The image shows the “Make the Right Real in Malaysia” logo of The OKU Rights Matter website and an autistic teenager expressing his artistic talent on a canvas, with three paintings hanging on the wall and to his left.

#OKURightsMatter Campaign

The "Make the Right Real in Malaysia" campaign promotes the advocacy for persons with disabilities (OKU) through public pledges, social media engagement, and various actionable steps. Participants are encouraged to share support digitally, educate themselves on disability rights, and foster accessible environments to ensure full inclusion of OKU in Malaysian society.

Commit to “Make the Right Real in Malaysia”

Advocate together with us to Make the Right Real for persons with disabilities (OKU) in Malaysia.

To start, pledge your commitment to support the #OKURightsMatter advocacy movement for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Malaysian society.

Step 1: Pledge Your Support

Post an image of you holding a #OKURightsMatter placard on various social media platforms, with the hashtags #OKURightsMatter and #OKUMalaysia.

If you would like to create images of you with the placard without printing, here are two quick guides to assist you:

Remember to add alt-text or image description on your post.

Click here to download the placards in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese (PDF and JPEG):

Image is of placard version 1 in English.
Image is of placard version 1 in Bahasa Malaysia with the text: "Saya komited sepenuhnya kepada keterangkuman ketidakupayaan dalam masyarakat Malaysia."
Image is of placard version 1 in Chinese.
Image is of placard version 2 in English.
Image is of placard version 2 in Bahasa Malaysia.
Image is of placard version 2 in Chinese.

Description of the placards:

Both placards are in white background and have the same text in black. The header text reads: Disability Inclusion in Malaysia. Text in the middle of the placard reads: “I commit to full OKU inclusion in Malaysian Society”. The bottom right corner of the placard features the name of the campaign, i.e., #OKURightsMatter Campaign and link to #OKURightsMatter website.

Version 1 of the placard features the #OKURightsMatter, Make the Right Real in Malaysia logo in black background and white text.

Version 2 of the placard features the #OKURightsMatter banner image in flame orange background and white text that reads OKU Rights Matter, Make the Right Real in Malaysia.

Step 2: Take Action

You can do more for inclusion of OKU in Malaysia. We need you! No actions are too small to influence the change we want to see.

Below are some actions you could take on today to realise the rights of persons with disabilities in Malaysia:

  1. Use the report and research findings on this website to advocate for change.
  2. Send us Disability-Advocacy related research conducted in Malaysia. We will add them to our resource library.
  3. Learn more about issues and challenges faced by persons with disabilities, and the ideas they have to make the world a better place to live in.
  4. Help persons with disabilities who are struggling to put food on the table.
  5. Speak to elected representatives in your constituency, i.e., MP, ADUN, Senators, about disability rights and disability inclusion.
  6. Talk to your residential community’s leaders and workplace leaders about making the physical environment accessible and barrier-free.
  7. Create accessible documents, such as accessible word and pdf files.
  8. Make it a habit to add alt text to images that you use in your documents, webpages or social media posts.
  9. Add captions to videos that you post on social media. Major social media and video hosting platforms have options to add auto-generated captions to videos. Find out how you can do that from the respective platforms that you use. A better way is to add captions on your own, which ensures accuracy.
  10. Avoid using ableist language.
  11. Embrace different types of communication and do not demand people to communicate in spoken language only. Alternative ways to communicate face-to-face or virtually include: typing on digital device, writing on paper, using text-to-speech apps, Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, Malaysian Sign Language (BIM).
  12. Make your organisation’s website accessible.
  13. Involve persons with disabilities in products and services that you create.
Placard version 1 in Chinese with a photo of Alvin Teoh on the left. In the photo, Alvin is wearing a cream-coloured shirt and speaking on a podium. Alvin is a parent advocate, of the National Family Support Group for Children and People with Special Needs, Malaysia.
Image 1: Placard version 1 in Chinese with a photo of Alvin Teoh on the left. In the photo, Alvin is wearing a cream-coloured shirt and speaking on a podium. Alvin is a parent advocate, of the National Family Support Group for Children and People with Special Needs, Malaysia.
19 women of diverse ethnicities holding version 1 of the English placard "I commit to full OKU inclusion in Malaysian society."
Image 2: 19 women of diverse ethnicities holding version 1 of the English placard “I commit to full OKU inclusion in Malaysian society.”
Placard version 1 in BM with a photo of Kaveinthran Pulanthran on the right side of the image. Kaveinthran, an independent disability human rights activist, is seen wearing a striped shirt in purple and pale lavender.
Image 3: Placard version 1 in BM with a photo of Kaveinthran Pulanthran on the right side of the image. Kaveinthran, an independent disability human rights activist, is seen wearing a striped shirt in purple and pale lavender.
Screenshot of a Facebook post by Klinik QFFD Imam Response & Relief Team with the message: “When everyone else says you can’t, determination says “Yes, You Can!”. Below the message is a photo of 10 women and 4 men, masked, with version 1 of the English placard superimposed on the bottom right corner.
Image 4: Screenshot of a Facebook post by Klinik QFFD Imam Response & Relief Team with the message: “When everyone else says you can’t, determination says “Yes, You Can!”. Below the message is a photo of 10 women and 4 men, masked, with version 1 of the English placard superimposed on the bottom right corner.
Placard version 2 in English with a photo of Law King Kiew in a Malaysian athlete shirt in black and orange stripes. She is also wearing a few medals around her neck and holding a few medals on her right hand. King Kiew is the Vice-President of Malaysian Spinal Cord Injury Association (MASIA) and a Paralympian who won numerous medals (world championships, Asian and ASEAN Para Games).
Image 5: Placard version 2 in English with a photo of Law King Kiew in a Malaysian athlete shirt in black and orange stripes. She is also wearing a few medals around her neck and holding a few medals on her right hand. King Kiew is the Vice-President of Malaysian Spinal Cord Injury Association (MASIA) and a Paralympian who won numerous medals (world championships, Asian and ASEAN Para Games).
Placard version 1 in English with a photo of Anita Abu Bakar on the bottom left corner. In the photo, Anita is wearing a pale pink tudung and bright pink baju kurung while looking straight into the camera. Anita is the Founder-President of Mental Illness Awareness & Support Association (MIASA) & Initiator-Chairperson, National Advocacy of Mental Health Association (NAMhA).
Image 6: Placard version 1 in English with a photo of Anita Abu Bakar on the bottom left corner. In the photo, Anita is wearing a pale pink tudung and bright pink baju kurung while looking straight into the camera. Anita is the Founder-President of Mental Illness Awareness & Support Association (MIASA) & Initiator-Chairperson, National Advocacy of Mental Health Association (NAMhA).

FAQ’s

What does OKU stand for in English?

OKU stands for “Orang Kurang Upaya” in Bahasa Malaysia, which officially translates to “Persons with Disabilities” (PWD) in English. In Malaysia, the term OKU is used by the government and the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) to register and provide essential services to the disability community. To learn more about your rights and available resources, explore our OKU Rights Matter campaign initiatives.

What does PWD mean, and is it the same as OKU?

PWD stands for “Persons with Disabilities.” In Malaysia, PWD and OKU (Orang Kurang Upaya) refer to the exact same community. While OKU is the official term used by the Malaysian government and the Department of Social Welfare (JKM), PWD is the globally recognized English term used by international bodies like the UN. Advocating for PWD rights is at the core of our OKU Rights Matter campaign to ensure total inclusion in Malaysian society.