PUTRAJAYA:Senator Ras Adiba Radzi has urged the government to allow the community-based rehabilitation centres (PDK) and kindergartens for special needs children to operate as usual.

As a representative of the disabled in the Dewan Negara, she said she had received feedback that children with disabilities such as those with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were facing various challenges due to being cooped up at home.

“We try to lend support to the parents as it is very difficult for them because usually, their children would be sent to special classes like Genius Kurnia and so on, but in the current situation, these children cannot go out and if they (parents) have three disabled children, it is tougher for them.

“So, I am appealing to the government to consider allowing parents to send their disabled children to the special classes or PDK which could help them not forget what their teachers have taught them.”

She said this to reporters after the handing-out of a Musaadah COVID-19 contribution to Persatuan OKU Sentral, here, today.

Ras Adiba, who is also Persatuan OKU Sentral president, received the Jakim-Yayasan Wakaf Malaysia (YWM) Musaadah COVID-19 contribution of RM50,000, which was handed over to her by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Ahmad Marzuk Shaary.

She said she received information during this COVID-19 pandemic that being cooped up in the house had made many special children restless to the point of hurting themselves and those around them.

“We hope that next year, the rules will be relaxed a bit for centres like Genius Kurnia and schools for special needs children so that they can go back to school. There, they do not go out and only mixing among themselves,” she added.

On the contribution received, Ras Adiba who is also the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chairman, said Persatuan OKU Sentral would be using the contribution to assist the disabled, especially in the Klang Valley, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Marzuk said since it was launched last March 24, the Jakim-YWM Musaadah COVID-19 Fund had received contributions amounting to RM6 million from members of the public and the corporate sector and from this sum, RM3.7 million had been channelled to those eligible to receive it.

-- BERNAMA