IT is disheartening and mentally taxing for individuals with disabilities who, despite their efforts to pursue higher education and be self-reliant, encounter closed doors when seeking employment opportunities.
How can individuals who are handicapped or wheelchair-bound attain independence if companies and government agencies do not employ them?
Education is essential in empowering individuals, including those with physical impairments, to obtain a respectable means of living.
However, these individuals are facing numerous challenges in getting jobs. Alternatively, when they are compelled to depend solely on public assistance, they face societal contempt.
Based on my personal experiences and observations, I find it difficult to maintain the belief that education invariably leads to a better life.
This realisation stems from witnessing the challenges faced by one of my students, Khu Li Fang, who became a quadriplegic following a tragic accident in 1999.
She suffered paralysis from a neck injury and requires the use of a wheelchair for the remainder of her life.
In response to her condition, her mother quit her job to care full-time for her daughter.
Despite her illiteracy, Khu’s mother understood the importance of education and consistently emphasised its role in her daughter’s survival and future prospects for independent living.
Before the accident, Khu was a high school student in Kedah. However, following the accident, her studies were disrupted as she became confined to a bed and wheelchair for her daily activities.
Recognising the significance of education, especially as a physically challenged person, she returned to school to continue her education two years after the accident.
Upon completing her studies, Khu decided to pursue her education at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman College in Penang.
It was during this period that I became acquainted with her through the former president of the Society of Disabled Persons Penang.
I mentored her as an English teacher for several years while consistently stressing to her the significance of education as a means to enhance her life and achieve independence.
I emphasised that by acquiring knowledge and wisdom, one can overcome, eliminate or mitigate obstacles and challenges in life.
Khu’s unwavering determination propelled her through high school, culminating in her achievement of a first-class honours degree in Social Sciences, and eventually earning a Master’s degree in Sociology.
However, I now realise that I may have given her false hope regarding the power of education to secure her future. Despite her persistent efforts, she has struggled to find employment.
It has been almost seven years since she completed her Master’s degree at Universiti Sains Malaysia, and she continues to face challenges in securing a job in the private and public sectors.
Despite her quadriplegic condition, she demonstrates remarkable determination by attending interviews regardless of the distance.
On one occasion, she travelled from Penang to Bangi for an interview, using her limited monthly income for transport and lodging. Unfortunately, the outcome has consistently been the same: unsuccessful.
It is disheartening to observe that my repeated encouragement and advice to her, emphasising that education was the sole path to weathering the storm, has not yielded the desired results for her.
I am concerned that her frequent failures to get a job would discourage her and deter her from sharing her experiences to motivate others, especially the physically impaired.
If she were to secure employment, she could serve as an exemplary role model for other physically challenged persons to emulate.
However, her repeated failures may now cast doubt on the notion that education leads to a better life, potentially dimming hopes for those facing similar challenges.
It would undoubtedly be a setback and disappointment for her. Nevertheless, I hope that her fighting spirit will remain strong and that her constent struggle to secure a job will not diminish her confidence.
Currently, Khu is making a living by selling lottery tickets. It is unfortunate that despite holding a Master’s degree, she is struggling to make ends meet and living a modest life.
The government has urged the public sector to increase the employment of disabled individuals to meet the 1% employment target.
I wonder if the various government departments have taken steps to fulfil this initiative.
