The centre’s classes include communications, Islamic education, arts and gym. — Photos: Bernama
BAKING is said to be a great way to engage disabled children’s senses, improve their fine motor skills and boost their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.
Producing cornflake cookies is among vocational training programmes provided to special needs students at K-Link Care Centre in Gombak, Selangor.
What makes these cookies special is the labour of love by these students.
Centre founder Datin Roziyaton Jamaludin said negative attitudes were the biggest barriers disabled people faced.
Those with disabilities were more likely to experience unemployment or underemployment, lower pay and job dissatisfaction, she said.
However, Roziyaton holds true to the principle that special needs people have talents that can be honed.
What makes her proud is that children at the centre can manage their own cornflake biscuit business.
The cornflake biscuit has become the centre’s symbol of strength and determination to boost the students’ socioeconomic empowerment.
Life’s challenges
Sharing her life’s journey, Roziyaton told Bernama that K-Link Care Centre operated in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The centre was first established in Jakarta in 2013.
To date, the Jakarta centre operates as an inclusive school in the Sentul district of Bogor.
In 2015, its second branch in Taman Bukit Permata, Batu Caves, opened.
K-Link Care Centre’s focus is to teach special needs children to be self-reliant, with teachers always there to guide them in facing challenges despite their weaknesses.
In line with the National Education Policy, every child had the right to formal education in school and this included those with disabilities, she said.
Students at the centre include those with Down syndrome, autism, dyslexia and Prader-Willi syndrome.
K-Link Care Centre head Muhd Tashrik Othman working with students on mushroom cultivation.
Meanwhile, each teacher at the centre has undergone an advanced diploma programme in special needs education.
Roziyaton said special needs students needed a lot of guidance through their life journey and not everyone could deal with their tantrums or sudden change in behaviour.
Her own daughter Shamil Adyanee, 24, has Down syndrome and was a student at the centre.
“I know what it’s like to have a disabled child.
“I’m always concerned with her well-being and the challenges she may face in the future.
“It is for this reason that I have set up this centre to help more families with disabled children, just like my daughter.
“At this centre, we strive to teach students how to lead a good life.
“We teach them how to read, write and count,” she said.
Those making the cornflake biscuit are taken to supermarkets to buy the necessary ingredients.
“They will list down the items and handle the expenses and pay for the goods,” she added.
During the baking process, students are taught the amount required for the dough, the right method to bake the biscuits as well as the process of placing the baked biscuits into plastic containers.
Aside from that, other classes they attend include communications, Islamic education, arts and gym along with vocational and therapy sessions.
The learning sessions include the junior session for infants to those aged 12, from 9.30am to 1pm, while classes for seniors (aged 13 and above) are from 1.30pm to 5pm.
K-Link Care Centre has also introduced apprenticeship groups for school-leavers aged 19 and older who sign up as students and trainees.
Roziyaton pointed out that some students had their limitations because of their condition.
“As such, the best way to teach them is to understand how they learn.
“In regular schools, students will learn from what is taught by their teachers with one curriculum, unlike lessons for the disabled.
“Every child comes with individual learning lessons and we have to find the most suitable approach for them to understand a subject and focus on their strengths,” she added.
Fully focused
At K-Link Care Centre, the key principle adopted is patience, including when the cornflake biscuits are made.
“Every child comes with different skills and problems.
“We have conducted in depth research and planning before starting a project for our children.
“Every project must be disabled-friendly,” Roziyaton said, adding that no student would be left behind because of their weaknesses.
“For example, it would be much easier for them to use the ‘drop cookies’ concept as no baking mould is needed.
“Preparation for the ingredients is also simple and does not involve many processes.
“Students only need to mix all ingredients, then knead and press the dough before placing them in the tray ready for baking,” she said.
However, Roziyaton said there were still problems such as consistency and standard of biscuits produced in terms of shape, look, colour and how biscuits were arranged in a cookie jar.
“We want to ensure the product meets the criteria in the marketplace.
Roziyaton says special needs students need a lot of guidance in their life journey.
“We want to teach the students to handle all the steps involved in making the biscuits, from beginning to end, but at the same time, we have to be prepared for all eventualities.
“For example, if we target to produce 10 jars, we may not be able to get that amount.
“There could be some biscuits that are too small or too big.
“Some take too long for baking to the extent the biscuits end up burnt.
“Some of the biscuits are chipped during packaging.
“There are many limitations faced in producing just one cookie jar from these special needs children, but we should not give up easily,” she added.
When asked about safety and handling kitchen appliances, she said the five teachers were fully focused on the students to ensure no one was injured or faced untoward incidents.
“These children are already trained from the beginning to use the equipment.
“Some parents do not want their children involved in household chores.
“However, from the very beginning, our focus is towards vocational education and self-reliance,” Roziyaton said.
Encouraging response
She said the centre would only start producing the biscuits upon receiving early orders from customers to ensure freshness and quality.
To date, they sell an average of 30 jars a month, while more orders are received during festive seasons.
Besides that, the centre also receives orders for door gifts for wedding receptions.
In April last year, for example, there was an order was for 2,000 small cornflake cookie jars for a wedding reception, which showed encouraging public response.
She also said part of the proceeds from the sales would go to the children involved in the project as well as the teachers to help them generate alternative income, while the rest is channelled to the centre’s operating funds.
Roziyaton said the centre also produced other food products including fruit cakes.
For this year, the centre also produces Raya hampers.
The centre has also been cultivating oyster mushrooms since 2020, in a special room on the second floor of the building.
It now produces 2,000 mushroom blocks from 20 at the onset.
Children at the centre are trained to pluck the mushrooms, weigh them and place them in packages to be sold in neighbouring areas.
At the same time, the centre also provides a laundry service for parents and the nearby community.
