Legal Right to Participate in Recreational and Leisure Activities Among Persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Malaysia

Abstract

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) shall have the right to participate in recreational and leisure activities equally, as declared by the international convention and PWDs Act 2008 of Malaysia. Despite this, PWDs keep experiencing barriers in many aspects of life. Like other non-disabled, PWDs should be enjoying life where their participation in recreation and leisure is part of social inclusivity and socialization process. Where accessibility is the key pillar, access to recreational and leisure facilities and venues should be an integral part to the participation of PWDs in the communities. To enable the environment for PWDs, some countries have offered accessible cinema, installed PWDs' footpaths to enjoy the outdoors and developed a map with information on accessibility in all facilities provided. Believing that national policies and laws play roles, a regulatory framework should be set in place to empower PWDs right of access to recreational and leisure activities. Thus, the intention of this paper is to examine PWD's legal right to participate in recreational and leisure activities. The outcome will be identified on the rights of PWDs in Malaysia. Furthermore, it will be based to support the strategic goals of the National Welfare Policy, National Policy for PWDs and National Plan of Action for PWDs as well as SDG principle of "leaving no one behind".