KUALA LUMPUR – The recent alleged assault of a deaf e-hailing driver by a VIP’s security escort shows the worst that persons with disabilities can experience while at work, but abuse and discrimination can come in many other forms.
Scoop spoke to several individuals with disabilities who told of insensitive treatment they received at the workplace and the lack of proactive measures to address the situation.
Phillip Pong, a 58-year-old deaf e-hailing driver said he watched as able-bodied colleagues were promoted over him in his previous job as a software developer.
“Because I am deaf, they do not send me for any training or let me attend meetings. We work for more than 10 years, but we are never given promotions. But the new ones who just got hired get promoted quickly because they can talk,” he told Scoop through a sign-language interpreter.
Pong said there was a lack of office camaraderie with colleagues who were not bothered to learn sign language to communicate with him.
“They never felt compelled to include me and just left me alone.”
He made the switch to e-hailing driving to escape the stress of bosses overworking him, and feels his new job allows him greater autonomy and freedom from discrimination.
Annie Ong, 42, spoke of loneliness from a lack of human connections with her co-workers in her previous employment due to her deafness.
“There were times when, in the company I worked, I was the only deaf person. It was really boring as I could not form any relationships with my coworkers.”
It also caused her to be hesitant when voicing her opinions during meetings, and because she had difficulty expressing herself, she felt her former colleagues exploited her situation by overloading her with work.
“I was treated like a robot; their attitude towards me was as if I took up space, so they would just pile work on me non-stop.
“My salary will also go up by RM50 only while others’ salaries go much higher, even though I do most of the work,” said Ong through a sign-language interpreter.
Now working as a translator, she said employment prospects were hindered by her deafness, with past job interviews a failure from the start as no interpreter was provided for her despite having clearly stated her deafness on applications.
She had to struggle through interviews without any help in communication and knew she would not get the job.
“During interviews, when they know we are deaf, we can already guess that the company will never call us back. To the company, we are an extra cost. They will need to hire an interpreter, and they do not see the need to spend on one when there is only one person who is deaf.”
Both Pong and Ong agree that companies should offer sign-language interpreters if they are going to hire employees who are deaf.
While companies should do more to accommodate differently-abled employees, Nadzriel Shazran Marzuki, 24, who has only one arm, does not want his colleagues to feel pity for him.
The kitchen crew worker at a food and beverage outlet in Kuala Lumpur said that his physical disability often elicits sympathy, when what he desires is to be treated like everyone else.
“They always think that there is a limit to the work disabled people can do, and they are often quick to pity us and tell us not to do this and that. I just want to work and help out, there is no need to pity me.
“Society generally has negative attitudes towards disabled people, there is constant discrimination. I have been insulted a few hundred times, and they often do it by talking behind my back, but I choose to ignore it.
“These sorts of things have an impact on workplace dynamics and give limited opportunities for individuals with disabilities,” he told Scoop.
Nadzriel also wishes the government would be more proactive in helping the disabled find employment, such as by establishing a website or information board to highlight companies that are open to hiring disabled individuals.
“The government can do more for us, it is difficult to find a job as it is, and it takes a lot of work to find companies that encourage disabled people to apply.
“If there is some sort of website or app that can promote those companies, I think our future will be brighter,” he added. – June 1, 2024