It has been rightly said that a ‘cultural debate’ could be done on any of our issues that we wish to discuss. I wrote on the Simulation Exercises the other day, and Eleanor had kindly posted some comments. Thanks Eleanor.

Eleanor said, “As a wheelchair user, I think perhaps our objections is that the person in a simulation exercise can get up and walk away. And then “there but for the grace of God” – I think there is a whole disability culture discussion to be done here. My wheelchair is not a barrier -it is a facilitator. People who go in a chair and then give anecdotes about how s/he finds being in it a “experience” misses the complexity of being a wheelchair user. It follows the medical model in a way – if you understand what I am trying to explain here.
People who are visually impaired or blind do not object – perhaps because they do not  ’see’ it happening. However, I am not sure my visually impaired friends do not feel the same objections about this kind of stimulation.
But you are right in that it can be included carefully into a well designed training system…to get away from the ’sayang…’ attitude.”

Just to elaborate on the Awareness Training that we adopted from UNESCAP in 2000: we also had a session called ‘Understanding Dimensions’. Disabled activist would need to learn about dimensions and the concept of space before they could actually recommend to others what is to be done.

In Malaysia, you may have to deal with F Class Contractors (the lowest classed contractors) who managed to get the contract to construct pavements in front of a school or the place you work. I have a great example of that at my work place. The pavement heights are (hmm) 1 foot high or more. ( I will try to get the pictures in here later…) and the students walking up and down these pavements (kerbs) are having a good workout on their calf and hamstring muscles!

Getting back to the point, I mean, anyone should get a lesson on understand dimensions and actually know what dimensions to recommend to the contractor (if they could do so) because what has been cast in concrete (or stone) will be difficult to rectify in retrospect!

When we trained the local authority’s technical personnel at MBPJ (Petaling Jaya City Council) (see link page 36) we want them to see the relationship between what they draw on paper and what the disabled user actually have to endure (experience) such as using the wheelchair to negotiate a steep ramp. It was not our aim to make them feel ‘the experience in a wheelchair’. We would ask them to open heavy doors of their offices with poorly designed door handles and ask them to manouvre their chair through it. “Shame” is part of the programme, we have to admit because in our culture, we use “shame” to bring on the message.

If I could device a contraption or an equipment that does not demean the ‘wheelchair user’, or perhaps an equipment that works like a wheelchair but does not look like one, and use that in the training, then that could well please everyone.

In Malaysia, with the Government dragging its feet on the Disabled Person’s Act…when is it going to pass through Parliament…and the next General Election coming…we are on this  ‘yo-yo ride’ which needs some steadying and some vision and some commitment, so while we wait we have got to do something and push on…even with the wheelchairs…