SIBU: Methodist Pilley Institute (MPI) recently held a seminar entitled ‘Thinking About Meeting The Needs Of Children With Disabilities’ for some 60 students under the college’s
Early Childhood Education programme.
The purpose was to enhance students’ understanding of the subjects taught in the early childhood education programme.
The executive director of Wings Melaka Dr Lim Boon Hock was the speaker.
Wings Melaka is a non-profit-making organisation devoted to making a difference in the lives of people with special needs and their families, by providing learning opportunities that will enable them to achieve their full potential.
Dr Lim said that the statistics taken from WHO 2011 World report on disability 2011, showed that disability was a universal experience with economic and social costs to individuals, families, communities and nations.
“Over a billion people including children (or about 15 per cent of the world’s population) are estimated to be living with disability,” he added.
He further elaborated the case by quoting Consultant Community Paediatrician and Head of Paediatric Department, Ipoh Hospital Dato Dr Amar Singh who said, “The actual number of children with disability locally is not available.”
“Local experience has shown that a significant majority of children referred to the Welfare Department do not get on the national register and an even larger number go undetected.”
“The best indication of the true rate of children with significant disability is from international studies which suggest that more than 10% of all children have developmental problems and that the rate detected increases with age 4-8.”
“Applying a rate of 10% to the population of children under 15 years old for 2005 population figures suggests that more than 850, 000 children have a disability, with at least a third of these being severe and requiring rehabilitation.”
Dr Lim explained that Malaysia was a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, which states that education is a basic human right and fundamental to the fight for human dignity and freedom, regardless of individual differences.
It is stated clearly in Article 1 that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and Article 2 that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind.
“UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities was signed by Malaysia on 8 April 2008. Laws were then enacted to promote and develop the quality of life and wellbeing of persons with disabilities who can have access to public facilities, amenities and services and buildings, public transport facilities, employment, information, communication technology, cultural life, recreation, leisure, sport and most importantly education.”
“The pressing issue now is whether all children with disabilities and special needs are accessing education.
“Meeting the needs of children with disabilities is a matter of great urgency, and there is
a great need to promote this important aspect of disability work to meet the needs of the disabled through social work.” urged Dr Lim.