Providing job opportunities for the disabled would mean nothing if facilities to accommodate them were absent, said Damai Disabled Persons Association Malaysia president Murugeswaran Veerasamy.
Referring to a recent career fair organised by the Social Security Organisation (Socso) for persons with disabilities, he said it was a welcome move, but added that job allocations would be redundant if the infrastructure, transportation and education barriers were not addressed.
He told FMT many underlying issues remained unresolved.
“One must understand that offering jobs means providing a disabled-friendly environment for the potential employees to be able to work without any barrier,” he said.
Christine Lee, a wheelchair user working at a local investment bank, told FMT transportation remained a major hurdle for the disabled.
“Efforts need to be directed towards public transportation, which has been overlooked,” she said.
“Disabled-friendly facilities are coming up in certain public transport stations, but there are ramps built to the wrong specifications.”
She added that the poor connectivity in the public transport systems, with some stations having disabled-friendly facilities but not others, made travelling between some areas difficult for the disabled.
Nadhir Nasir, a researcher on disability issues, said a holistic approach was needed in providing meaningful employment to the disabled.
“We need to ensure the workplace is accessible and that disabled workers are provided with the necessary equipment, such as screen reader software.
“Opportunities for career development, empowering job modification and other reasonable adjustments in job specifications are needed,” he told FMT.
Murugeswaran, Christine and Nadhir all urged employers to provide the disabled with opportunities for career advancement that are equal to the opportunities given to able-bodied workers.
They said the disabled were as motivated as others to contribute to society in productive ways and should not be employed just for the sake of hiring, but also given the facilities and support.