“open mind, open hearts…”

that simple statement itself speaks of a simple yet powerful message, don’t you think?

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digi telecommunication sdn bhd organised a conference on nov 14, 2007 and named it “open mind, open hearts.” their purpose? it was to raise awareness on the issues faced by the disabled community in malaysia.

i was privileged to be there representing aya, meeting the team behind this conference. i only wish i had a camera with me. i would have love taking pictures of the surroundings. the working environment looked so relaxing and enticing. i really liked their open area concept.

hehe..

now i won’t exactly give a detail story of what the conference was about. the sun papers did that already, summarising it all briefly.

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however i must emphasise that i was very impressed with everything that digi has decided to do thus far. in my opinion, it wasn’t just a sudden one-day-drop-down-from-heaven kind of a thought.

providing job opportunities for the disabled is one good thing. but making the entire building handicap friendly is something that should be commendable. looking at the entire structure of the building and how accessible it was, it was definitely something well thought through. except for a slight steep slop that i needed assistance with when going down, i really had no difficulty moving about. it allowed a sense of independence, a sense of being able to do something just like everyone else. really, it was a liberating sort of experience and feeling.

on top of that, the fact that all employee, physically challenged or not, is given the same employment rights and benefits certainly sets a mark for other organisations and companies to follow after. it just goes to shows that digi recognises that people with disability can be equally competitive as well. it shows that we have the right to get jobs that are best fit with our qualifications and really means something.

i know i did not work hard to get into the best university that my parents could afford to enrol me into just to end up with a mediocre job. i want a great job, a good pay and equal opportunities to build up my career and ambition just like everyone else. i want a job that i am proud of and truly believe that other people with disability desire that same thing too. so, once again, kudos to digi for setting that benchmark for other companies and organisation to follow!

now i’m not saying that other companies or organisations have not made the effort to create employment or ensuring their offices are barrier free. there are others as well such as airasia and others but really they are part of the minority group. what about the rest who boost about great growth, success and productivity?

comparing to earlier years, a lot has changed and believe me when i say i’m truly grateful for that. but the level of change unfortunately isn’t enough yet. there’s a lot more that needs to be done. but it’ll only happen when mindsets change.

when the thinking changes, the heart follows soon after…