Khiu Kim Hong

A student trying to learn by doing

3 minute read

Introduction

YMAC 2020 was an online tertiary conference which simulates an ASEAN summit. About 130 participants from polytechnics and Institutes of Higher Learning(IHL) from Singapore, selected ASEAN countries, China and India where involved participated in the conference. Participants took on the role of ASEAN delegates who researched and discussed economic, social and cultural issues during the conference, in order to propose action plans to effect positive change in ASEAN. Delegates will also be exposed to expert panel discussions and e-learning/workshops on ASEAN and cultural intelligence.

Participants were assigned a country to represent and an issue to tackle. A position summary also needed to be drafted to help participants better understand how the assigned issue affects their country, thus allowing participants to better represent their country during the event itself.

Position Summary

Issue assigned: How can we help people with disabilities(PWD) in the face of Covid-19 and its effects?

Country assigned: Malaysia

What is the status of the issue in your assigned ASEAN country?

There are currently 2 factors to be considered, people with disabilities and the response to COVID19.

As of 2017, there are 453,258 persons with disabilities (PWD) registered with the Department of Social Welfare. Physical disability is the highest percentage of PWD with 35.2% and learning disability with the second highest at 34.8%. [1][2]

Regarding COVID19, numerous measures were implemented to address it. Firstly, Movement Control Order (MCO), which saw the prohibition of large crowds, and the closure of all schools and non-essential government and private services [3]. Secondly, the Economic Stimulus Plan which aimed to address the economic impact of COVID19. The plan included a ‘caring package’ of RM128 billion for social welfare and RM100 billion for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) [4]. A further stimulus plan worth RM10 billion aimed at SME affected by MCO was also launched [5].

What is your assigned country’s stand on this issue?

The response has been focused on the general population at large, there has been some measures to accommodate PWD, although more could still be done. For example, all official government communications have sign language interpretations and RM5 million was budgeted for food deliveries to elderly with disabilities [6]. However, concerns have been raised on the accessibility of information aimed at PWD, such as lack of Braille translations [7]. Further concerns have been raised regarding students with learning disabilities and distance learning. Human Rights Watch expressed worry that students with disabilities can face exclusion if lessons are not made accessible to them [8].

State 2-3 solutions that will or should be taken by ASEAN or regional governments to solve the issue.

  1. Expansion of the Department of Social Welfare
    • Improve the capabilities of the department to cater to the needs of PWD
    • Increase in research and development of future strategies to cater to PWD
  2. Improved information accessibility for PWD
    • Translate more documents into Braille
    • Enhance implementation of teaching methods that caters to students with learning disabilities

Reflection of program

Overall I had an enriching time at YMAC 2020. The drafting of the position summary gave me the opportunity to conduct research into an area that I would not have otherwise looked into. Reading the position summaries and interacting with the other delegates also proved informative as I learned about issues that I normally do not look into.

Sources

  1. Dosm.gov.my. 2018. Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Portal. [online] Available at:https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=152&bul_id=NU5hZTRkOSs0RVZwRytTRE5zSitLUT09&menu_id=U3VPMldoYUxzVzFaYmNkWXZteGduZz09 [Accessed 16 October 2020].

  2. Jkm.gov.my. 2020. Portal Rasmi Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat(Department of Social Welfare Official Portal). [online] Available at:http://www.jkm.gov.my/jkm/index.php?r=portal/left&id=UnN2U3dtUHhacVN4aHNPbUlPayt2QT09 [Accessed 16 October 2020].

  3. NST Online. 2020. Covid-19: Movement Control Order Imposed With Only Essential Sectors Operating New Straits Times. [online] Available at: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/575177/covid-19-movement-control-order-imposed-only-essential-sectors-operating [Accessed 16 October 2020].

  4. The Star Online. 2020. Muhyiddin Unveils Rm250bil Economic Stimulus Package. [online] Available at: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/27/muhyiddin-unveils-rm250bil-economic-stimulus-package [Accessed 16 October 2020].

  5. The Star Online. 2020. Muhyiddin Unveils Rm10bil Stimulus Package For SMEs (Updated).[online] Available at: <https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/04/06/muhyiddin- unveils-rm10bil-special-stimulus-package> [Accessed 16 October 2020].

  6. Ifes.org. 2020. Advocacy Success For Disability-Inclusive Responses To COVID-19 In Southeast Asia. [online] Available at: <https://www.ifes.org/news/advocacy-success-disability- inclusive-responses-covid-19-southeast-asia> [Accessed 16 October 2020].

  7. Nikkei Asia. 2020. Asia Is Neglecting Disabled People During Coronavirus Outbreak. [online] Available at: <https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Asia-is-neglecting-disabled-people-during- coronavirus-outbreak> [Accessed 16 October 2020].

  8. The ASEAN Post. 2020. Facing A Pandemic With Disabilities. [online] Available at:https://theaseanpost.com/article/facing-pandemic-disabilities [Accessed 16 October 2020].

Appendix A - Proof of participation

proof
Proof of participation

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