Stop putting a price tag on inclusion

EVERY so often, something happens in Malaysia that makes me stop and think: “Do we actually understand what inclusion means, or are we just paying lip service?”

Here’s one example. In a well-known commercial complex, bays located right next to a centre for children and youth with cerebral palsy are being reclassified as “Preferred Zone” parking. The monthly pass? Jumping from RM120 to RM450. No discounts, no exemptions, not even for an NGO helping wheelchair-users who depend on those bays for safe, easy access.

It’s not just outrageous – it’s insulting. Accessibility bays aren’t “premium”. They are essential infrastructure. Tripling the price is like putting a toll gate in front of a wheelchair ramp.

Then there’s Aniq, an autistic student who scored a 3.83 CGPA in matriculation, met the requirements for computer science and statistics … and still found his chosen programmes had disappeared from the UPU (Unit Pengambilan Universiti, the public universities’ admission filtering process) system. Not because of his grades. Because he holds a Disabled Persons card. An algorithm decided his disability status mattered more than his achievements. That’s not inclusion. That’s discrimination, dressed up as “process”.

Or take the blind pensioner surviving on RM1,085 a month whose health insurance premium jumped from RM250 to RM500. Overnight, almost half his income gone – just to stay insured. When a policy becomes so expensive you can’t afford it, it’s no longer insurance. It’s exclusion by price.

These aren’t isolated sob stories. They are proof that our Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 is toothless. It recognises rights but doesn’t make discrimination illegal in a way you can challenge. It doesn’t force schools, insurers, or service providers to make “reasonable adjustments”. And it doesn’t create a clear, powerful body to hold anyone accountable.

Here’s the kicker: Malaysia already has world-class standards sitting on the shelf. We have MS 1184 (Universal Design and Accessibility in the Built Environment), MS 1331 (Access Outside Buildings), and MS ISO 21542 (Accessibility and Usability of the Built Environment). They tell us how to make parking, entrances, and routes accessible. But they say nothing about keeping those facilities affordable. That’s the gap operators are exploiting.

Globally, ISO 22458:2022 on Consumer Vulnerability spells it out: You must design services so that vulnerable groups – including people with disabilities and low-income communities – can actually use them. That means physical access and financial access. ISO 26000 on Social Responsibility and ISO 37120 on Sustainable Cities both treat inclusion as a key measure of progress.

In Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, it’s illegal to deny a qualified student a place because of disability, or to monetise accessible parking in ways that shut out the very people it’s meant for. Insurers must justify disability-related premium increases with hard data and are often subject to affordability caps.

There is an urgent need for a coordinated national effort to strengthen Malaysia’s own accessibility standards, including MS 1184 and MS ISO 21542, so they go beyond the physical design of facilities to also address fair pricing and proper allocation.

This should be aligned with global benchmarks such as ISO 22458, which ensures both physical and financial access for vulnerable consumers, and supported by clear sector guidelines so that “universal design” means practical, affordable inclusion rather than just compliance on paper. By embedding affordability into the very definition of accessibility, we can close the loopholes that currently allow facilities to exist in name but remain out of reach in reality.

While longer-term improvements to standards and guidelines are vital, immediate action is equally important. Local councils can set licensing requirements to ensure accessible bays closest to entrances remain affordable or free for persons with disabilities. The Higher Education Ministry can ensure no student is denied opportunities because of disability status, and Bank Negara Malaysia can safeguard against exclusionary insurance practices by requiring clear justification for premium loadings and promoting basic plans within the reach of disability pensions. These steps, taken together, would move Malaysia from lip service on inclusion to genuine, measurable change in daily life.

Because inclusion isn’t charity. It’s a basic right, like clean water or safe roads. If you triple the cost of a disabled parking bay, erase a high-achieving student from a university system, or price health cover out of reach, you’re not just making life harder. You’re shutting the door.

And here’s the truth: a nation isn’t measured only by GDP. It’s measured by whether everyone – including those who face the steepest climbs – can move forward.

The Malaysian Association of Standards Users will work with councils, ministries, and operators to make sure these standards aren’t just documents on a shelf, but an everyday reality in our parking lots, our classrooms, and our insurance policies. Because inclusion that costs extra isn’t inclusion at all.

SARAL JAMES MANIAM

Secretary-general

Malaysian Association of Standards Users

The Malaysian Association of Standards Users, an affiliate of Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association, advocates for consumer protection by promoting standards, safety, and fair trade through research, awareness programmes, and participation in national and international standardisation efforts.