Help us register OKUs, urges Fatimah
KUCHING: The disabled or OKU should be given the chance to realise their aspirations and not kept at home, in denial of the right platform with a range of therapies and inclusive education catering to their special needs.
A volunteer from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Yuika Oku, said disabled children are able to develop if the right approach is adopted.
“(Self) Discrimination on OKU, perceiving them as ‘a failure’ was the main factor why parents with disabled children were reluctant to send them to the Community Rehabilitation Centre (PDK).”
She noted that OKU, which includes those with learning and physical disabilities, should be given an equal chance like normal children.
There is seemingly still a large number of OKU who are kept at home and not given the due attention they need to fulfil their potential.
“This is not a normal scenario. For that I hope the awareness in assisting the OKU will intensify,” she told The Borneo Post during the forum on ‘Improving Quality of Life for the Disabled and their Family’ held at the State Library yesterday.
Another volunteer, Noriko Chubachi, said that there is a need for change in mindset when it comes to dealing with OKU and looking after their interests.
“There is certainly a huge difference in the approach initiated on improving the quality of life for the OKU here as compared to Japan,” she said, adding that depriving them their right to the needed attention is not ‘normal’ and that it is not an exception if OKU are left out.
Another volunteer Chiho Tokuda said OKUs can contribute in terms of their creativity through the right channel, where learning should actually start at an early age for them.
“We are here to assist in improving the quality of the OKU, as there is hope for them to develop, to acquire the needed skills. Close cooperation between parents, PDK, agencies as well as the teachers and caretakers will benefit the OKU in the long-run,” Chiho said.
She added that the forum experience can be shared while providing the needed information for parents in addressing their own disabled child.