Disabled still have little access to amenities, study finds


PETALING JAYA: Close to three quarters of public premises are rated three stars and below, with some requirements not up to Malaysian standards, an audit of accessibility for people with disabilities (OKU) conducted over 11 years has found.

The wide-ranging Accessibility Audit Study, gathered from 2011 to 2022, covered public, commercial, institutional and religious premises, recreational parks as well as outdoor, transportation and health facilities.

It was carried out by the International Islamic University Malaysia’s KAED Universal Design Unit (Kudu) under its Architecture and Environmental Design Faculty to gauge accessibility for OKU.Announcing the study results in a statement yesterday, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry said 195 premises were audited with the involvement of two or three local authorities.Of this total, only 13 premises were accorded a five-star rating while 40 premises got four stars.

“The remaining 73% of the audited premises received a rating of three stars or below. Of these, 89 premises were rated three stars, 48 premises two stars and five premises one star,” it said.The findings of the study were presented to the council committee of the National Association for the Disabled in a meeting chaired by minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri on Aug 1.

The ministry said that based on the audit, there was a lack of signage and directions that made it difficult to locate facilities such as toilets and parking for the disabled.Ramps for wheelchairs were also unavailable, which hindered OKU’s access to the main route and facilities. In addition, there were steep ramps that did not comply with Malaysian standards (MS1184).“The findings also showed damaged footpaths, disabled parking spaces that did not meet MS1184 specifications, and disabled parking without a stand sign.

“Apart from that, toilets for the disabled were quite small, with the mirror too high and not meeting specifications,” the study found. It also noted that a “refuge area” was not provided in the emergency stairwell area.Other shortcomings highlighted included elevators not fitted with braille or a voice transmission system, hampering accessibility for the visually-impaired.

The ministry said recommendations for improvement included standardising the universal design policies and guidelines and built environment for the whole country; and establishing a team or universal design unit in the technical department of the local authority which is related to pro-consultation purposes.

Others were reviewing plans for the universal design development; monitoring of new development areas; drawing up an accessibility master plan for each local authority; and organising an accessibility awareness programme and accessibility audit workshop to collaborate with government agencies or NGOs twice a year.

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