KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 — The government has provided various incentives and initiatives aimed at empowering the lives of persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Budget 2022, said Welfare Department (JKM) deputy director-general (operations) Fatimah Zuraidah Salleh.
She said among the initiatives provided through the RM332.1 billion budget was the allocation of RM10 million to the independent living centres (ILC) and the industrial training and rehabilitation centres for the implementation of training and guidance programmes for the PwD group.
The government, she added, had also directed all television networks including the private stations to provide sign language interpreters during their news broadcasts to ensure the PwD group is kept up to date with the latest news and information.
She said the department had also created a programme called MyDaftar OKU through the Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia initiative to enable the PwD group to receive the Digital OKU Card.
“Since it was launched on Oct 31 last year, almost 20,000 PwDs have received their Digital OKU Cards and we are targeting all PwDs registered with the Welfare Department to be registered digitally.
“The government has come out these initiatives aimed at ensuring that they are not marginalised,” said Fatimah Zuraida when reading a speech on behalf of Deputy Women, Family And Community Development Minister Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff at the launch of the Mata Hatiku Education Fund Project for the Visually Impaired, Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) here today.
Holders of the Digital OKU Card will gain an advantage in various programmes, such as the National Education Programme, PwD students financial aid in schools and counseling services as well as the opportunity to attend rehabilitation programmes at the training/rehabilitation institutes.
According to Fatimah Zuraida, the Mata Hatiku Project between the MAB and Six Sense Creative Sdn Bhd is a collaboration that is encouraged as the government wanted to ensure that corporate firms also played their roles in the development of PwD group.
Meanwhile, MAB vice-president Datin Fauziah Mohd Ramly said the project would enable it to collect money for the Education Fund through the sale of headscarves made by Six Sense Creative.
“The Mata Hatiku Project has 30 types of headscarf designs and 15 per cent of the sale proceeds of each headscarf will be channeled to the MAB Education Fund.
“We hope the public will support this project as we are hoping to collect RM500,000 this year to help the visually impaired PwDs who will be furthering their education at institutions of higher learning,” she added.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency