Wheel-chair users share struggles and frustrations using disabled toilets in the Klang Valley

The Star

Dozens of toilets in the Klang Valley meant for people with disabilities (OKU) are not built to standards.   Many that were initially up to specification have either been vandalised or broken.   StarMetro’s recent inspections in public parks, train stations, MRT and LRT stations and transportation hubs in the city revealed numerous issues.   WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news  SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar  LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00Dozens of toilets in the Klang Valley, meant for people with disabilities or OKU, are not built up to specifications.

00:09Many have either been vandalized or broken.

00:12In some locations, repeated vandalism has led management to permanently close these facilities and turn them into storage rooms instead.

00:21Star Metro's recent inspections in public parks, train stations, MRT and LRT stations,

00:27and transportation hubs in the city, revealed numerous issues.

00:31Many of these disabled toilets were in a state of disrepair.

00:35Either the toilets were missing seats, handlebars, or simply not constructed to specifications.

00:41Some were even under lock and key, due to constant breakdowns.

00:4563-year-old Gurdip Kaur, who works for the Independent Living and Training Centre Malaysia,

00:51is furious that the toilets meant for the disabled community have been turned into storage rooms.

01:10A wheelchair user for three decades, Gurdip said,

01:13these disabled toilets are also small, hence it makes it difficult for a person in a wheelchair to navigate and manoeuvre.

01:21In Malaysia, they can do chunky, chunky washrooms, but the problem is it's not useful to our needs.

01:27Because you see, when I can go to the toilet, I must make sure the door I can close.

01:32But sometimes I can feel it's very narrow, I cannot turn around to close the door.

01:37A few years ago, Gurdip and a group of friends protested over the KTM Rawang station turning their toilet into a storeroom.

01:45Items were removed and facilities improved.

01:49But during a recent visit, it was found that the handrails were broken,

01:53there was no toilet paper and the toilet was initially locked.

01:57Sharing a similar predicament, Selangor State athlete in the Paralympic Games,

02:02Hemavati Muniandi was once trapped inside a disabled toilet at a restaurant.

02:07She said she could not move from the toilet bowl back onto her wheelchair due to the lack of space to manoeuvre.

02:14Yeah, I was trapped half an hour. Then one time my mum crying, how to save me.

02:20I'm a girl. Not every time I have to call my brother, I'm going to washroom, it's my personal, yes or not, private.

02:28So that's the moment where I need my brother's help. That's what I hate. I'm trying to be independent.

02:34This 25-year-old said this was not the first time she was caught in an embarrassing situation, being stuck inside a toilet.

02:42We are not walking inside the restroom. We are using the wheelchair to enter the washroom.

02:47So that's the time we need more space. So when there is no space, how to move the wheelchair?

02:53I have one hand. This one side is paralysed. I cannot carry the wheelchair and put it in, right? I need space.

03:01She says handrails are very crucial for their support.

03:05The rail should be, we have two. Because some people use two, some people use one. Some people won't use rail.

03:12So if we don't want to use the rail, we can fold. So foldable rail are must.

03:18So I'm a person that I won't use rail normally. So I will fold it. Or if I use one, I will use one and then one more I can fold it.

03:27So foldable rail are advisable.

03:31Meanwhile, President of the Independent Living and Training Centre Malaysia, G Francis Siva, has had his own share of toilet woes.

03:40This 64-year-old quadriplegic said it is very stressful for a wheelchair user when they urgently need to use the toilet, only to find it lacking.

03:49Recently I went to Suvarnabhumi, even the north-south highways are horrible because the water cannot flow, I mean the drainage.

04:01So really I suffer because the water pressure is not there.

04:04Francis said it is time for the government to take a serious look at their plight and protect their welfare and dignity.

04:11Council should do more active role to make ensure, go and check the audit.

04:16It's a basic right for the disabled toilet, for the disabled community.

04:19That also we are advocacy and fighting for this. Very shameful this.

04:26As a disabled, we prefer a sliding door because why you know, with the sliding door, the space will be like more spaces our wheelchair can enter inside.

04:36So I can go inside, enter and then I can close the door.

04:40Because even though we are disabled, we need privacy also.

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