Take advantage of benefits, blind told

New Straits Times, Malaysia

Take advantage of benefits, blind told
By : Melissa Darlyne Chow
2009/04/29

GEORGE TOWN: There are 700,000 blind and visually impaired people in Malaysia but only 20,000 are
registered with the Welfare Department and the National Council for the Blind, Malaysia (NCBM).
NCBM president Datuk S. Kulasegaran urged those who have not registered to do so in order not to
miss out on benefits for the visually impaired such as allowances and training.

"Most of the unregistered ones live in rural areas and are not aware of the benefits.

"We hope their friends and relatives will alert them on the need to register. With the orang kurang
upaya (OKU) card, the blind and visually impaired can get a lot of benefits," he said at a press
conference yesterday after opening an international seminar on teaching therapeutic massage for the
blind at the St Nicholas' Home here.

Kulasegaran said NCBM's focus was to teach the blind and visually impaired on how to be
self-reliant.

Sarawak Society for the Blind chairman Datuk Dr Hsiung Kwo Yeun said acquiring skills in the field
of ICT puts the blind and visually-impaired on a level playing field with those who with sight.

He noted that of the 20,000 registered blind and visually-impaired, 80 per cent of them were in the
massage industry.

"In recent times, the blind and visually-impaired are facing problems in the massage industry due to
the economic downturn and also competition from those who are sighted.

"Due to these challenges, we are looking into upgrading their skills by way of specialisation,
especially along the line of therapeutic massage," he said.

St. Nicholas' Home chairman Rev Andrew Phang said the three-day seminar was getting different minds
together on how to improve massage training along therapeutic lines.

SOURCE

http://www.nst.com.my/Wednesday/National/2543714/Article/index_html