised me.

And it turned out to be not only the perfect year-ender event to 2015, but it was also the best personal kick-start factor to get me started on a squeaky clean New Year in 2016.

A 19-year-old university student contacted me in early December for an interview project he wanted to do on disabled persons.

After spending more than two hours chatting with him – and noticing how enthusiastic he was with his assignment – I pointed out to him that they best way to understand disabled people is by going out with them and spending some time with them.

Only then, I said, would you be better able to appreciate the real problems they faced in our society through our neglect for their needs and the public’s often negative perceptions about disabled people.

Three days later, he called me with some thrilling news. He decided to take up my challenge and go watch a movie with a wheelchair user.

However, finding someone in that condition among his circles wasn’t easy.

It wasn’t until his parents started asking around their friends when they came across another young man about the same age who was wheelchair-bound and spent most of his time at home.

A car accident a few years ago had made him permanently paralysed. It also robbed him of his confidence and career.

Although the hospital did its best in teaching him living skills when he was in the ward – it wasn’t the same when he got home.

He became a recluse and spent most of his time by the telly.

However, when the university student invited him for a movie, surprisingly he said, “Yes”.

The first challenge was to get his wheelchair into the student’s car. Unfortunately, the boot wasn’t large enough.

However, thankfully the wheelchair could be folded into a smaller size and be tucked away neatly in the backseat.

At the mall’s car park, the student made sure not to park in the disabled slot. This was because he was an able-bodied driver and didn’t want to take up the slots meant for handicapped drivers.

He dropped off his disabled guest in the waiting area and re-parked in a regular slot for the non-disabled.

When he came back, he noticed that other drivers were not as conscientious as he was. Some able-bodied drivers had grabbed the disabled slots without batting an eyelid.

At the ticket counter, there was no wheelchair logo sign to guide a disabled person or his helper where to go.

And non-disabled patrons who had formed long beelines and blocked the pathway seemed unhappy to allow a wheelchair to cross.

There was an awkward moment in the cinema when the university student went to get some drinks. While he had places to rest his popcorn and drink cup in the seat, there was none for the wheelchair-area seating.

After the movie, there was some time to catch some fast food before the adventurous duo returned home.

Needless to say, the sink area to wash your hands wasn’t accessible to wheelchairs. The mall’s disabled-friendly washroom was turned into a storeroom of mops and pails.

It took about 20 minutes before it was cleared for use.  

The student told me that nothing was more eye-opening to him about disabilities than on the day he went on a trip with his new wheelchair friend.

He said that he had always thought that people with disabilities suffered because of their handicap. However, now he knows that they have a much harder time by the lack of facilities.

“It’s our attitudinal barriers towards persons with disabilities which we need to change most,” he said.

Last week, I met up with this bright student again. He just wanted to inform me that he and his friend are planning on going out again very soon.

“This time, it’s to the local swimming pool!” he said with a twinkle in the eye. – January 4, 2016.  

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.