M'SIAN GOVT TO APPOINT 83 SIGN LANGUAGE EXPERTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian government will appoint 83 sign language experts to help the disabled people communicate and express their thoughts, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator T. Murugiah said Wednesday.

"I find that many of them have impressive ideas. They should be given the
opportunity to express them," he told reporters after visiting the Malaysian
Association for the Blind (MAB)'s premises here Wednesday.

Murugiah also said that the government would maintain the quota of 10,000
posts in government departments and agencies for the disabled.

Meanwhile MAB President Senator Prof Datuk Dr Ismail Md Salleh hoped that
the government would allocate more funds in the 2009 Budget, to be tabled on
Friday, to help the vision-impaired people.

"This is to give the vision-impaired group the chance to pursue higher
education," he said, adding that the MAB was also hopeful that the allowance for
vision-impaired workers be extended to those earning up to RM1,500 a
month.

At the moment, only those earning a monthly salary of RM1,200 and below
were
eligible to recive the RM300 allowance, he said.

-- BERNAMA