KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 ― To give people with disabilities a solution for contact tracing, SELangkah offers the option for a Selangkad. It is a card with a unique QR code to enable store owners to scan the card whenever a person with disabilities enters the store.
“We know it’s difficult for OKUs to operate a smartphone to scan a QR code. So we start to issue a unique QR card for the OKUs, and the shopowners can scan their card whenever they visit a shop.” tweeted SELangkah.
The Selangkad is described as a low-tech solution, and it is their way to “committing inclusivity” for people with disabilities. Anyone interested to sign up for the card are advised to WhatsApp them here. You can register for the card on behalf of someone else who needs it, according to their Twitter account.
I used the service to ask the “SELangkah Squad” team if the card can also be used by senior citizens and other people who have low digital literacy. However, they replied saying that currently, the Selangkad is only available for people with disabilities.
While this initiative from SELangkah seems like a good idea that’s been a long time coming, they were called out by Twitter user Lai Thin for mentioning the term “diffability” instead of “disability”. Lai Thin urged them to use the word “disability” — which is the official term, and is rights-based. Whereas diffability or differently-abled is charity based.
SELangkah app creator Helmi Zakariah replied to the Tweet saying that they “stand corrected” and that it is their “shortsightedness to employ the inaccurate terminology.” He also said that he will “get the team to fix it.” ― SoyaCincau
