Wheelchair user in Borneo wants to educate taxi drivers

From The Borneo Post:

KOTA KINABALU, Borneo -- Taxi drivers in the city should go for professional training on how to serve the disabled customers, especially wheelchair users.

26-year-old Suzie Yantie Wenson (pictured) who experienced such ill treatment when using the taxi recently said that she was disappointed with the attitude of some unhelpful cabbies in the city and decided to voice her disgust.

“I have experienced being refused by taxi drivers so many times to drive me to the shopping mall, and now, I would never call for a taxi anymore.

“Since I am active with the Young Voice’s activities, we will be able to share our experiences and talk to each other and exchange our views on how to tackle our challenges, especially when we are living with the normal people,” said Suzie who works as a salesgirl in a jewellery shop here.

According to Suzie, who had never been to school but still can converse fluently in English and Malay, disabled people like them would never seek for sympathy but they really need a small favour from the people to enable them to merge into the community.

She said getting to a certain place for the disabled, especially those on wheelchairs, was their major problem — they have no friends or family members to take them to the destination.

“I dare not call for a taxi or use the other public transport because they will never help us.

“People may look at us as being useless but we are not very different, we have the same brain and heart.

“The only difference is that we are on a wheelchair and normal people walk,” added Suzie who was among 160 disabled who received wheelchairs donated by the Latter Day Saints Charities at the Sabah Cheshire Home in Likas yesterday.

Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun handed over the wheelchairs to those present at the function.