SELANGOR plans to implement measurable targets to improve access to buildings, public facilities and employment for persons with disabilities under its 2027 and 2028 budgets.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the targets should be practical, introduced gradually, and supported by clear measures.
“We need a plan that states the percentage, number of people targeted and solutions for reaching those goals,” he said during the Selangor 2027 Budget engagement session at the Selangor International Trade Centre in Shah Alam.
The approach, he said, would allow progress to be monitored instead of relying on isolated initiatives that produce little lasting change.
The session was attended by over a hundred people, including representatives from state government agencies, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, and local assemblymen.
A participant raised the issue that accessibility had to cover the entire journey between a person’s home and workplace, educational institution or hospital.
He described witnessing a wheelchair user having to seek help from the public to carry him down a staircase at an LRT station as there was no accessible alternative.
The participant also said some digital services for public transport users could not be read by screen-reading software used by visually impaired people.
Amirudin acknowledged that physical accessibility had to extend from buildings to public transport amenities and other community facilities.
He said Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) had introduced universal-design requirements for its buildings and facilities in 2017.
“I believe other local councils can adopt what MBPJ has implemented.”
The state would also look at imposing accessibility requirements on privately owned buildings and future developments, he said.
Amirudin cited existing instructions for local councils to inspect first- and last-mile connections around LRT and MRT stations and address gaps in pedestrian access.
Local authorities, he added, should inform residents about improvements instead of reporting their progress only to the state government.
“Do not only report to me. Report to the public that you have made the changes.”
