From the newsroom of the New Straits Times, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia, Friday, April 22, 2005 .....

Sign language course for staff

All Welfare Department counter staff in Penang will be required to learn sign language to serve the deaf and mute.

Penang is the first State to impose such a requirement on its employees.

State Executive Councillor in charge of Health, Welfare and Caring Society P.K. Subbaiyah said all employees would be required to attend a 26-hour course on sign language.

"The course, which is being organised free of charge, is compulsory," he said at Komtar near here.

Present were Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and state Welfare Department head Mahfudz Omardi.

Subbaiyah said the public as well as government employees from other departments could also attend the course.

He said the Penang and Seberang Prai municipal councils had also been reminded that all new building plans and infrastructure projects should have facilities for the handicapped.

Koh urged the private sector to reserve jobs for the handicapped.

"Non-governmental organisations could coach the handicapped and ensure that they work as effectively as physically-normal employees," he said.

He later handed the Community Rehabilitation Award to the Permatang Damar Laut centre for the activities organised for the handicapped. The centre received RM500, a challenge trophy and certificate.

Samehan Saad from the An-Anur Paya Keladi community rehabilitation centre received the exemplary employee award.

Weightlifter Mohd Yuspi Mat Dali from Seberang Perai Tengah and Siti Marina Frohlich were named the sports personalities of the year.

Syed Amran Syed Ibrahim from the Special School (Retarded) for Children was named Tokoh Pelajar, Norhussaini Abdul Hapi won the Special Entrepreneur Award while Prai Power Sdn Bhd received the Committed Corporate Sector Award.

Copyright © 2005 New Straits Times. All rights reserved.

+------------------------------------------------------
Do not forward this news/information. Tell your friends to subscribe directly to USA-L News at http://www.deaftimes.com

A public service of Creative Designers. Copyright 2005.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If you wish to reprint this article, you are hereby required to obtain copyright permission from the publisher of the article, not USA-L News.

Deaf Times is not responsible for the content of USA-L News.
+------------------------------------------------------