I was tasked to work on how roads and floor designs in Penang are not elderly- and disabled-friendly. One thing lead to another, I was in front of Miss Khu’s house, getting ready to be in her wheels for a day. An accident that left Miss Khu paralysed, however, has not stopped her from being who she is today. And oh boy, it was a journey indeed as it took us exactly an hour from her house to her supervisor’s room in USM.

We walked from her house to the Jelutong bus stop, braved the traffic, avoided potholes and constantly kept our eyes on the pavement. Did I mention that most of the time Miss Khu had to travel on our busy roads simply because there were no ramps for the pavements or the pavements were unsafe?

We are lucky and often taking this for granted as most places in town are accessible for us, who would have thought that an obstacle on the pavement or a raised step can actually stop someone from entering a building.

Since she is paralysed from the neck down, she also has a maid with her at all times to be her eyes and ears, to stop traffic for her, to feed her and so on. It takes double, triple the effort and the level of difficulty for her to do almost anything when compared to us.

But I asked her with a curious tone over lunch, “Miss Khu, so what are your plans after Master’s?” Confidently she answered while being fed by her kakak, “I have applied to a training program in the States and I am also considering to pursue my PhD.”

Now, imagine typing your Master’s thesis with your knuckles, then imagine further with a PhD. She is also a columnist in Kwong Wah, our Chinese daily, and is actively involved in associations to tackle issues such as accessibility and inequality for the disabled.

My words and pictures can only paint a thousand words to you out there but the feelings and experience I got while being in her wheels are limitless. Miss Khu is not ‘a disabled lady’, but a very abled person with full of courage, bravery and strength.

I hope tomorrow and the day after, we would dare to step out of our comfort zone and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes or wheels. I hope this will open our eyes and hearts to understand, empathise and prompt us to act and create change.

I believe there are many other Miss Khus out there, some who may even need more assistance than her be it physically or financially. While Penang is improving its transport system and the budding of new islands and wharfs, let’s also play our part in creating awareness, change Penang with our hearts and minds.

Urge the authorities to include them in our society, to improve their quality of life, walk hand in hand with them for a better Penang. Development is crucial but what about the potholes, the inaccessible and often unsafe pavements and roads that we already have? Work on the Penang that we already have, not the new Penang that we are aiming to build. Let’s advocate for a true, meaningful change and be a part of their voices.

NOOR AIMAN MUHAMMAD RIZAL is a third-year Communication student in Monash University Malaysia, who has just completed his internship with an NGO in Penang.