Wheelchair dancers inspire patients with spinal injuries

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Fatimah (back row, third right), SSPCIA members and the wheelchair dancers from Taiwan after the charity concert.

Fatimah (back row, third right), SSPCIA members and the wheelchair dancers from Taiwan after the charity concert.

PATIENTS with injuries to the spinal cord in Sibu have taken heart from the confidence inspired by the wheelchair dancers from Taiwan who performed at a recent local charity concert.

Members of the Sibu Spinal Cord Injuries Association (SSPCIA) who attended the show believe that like their Taiwanese counterparts, they too can lead a normal life.

SSPCIA president Liu Bee Sang is envisaging a better life for wheelchair users, earning a living to support not only themselves but their families without depending too much on public help.

He is optimistic that one day, SSPCIA members and other wheelchair-bound people will be able to lead productive lives instead of secluding themselves. And as a first step in this direction, he has opened an outlet — the SSPCIA Cafe — at the basement of Star Mega Mall.

All revenue generated by the Cafe will go to paying for the Association’s activities and the staff salaries.

“This Cafe is wheelchair-friendly from entrance to kitchen. The design enables patients to be wheeled about without disturbing the customers,” he told thesundaypost.

Liu came up with the idea of the Café while trying to find ways to fund SSPCIA activities.

“Members love participating in SSPCIA events and we always try to provide financial support to ensure they are not left out,” he said.

However, he believed that while the public had been very encouraging and generous, the Association could do more to achieve greater self-reliance.

“We cannot take public generosity for granted. There are no such things as free lunches. We should not wait for donations and expect people to come to our aid all the time.

“On the contrary, we must learn to stand on our feet and when people see we are helping ourselves, they will be readier to chip in. Who knows one day, our members may be able to sit at the same table with well-wishers and talk about joint-ventures,” he added.

The Cafe is designed to be wheelchair-friendly — from entrance to kitchen.

The Cafe is designed to be wheelchair-friendly — from entrance to kitchen.

Café idea gains traction

The SSPCIA has been supplying pastries to the supermarket in town since April this year. The idea of starting the Café was brought closer to reality a month later when Daesim Group chairman Dato Lau Ngie Hua asked whether SSPCIA could increase its supply.

He was hoping the Association could sell the supermarket more pastries — something it has not been able to do because there isn’t enough space at its Permai Jaya Centre to take in more equipment.

Lau saw the problem and suggested turning the basement of a vacant shoplot at Star Megamall into a bread factory. He offered the Association ‘a very reasonable rent’ and in mid-May, SPPCIA officials went to inspect the venue and liked what they saw. The members were very excited about the new Café project.

When Liu decided to rent the place, Lau constructed a ramp at the entrance. After months of preparations, the Café opened on Oct 9 — the only one in the state to be owned by the SPPCIA.

Right now, three members, including Liu, are working full time at the Café.

Liu said the Association was lucky in that a chef specialising in western cuisine was on hand to teach the staff how to cook.

“He’s a very busy guy, yet he still comes to help — until we are able to run things on our own.”

The Café is not opened to SSPCIA members only but also other wheelchair users. Training for the first intake of wheel-bound staff is expected to start in November.

After the training which is free, the trainees are welcomed to work for at the Café where they will be paid a minimum monthly wage of RM800.

“They will not be here just to pass time but work and earn a real salary. Employees can also be promoted,” Liu pointed out.

The kitchen is also designed to be wheelchair-friendly.

The kitchen is also designed to be wheelchair-friendly.

Opportunity to work

The reason for such enthusiasm is his belief that nobody should be denied a chance to work just because of his or her disabilities.

“I know the government provides bakery courses for the disabled but there are limitations. Almost all the disabled cannot find jobs in the bakeries in town due to their locations (as most bakeries situated upstairs) and the absence of wheelchair-friendly kitchens,” Liu explained.

He went to a bakery in Sibu once and asked whether SPPCIA members skilled in bakery could work there. The owner was understandably reluctant since a bakery or café would not go out of its way to renovate the whole facility to cater for just one or two disabled employees.

“That means it doesn’t matter even if a disabled person has skills — he or she still has to stay at home. It is as if you are giving them false hopes. So, I thought, we can make this Café as a training centre,” Liu said.

Sense of employment

He said to be able to work and have that sense of employment was important for the wheelchair users because the ability to earn their own money could boost their self-confidence.

The wheelchair dancers from Taiwan whom the SPPCIA members met on August 20 during the charity concert reflected such a posture.

“Let me tell you. There is a different feeling between spending your own money and other people’s money. Those wheelchair dancers have day jobs apart from dancing — meaning they are earning their own living.

“When they came here, they could tell you what they wanted, including food and drinks, just like normal people because they were paying for it with their own salary. I want the same for our members,” Liu stressed.

The Cafe will not be the only place for SPPCIA members to learn to fend for themselves and build a new life as it will also serve as an opening to every possibility.

“We want to create more businesses and platforms for our members and other wheelchair users because we realise not everyone loves bakery. But we don’t want them to be seen as helpless people. We want to try our best to help them build their lives and I believe we can do it,” Liu said.

Apart from bakery, SSPCIA also produces handicrafts and has its own band called Sayang Group.

Welfare, Women, and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah (right) joins in the performance by the Sayang Group during a recent visit to Sibu.

Welfare, Women, and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah (right) joins in the performance by the Sayang Group during a recent visit to Sibu.