Disability no barrier for two in search of excellence

BY CHANG KIT TI

KUALA LUMPUR: He has been a polio patient since birth and walks with a limp in his left leg.

This physical defect, however, has never stopped Othman Badarishah, 47, from striving to be a role model for the disabled community.

His quest to excel paid off when he was named the recipient of the Exemplary Male Worker (Tokoh Pekerja Lelaki) award in the disabled persons category at the national-level Workers’ Day celebration here yesterday.

He received the award from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who also gave away 12 other awards in different categories at Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil here.

“This award is an honour and reflects the Government’s recognition of the disabled community,” said Othman proudly.

After graduating from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, he had pursued his Masters at Universiti Teknolgi Mara before starting his career as a junior officer at Affin Bank in 1983.

After 19 years, he quit his position as the bank’s vice-president in 2002 to serve and motivate others, particularly the disabled.

He is now a motivational speaker at the Social Welfare Department in Segamat, Johor, providing motivational training besides public speaking, stress management, customer service, problem-solving and decision-making.

Tan Kee Chok, 38, who was chosen as the award recipient in the women’s category, comes from a poor fisherman's family in Kampar, Perak, and has risen to become a state athlete and active community worker.

“I believe in being an example to others, particularly to my friends,” said Tan, who gave her state gold medals in the 50m and 100m swimming events at the Malaysia Paralympic Games last year.

Disabled since one year old due to polio, Tan dropped out of school after Form Three because of her family’s financial constraint. However, she was keen to continue her studies and enrolled at the Cheras Rehabilitation Centre.

“I only realised that the centre only provided training for tailoring upon joining it. I learned it anyway and worked for several companies before finding out about the Beautiful Gate Foundation (which provides skills training and education for the disabled),'' said Tan, who is now the assistant director of its Kampar branch.

Source : http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/5/14/nation/14239525&sec=nation