Power Of Change

My extend writing belong to an interview was brief and possibly incomplete speak: Elevator usage: Considering relevant laws and the intended purpose, it can be interpreted as “reserved for those in need” and should be respected. However, from the perspective of persons with disabilities, it is all about “Inclusive Living” and utilizing various facilities.

February 18th, 2023 I finally had a chance to talk to students at Pattaya Redemptorist Technological College for People with Disabilities. It had been a long time since my last visit. My main intention for organizing this talk was to have a casual chat with the fellow students. When I asked about their dreams, many of the students answered in the same way: “I want to be able to live independently, have a job, and be able to help my family.” This was word-for-word what Father Ray, the founder of the college, had said since its inception.

This was my first time being invited to give a special lecture at the Faculty of Law. I chose my own experience of “BTS lift Smashed Story” to these graduate students of human rights. Due to the Covid-19, we conducted it online. All insights and useful information were delivered fully including overall accessibility in Thailand and virtual survey.

Flash back to my early life on a student day, I still had a version 1 of disability, an infectious disease of Polio that caused muscle weakness on one of my legs. Though I was still be able to walk, unfirmly. My family back then was dirt poor. My super, solo mom raised her 4 children by herself in a rural area with extreme Third-World conditions of ‘70s Thailand. An old Thai movie “Kru-Ban-Norg” (A Rural Teacher) reflects almost perfectly how my life was back then.

During 2017-2018, we had involved and made a deliberate consultation to the Mega Bangna’s management team. This inclusive collaboration included the accessible parking improvement, toilet redesign, its new zone of Mega Foodwalk, and many more. I still remember that one of the management guaranteed firmly that the mall would incorporate full accessible facilities so everyone can get access comfortably and equally. Time passed, and I regularly received good news about the mall’s traffic that increasingly welcomed variety groups of customers; family, the elderly, or the wheelchair users. They came there because they knew they could, thanks to the all promised …

In this ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is too busy in adapting things in life in order to get through it. This is already really difficult for the common people. Yet, things are way more difficult for the PWDs whose physical condition is highly limited and, therefore, need urgent supports from the government.

Met a friend of mine who flew from Germany to Thailand. I call him “Milos” just in short as his full German name is incredibly too long lol. Milos knew us since BTS act and had come into constant contact since then.

  This year we attended the program and provided updated information for two days. After that we made a group photo for memory ^^ Not only we have so many new friends, but also gain so many insights from what’s happening in Africa. What a progress!

For the program this year, we had this young man from Japan joined us, after that we went out for a dinner. I received an insightful information regarding accessibility in Tokyo, a much more updated version than my last visit two years ago.

Days ago I posted on Facebook to ask for a volunteer for field work. This young man, very soon after, sent a message to do the job. He’s a pioneer follower and has been following since that #PriorityParking video about 5 years ago. He read my recent post and wasted no time to made a contact to me. “Reeve” used to have a serious accident affecting almost the whole of his body from the top to the bottom. If you take a notice you would realise that his movement isn’t normal, and his arm isn’t quite healthy. But if you …