By: Zaki Salleh
IPOH – Understanding the issues and needs of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) within the community is vital to ensure their inclusion. Therefore, the organization of the Training Of Trainers (TOT) workshop by the Perak State Council for Persons with Disabilities (MTOP) in 2023 is a highly commendable initiative.
This workshop, organized by the Perak state government under the purview of the Chairperson of the Women, Family, Social Welfare, Entrepreneurship, and Cooperative Development Committee of Perak (WakeUP), in collaboration with the Perak Women’s Secretariat and the Darul Ridzuan Institute, has received widespread acclaim.
The two-day workshop was held at the Travelodge Hotel and saw the participation of 80 attendees, including officials from various relevant agencies and individuals with disabilities (PWDs) who were appointed as members of the MTOP Committee.
Also present at the workshop were the Executive Councillor for Housing and Local Government, Sandrea Ng, and the Executive Councillor for Tourism, Industry, Investment, and Development of the Perak Corridor, Loh Sze Yee.
One of the highlights of the workshop was the Disability Equality Training (DET), aimed at enhancing public understanding of disability issues. It employed a comprehensive approach to comprehend the needs of PWDs from a social model perspective.
The TOT workshop also involved discussions on all findings, recommendations, feedback, and insights gathered from the Townhall Session to be implemented at both the state and district levels.
The MTOP Committee comprises PWDs, and relevant experts, and is divided into six (6) working clusters, all to assist MTOP in fulfilling its role and responsibilities in the development of PWDs in the state.