Sri Ananda Restaurant

Some of my friends understand simple spoken English but have problems reading English. So I decided to try to use video to make my post. I am not sure if it is good to do this. Please give me your opinion.

In Guang Ming Daily

My post "Wheelchair Access Blocked" (23 July 2014) was reported in Guang Ming Daily today (31 July 2014). I am glad that the post have received support from the media. The general public of Malaysia still do not have good understanding of disabled persons' problems. Newspaper reports have wide readership and can play vital role in educating people about our problems.

The above photo shows a bad example of how a wheelchair user should enter a place. A wheelchair gate (follow the link HERE) is a better solution.

Designing A Wheelchair Gate

In Penang, many motorcyclists often take advantage of the ramps to enter places that are not meant for them. They would enter hawker centers or pedestrian walkways by using the ramps meant for the disabled. The problem is so rampant that often the authority has to resort to placing chains across the ramps to stop these thoughtless people. I believe we can overcome this problem by building a wheelchair gate near the entry or exit point of a ramp.

A wheelchair gate (see drawings above) is a simple structure that allows wheelchair user to get through but not motorcycle. It is based on the principle that a motorcycle is much longer than a wheelchair and thus requires a larger turning radius. 

You can use any material to make wheelchair gate as long as the passage way is big enough for a wheelchair and too small for a motorcycle to turn inside. I think you can even arrange big flower pots following the layout plan below. The dimension given here is based on the space needed for a wheelchair to pass through a passage way.

You can find a video of wheelchair gate HERE. The wheelchair gate is located at MPPP’s “Turn Key” project at Patani Road, Penang.

The Walkway at Jalan Ria, Penang

The pedestrian walkway at Jalan Ria is not accessible to wheelchair users. I discovered that two days ago. My good friend, Li Fang, was trying to move from KOMTAR Walk to KOMTAR bus station but was stopped at walkway by a row of bollards.

She had no choice but to try the road. But again she was stopped by another row of bollards.

Luckily some kind-hearted people were around and they helped her unscrew one of the bollards.

So Li Fang had to use the road, exposing herself to the dangerous fast moving traffic, while other non-disabled people walked safely on the walkway. 

The rights of the disabled people are still not being respected in Penang.

Padang Kota Lama Food Court

A US business publication picked Georgetown as a great place for foreigners to retire in. (Visit link HERE). But I am not sure if the publication considered disabled access as one of the criteria. Personally I think some the older retired foreigners may need some form of disabled access and that is still lacking in Penang.

A good example is the Padang Kota Lama food court. It is located at Penang Esplanade, a famous tourist spot and next to the Cenotaph (visit link HERE), an important landmark of Penang. (For more information about Penang Esplanade please visit link HERE).

When I visited it on June 20th, 2013, I discovered that I was unable to enter the place. The entrance to the food court has some bars. These bars were there to stop motorcycles from entering the food court, but that also denied wheelchair users from entering the place. 

These bars are common in many public places in Penang. Many walkways, open fields and even entrance to apartments were made inaccessible by these bars. Here are some examples.

Solution to this type of problems is already there. In 2009, the local authority of Georgetown,  funded a test project to built a "wheelchair gate" --- a simple structure that allows wheelchairs to get through a passage but not a motorcycles. It is best illustrated in the video below. 

The project was successful and I was hoping that more "wheelchair gates" would be built at various strategic places in Penang. But due to reasons unknown to me, I have not notice any new one since.

For the benefits of the disable, the elderly, mothers with prams and also foreigners with mobility impairment, a "wheelchair gate" should be installed at Padang Kota Lama food court.

Which lift to use at Gurney Plaza

Some of my friends have problems choosing the lift to use in Gurney Plaza. I hope this post can help them.

The above is a photo of the location map displayed at Gurney Plaza. The drawing below is based on the photo and I have simplified it to show only 5 lifts which I think are probably more important for persons on wheelchair.

Lifts 1 & 2 are at the new wing. They go to all levels of the mall. Lift 1 is a cargo lift and it is important to use for 2 reasons. Firstly, it is opened till late in the night. So it is important to remember this lift if you like to stay late. Secondly, this lift  is located just next to the disabled car parks at level 6, 7 and 8. The car parks there are safer than the ones near lift 2.

Lift 2 is also located next to disabled car parks at level 6, 7, 8. But the car parks there are not very safe because they are too near to the car entrance. The doors leading to lift 2 will be shut around 10:30 pm. 

Use lift 3 if you want to go to level 7 where the cinemas are located. It can lead you to level G, 1, 3, 4, 5 (car park with a kerb), 6 and 7. If you get out of the lift at level 2, you will find the door leading to the shopping mall LOCKED. (Don't ask me why!)

Use lift 4 if you want to go to the basement where you can find many restaurants and a supermarket. This lift also goes to level G, 1,  2, 3, 4, 5, 6. But at some levels, you have to open stiff doors before you can enter the mall.

Lift 5 is a cargo lift. It is very dirty but useful as an alternative to go to basement and level 7.

Summary:

1. If you come by car, park at the disabled car parks near lift 1 and use it to go to the other level.
2. Use lift 2 as your basic lift to go to all floors except level 7 and basement.
3. Use lift 3 to go to level 7
4. Use lift 4 to go to the basement.
5. Use lift 5 when you want to save time.

(Please note the date of this post. I have done my best to make sure information given here are accurate at the time of writing. But things do change. If you have more up to date information, you are most welcome to comment or email me.)

Toilet (WC) For Disabled People

Although there are many disabled people's toilets in Penang, most are not up to the requirements specified by Malaysian Standards, (at least not at the moment that I write this post). I noticed that many hotels, shopping centers and public buildings were not stingy, in both money and space, when they built these toilets. But sadly, many of these toilets just missed many of the subtleties required by the standards. I believe most people still do not know how to build a proper toilet for disabled people and hope this post can help them.

Important points to remember:

1. Toilet size should not be smaller than 1600 mm X 2000 mm. It must have enough space for wheelchair to manoeuvre inside.

2. Toilet sign must be clearly visible. Only internationally adopted symbol should be used.

3. The doors should be either of the sliding or outward-opening type.

4. Floor should not be slippery.

5. There must be knee space clearance under the basins.

6. Mirrors must be big enough so that it is usable by people who sit on wheelchair.

7. Door locks and taps should not be of the types that require pinching, tight grasping and fine finger control.

8. An emergency call button should be provided.

9. Doors should be of the type that can be opened from outside in case of emergency.

10. Layout and fixtures must be standardized so that people with visual impairment can find the paper, sink and place to flush the toilet.

Here is a layout plan of a good toilet.

Here is the side view of a good toilet (dimensions given in mm).

The three dimensional drawing below shows what the toilet should look like. Please note how the accessories are arranged together.

Why doors should either be sliding or open outward.

The drawing above shows the space needed for a wheelchair to manoeuvre inside the toilet. The wheelchair needs to turn 360 degree as well as to park beside the toilet bowl. Sliding doors or outward-opening doors maximise the space inside the toilet.

The photograph above shows why a wheelchair user is unable to shut the toilet door that open inward.

What are flip-up grab bars? Why are they important?

Flip-up grab bar is a grab bar that can flip up and down (see photos above). It must be able to flip-up to allow a person to transfer from his/her wheelchair to the toilet bowl (see drawings below).

Step 1: Wheelchair user positions his wheelchair beside the toilet bowl. The grab bar is in original position – down.

Step 2: Wheelchair user flips up the grab bar. The grab bar is no longer obstructing him from transferring to the toilet bowl.

Step 3: The wheelchair user transfers to toilet bowl. (The flip-up bar is still up.)

Step 4: The wheelchair user flips down the grab bar and sits securely on the toilet bowl.

This is the plan view of why a flip-up grab bar is important.

Here are some examples of unsuitable grab bars.

Right and wrong ways of fixing grab bars to the wall.

The above drawing shows the correct way (see the red arrow). The drawing below shows the wrong way (see the red arrow). Please note the verticle grab bar in relation to the sitting person. The grab bar must be reachable to the sitting person. It should not be far back and thus not reachable by the sitting person.

Here are examples of correctly fixed grab bars.

Here are examples of wrongly fixed grab bars.

The photo above shows a good example of a verticle grab bar that cannot be reached if a person is sitting on the toilet bowl. The photo below shows an example of a completely missing vertical grab bar.

Basins should have knee clearance.

The photo above shows an example of a basin with knee clearance. The photo below shows an example of a basin that is without knee clearance. A wheelchair user has problem getting close to the latter type of basin.

Suitable and unsuitable mirrors.

The photo above shows a mirror and can be used by a wheelchair use. The photo below shows a mirror that is too high for wheelcheel user.

Rubbish bins that use foot peddles to operate are unsuitable.

The simple rubbish bin in the photo above serves it purpose better than the rubbish bin in the photo below. Many people with disabilities do not have the ability to step on the peddle to open the lid of such rubbish bin.

Taps and door handles that do not require pinching, tight grasping and fine finger control.

Some people with disabilities have limited finger control, lever-type taps and door handles (as shown in photos above) are more suitable for them than those shown in photos below.

There is a need to standardize all toilets.

Toilet design must be standardized for people with visual impairment and people with learning disabilities. Any person can find the lever in the photo above (see red arrow). But in the photo below (see red arrow), the flush lever is located at an unusual place.

Notes: The specifications given here are based on:

1, Guidelines On Buildings Requirements For Disabled Persons, Bahagian Kawalan Bangunan, Jabatan Kerajaan Tempatan, Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, Malaysia, November 1999.

2, Malaysian Standard MS 1184.