OKU SENTRAL EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT, DISPUTES USE OF 'SPECIALLY ABLED' TERMINOLOGY

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 (Bernama) -- OKU Sentral today expressed disappointment and opposition to Senator Isaiah Jacob’s persistent advocacy for the term ‘specially abled’, claiming that it disregards internationally accepted terminology endorsed by the United Nations and enshrined in Malaysia’s Persons with Disabilities Act, 2008. 

OKU Sentral President Senator (R) Datuk Dr Ras Adiba Radzi said that terms such as ‘disabled’, ‘Persons with Disabilities (PwD)’ or ‘Orang Kurang Upaya’ are widely accepted and agreed upon in Malaysia when referring to the OKU community. 

She said the promotion of euphemistic language undermines the struggles and challenges faced by the OKU community, diverting attention from critical issues that demand urgent attention.

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“Advocating for a change in terminology from ‘disabled’ to ‘specially abled’ or ‘differently abled’ as suggested by Senator Jacob may subject Malaysia to scrutiny from the international community and the United Nations.

“Malaysia ratified the UN Convention of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2010, and any delay in addressing terminology issues could hinder progress in improving the situation of the disabled,” she said in a statement today. 

Ras Adiba said if Senator Jacob, mandated to represent the voices of the OKU community, wishes to focus on language, the practical first step is to eliminate terms like ‘cacat’ or ‘kecacatan’ from government documents and replace them with more respectful terms such as ‘disabled’ or ‘kurang upaya’.

According to Ras Adiba, currently, government documents still use ‘Borang C (Cacat)’ in the Ministry of Education for any accommodation.

She also called for genuine engagement and collaboration and more meaningful action that prioritises substantive actions to address OKU community needs and challenges.  

“This includes efforts to strengthen laws and policies, enhance accessibility and infrastructure, promote employment and economic participation, improve healthcare access and wellbeing, and uphold rights and inclusion for all members of the OKU community,” she said. 

-- BERNAMA