By Desiree Kaur
Inclusion is never just a word to do “lip service” of including people with different abilities and tick the boxes of corporate social responsibility. It means EVERYONE is included.
Inclusion is defined as the process of improving the terms of participation in society for people who are disadvantaged on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status, through. enhanced opportunities, access to resources, voice and respect for rights.
Identifying Social Inclusion and Exclusion, Chapter 1, United Nations
In celebration of their 10th Anniversary, Oasis Place took their annual “Through the Heart” initiative to the next level on a much larger and more public scale. They organised a 3-day Empowerfest from 10-12 May 2024 at the main concourse of the Avenue K Mall in Kuala Lumpur. From 10 am to 10 pm daily, they had vendors showcasing products and services for neurodivergent individuals and highlighting the capabilities of the neurodivergent community. The vendors included Nozig, J8 Autism Athletics, KLBug, Stand Pie Me, Dignity & Service, the Caring Cluster Foundation, art therapy by Mr Hanz and many more.
The main highlights were the Star Activities consisting of forums held from 2-5 pm on each day. The first day focused more on the big picture in navigating neurodiversity and charting the path to awareness, acceptance and empowerment. The forums covered assessments, views from allied health practitioners and special educators; inclusive education and mental health.
Star activities on day 2 fell under the umbrella of Beyond the Diagnosis: Embracing the Authenticity in Self-Identity, Relationships and Community. The forums covered cultivating relationships over the lifespan, job coaching and access to employment, self care for care partners and family journeys in navigating neurodiversity. As a special treat on 11 May, there were performances by former Wings band member, Edrie Hashim and 2 neurodivergent performers: Raven Glade (vocals) and Kue Sue Yee (guitarist).
The third day, on 12 May brought out the theme of Beyond the Village: Empowering families and cultivating cultivating a connected and inclusive community. This day was set apart by having neurodivergent children and their siblings take on the roles of Emcees to introduce speakers. These were the children of members from the Kita Family podcast – a podcast by 5 mothers raising neurodivergent children.
Amongst the children who played these roles were: Jibriel, Joshua, Haans, Emilia and Nihrav. Each of them brought their amazing energy to the audience and put their own spin on introducing the speakers.
How was this event a hallmark of inclusion?
The organisers truly walked the talk of inclusion by doing their very best to include all stakeholders involved in looking after the best interest of the neurodivergent community. There were a number of self-advocate speakers, parents, grandparents, allied health practitioners, educators, medical practitioners and representatives from NGOs.
As a mother, I was truly touched when asked to submit a video, of my son Haans, introducing a speaker, by using his AAC device. Although this was fully promoted by me, I felt that it was an important part of the event, to show the world, that this is another way a person can communicate. The main message here is to let people know that talking or speaking is not the main method of communication, it is just one of it.
Being part of the Kita Family podcast myself, it was truly a remarkable sharing session by the 5 of us with the audience. We talked about our “asks” of the community to further the agenda of inclusion in our beautiful Malaysia. It takes more than a village, but an entire country to ensure our future generations are cared for.
Another interesting element of this event was the interviews conducted by Amani Amrullah, Social Media Strategist and Neurodiverse Influencer. She interviewed many of the speakers and attendees on their experience at the Empowerfest and also asked about their views on building an inclusive society. This is inclusion at it’s best when we have a self-advocate asking the questions and also giving her opinions whilst sharing her experiences.
Congratulation Oasis Place on a successful initiative that was inclusive and shed much light on important topics towards a more inclusive society.
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