Shift Needed to Recognise OKU as Strategic Assets, Not Liabilities: Dr Fatimah

12 December 2025

KOTA KINABALU: A powerful call by disability rights advocate Dr Fatimah Sabrina Mohammad, that “persons with disabilities (PWDs/OKU) are strategic assets, not liabilities” became the focal point of the Social Services Network Forum organised by the Sabah Council of Social Services (MPMS) at Hilton Kota Kinabalu yesterday.

Dr Fatimah, a physical OKU and a student at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), underscored the need for a bolder, more comprehensive and collaborative paradigm shift in building a supportive ecosystem for the OKU community in the state.

She emphasised that the gap between training, support and employment opportunities remains significant, and must be addressed through more structured cross-agency cooperation.

“As a physical OKU, I have witnessed first-hand the existing gaps between training, support and employment opportunities. Sabah needs an inclusive ecosystem that no longer functions in silos.

“OKU are not liabilities — we are strategic assets with our own potential and value. Holistic, cross-agency collaboration is both a moral and national responsibility,” she said during the forum titled Strengthening Collaboration for Skills Development and Employment for OKU.

The forum, which featured panellists from PERKESO, the Kimanis OKU Rehabilitation Complex and the Sabah Cheshire Home and Services, centred on the need to connect rehabilitation training with real employment opportunities, ensuring that the OKU community is not left behind in Sabah’s economic development.

Dr Fatimah added that only through collective action and systematic coordination can meaningful skills pathways and employment opportunities for the OKU community be realised.

She also revealed that UMS currently enrols students with OKU status and is committed to providing appropriate academic support.

According to her, the policy requiring at least one per cent of employees to be OKU has also been implemented at UMS as part of efforts to strengthen an inclusive culture within higher education institutions.

The MPMS-organised forum brought together government agencies, NGOs, rehabilitation institutions and social industry partners to strengthen the state’s social service network.

Meanwhile, MPMS reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing social synergy in Sabah, ensuring that all vulnerable groups — including OKU — have fair, inclusive and effective access to support.

With increasingly strengthened cross-sector collaboration, Sabah is seen as being on a firm path towards building a more progressive, inclusive and resilient society for all.