Govt urged to have special quota for employment of disabled

SEREMBAN: The government has been urged to make it compulsory for every employer to have a special employment quota for people with disabilities.
Ainol Amriz Ismail, 49, who has a disabled daughter, said with such a quota it would help the disabled to lead a normal life and not be too dependent on government and community assistance.
"There are employers who have no confidence in the capability of the disabled. They regard the disabled as second class in the employment sector," he said when met at the Seremban district-level Disabled Career Carnival here today.
Ainol Amriz, who was accompanying his daughter, Anis Athirah, 21, at the carnival, said the disabled had difficulty in finding a job due to the mentality of employers who felt that the disabled could not perform well.
"They (employers) should instead provide opportunities for the disabled to show their capability as they have various skills in accordance with their disabilities.
"I salute companies participating in today's carnival for their willingness to set aside their misconception and take up the challenge of hiring the disabled," he said.
Ainol Amriz said through this carnival, his daughter, who had learning problems, managed to secure a job with AEON Seremban 2 and would report for work this coming Thursday.
Another disabled visitor to the carnival, Muhammad Iqbal Abu Latiffi, 23, who recently graduated in Computer Science from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), said the disabled should not miss this golden opportunity in securing a job.
"This is a good programme which should be held regularly to assist people like me to get a job," he said.
G.Kathirvan, 20, who lost a leg in a backhoe accident four years ago, said this programme could help him find a suitable job considering his physical handicap.
Meanwhile, over 150 job opportunities were offered to the disabled by 15 companies, including Parkson, Sushi King, McDonald's, Harolds Bread, Mdec eRezeki, SWM Environment, The Royale Bintang, Mydin, Toto Malaysia, Klana Resort Seremban, Alfa Packaging, Favelle Favco Cranes, Sim Foo Enterprise and Masaero Sdn Bhd.
The one-day carnival, jointly organised by the Seremban Social Welfare Office, Nilai Municipal Council and JobsMalaysia., was opened by Paroi assemblyman Mohd Ghazali Abd Wahid.
In his speech, Mohd Ghazali said the disabled needed jobs with the accompanying benefits to be economically independent.
"However, society is still skeptical of the capability of the disabled due to prejudices towards this group, hence their difficulty in getting employed," he said. — Bernama