Community-Based Rehabilitation Center

Our interview session was conducted physically with two respondents at the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and the researchers had a chance to spend time with the disabled children at the center.

 

The Community-Based Rehabilitation Center Building, Universiti Sains Malaysia

The Community-Based Rehabilitation Center, Universiti Sains Malaysia (hereafter referred to as CBRC USM), was established on the 9th of July 2019 and has now entered its third year of establishment. Adhering to the principle of “Training Of Trainers”, it functions as a central base for children with disabilities, who are referred to as “trainees”, as well as the involvement of parents themselves. This program encourages an education plan that does not rely 100% on the rehabilitation center and the teachers alone, but also the parents of the disabled children. Among the selected trainees are children with disabilities or who are suffering from Down’s syndrome, autism, hearing problems, and vision problems due to cancer. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and cerebral palsy, are caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain, and affects a child’s ability to control his or her muscles.

 

At the beginning of the CBRC USM establishment in 2019, 10 trainees consisting of USM staff joined the center, and now, in 2022, there are a total of 30 trainees. To date, not only the disabled children of USM staff have joined as trainees at CBRC USM, but also disabled children from the local community have been sent here by their parents. The average age of trainees at CBRC USM ranges from 3 to 15 years old. The main objective in establishing the center was to help parents who have children with disabilities to improve the functional development of their children. The second objective in the initial establishment was to help the staff with disabled children at Universiti Sains Malaysia, and people in the community, increase their happiness index, facilitate welfare matters and lighten their burden.

In the initial stages of USM’s CBRC development, two categories of the workforce were established: supervisors and staff called teachers, with the teaching staff recruited based on open interviews. Following this, selections were made through criteria set by the Department of Social Welfare and interviews by the Department of Social Welfare and the CBRC Founder, Dr. Syazwani. Selections were based on experience and skills as well as teaching potential. The Department of Social Welfare makes an assessment first before extending a proposal to the CBRC Founder. The Department of Social Welfare pays the allowances of teaching staff through an annual grant allocated by the government to the department. At the beginning of the establishment of CBRC, there were three teachers, which has now been increased to six.

 

Learning space at the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center

The philosophy held by the CBRC USM is to “develop and improve the development of disabled children towards the maximum capacity and capability of the children’s ability” because each disabled child can develop very differently according to their physical and mental abilities. The vision held by the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center is “Leader of rehabilitation transformation in the community towards new hope and a meaningful future”. Disabled trainees are enrolled in a rehabilitation program that can help them lead a more active and fulfilled life with their current disability and function according to their individual level of disability. For example, the instructor teaches the trainee how to walk according to their maximum ability. The mission of the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center is “Driving the transformation of rehabilitation through the sustainability of community development with special needs on and off campus, integrating knowledge transfer with the involvement of parents or heirs and active collaboration partners’. The purpose of this content is to transform the rehabilitation of trainees with the involvement of parents and collaborative partners in the development of children with disabilities through the transfer of knowledge, as well as to encourage collaboration from outside parties to contribute as much as they can to the development of the CBRC. This would include, for example, lending their skills or expertise to the development of the potential of the CBRC trainees. The motto of the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center is “Empathy develops potential,” which means that the empathy shown by stakeholders will be evident in their best efforts to improve the abilities of children with disabilities, to form positive development, and to bring about the kind of change that gives joy to the parents of the trainees.

 

The CBRC is becoming an increasingly well-known rehabilitation center, and is acting as a role model for many other disabled centers in Malaysia. Indeed, it was cited as the benchmark for several Institutes of Higher Education in Malaysia when it was presented in the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, 2021-2025 in Parliament by the Malaysian Finance Minister, Senator Dato’ Sri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. This, to some extent, shows a positive direction for the development of children with disabilities in the country.

Interview

Interviewees
Dr. Syazwani Drani – Founder of Community-Based Rehabilitation Center, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Madam Wan Zahira Yu – Supervisor of Community-Based Rehabilitation Center, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Q: Can you please tell us a little about yourself?

Dr. Syazwani: My name is Dr. Syazwani Drani, I am a Senior Lecturer in the Section of Social Work in the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. I am also the founder of the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center (CBRC) on the main campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Madam Wan: My name is Ms. Wan Zahirah, and I am a supervisor in the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

 

The researchers with interviewees at the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center

Q: What are the roles you both play in the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center USM?

Dr. Syazwani: As the founder of the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center, Universiti Sains Malaysia, I am also known as the Chairperson of the Center. A founder should look at all matters involving the administration of CBRC USM as a whole and include all management aspects to ensure the program’s smooth implementation. For example, monitoring and ensuring financial affairs, the welfare of trainees and teaching staff, the development of each trainee, changes in trainee ability, management of teaching staff resources, and teaching effectiveness to trainees. In addition, I also monitor most aspects of education and security. In order to monitor the smooth running of the CBRC, I am present at the center twice a week.

Madam Wan: My primary role includes management and administration of matters related to salaries and monitoring of staff, and I am also one of the teachers in the center.

Q: Dr. Syazwani, how did the idea to create/build the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center USM come about?

Dr. Syazwani: It resulted from a One-Off program and the desire to continue contributing to the community, and also I have a disabled child.

 

Q: Madam Wan, how long have you been working at the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center USM?

Madam Wan: I have been serving for two years now. Before, I was involved in a special children’s school for eight years. I changed my professional direction to come and work at the CBRC USM to add to my knowledge and experience. I then became a teacher for a year and following that was promoted to supervisor. The rules and regulations here are under the guidance of the Department of Social Welfare.

Q: As a Founder & Supervisor, what are the essentials required of an instructor at the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center USM?

Dr. Syazwani: Anyone can do the work, but when it involves special and disabled children, it requires a high level of tolerance and a lot of patience. This is because it can be very challenging taking care of these children. For example, they throw feces accidentally or unconsciously, have tantrums, and get out of control, sometimes with biting, hitting, and so on. The aspects of experience, skills, and academic level are secondary assessments because gentleness, patience, and calmness are far more important traits in a teacher here.

Madam Wan: In my opinion, teachers need to have feelings of love and affection within their souls in order to understand the behavior and wishes of these children.

Q: What are the daily or weekly activities of trainees at the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center USM?

Madam Wan: We prepare a timetable that can be used as a guide. Learning here follows a syllabus created by us. For example, main skills, fine skills, language, and mathematics. Each of them is evaluated through an assessment of their respective capabilities. For example, each trainee has a lesson evaluation plan to measure their ability.

 

Organization chart & Daily activity schedule at the Center

Q: Is USM’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Center the first in a Public Institute of Higher Education?

Dr. Syazwani: Universiti Sains Malaysia is the first Public Higher Education Institution or PHEI to have a Community-Based Rehabilitation Center on campus. The first CBRC to be established was at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. They focused on training and vocational skills for trainees aged 15 to 18 years. While the USM main campus CBRC is the second project based on early intervention, it can be said that the strength of the two CBRCs at USM makes Universiti Sains Malaysia the first PHEI in Malaysia that has had a significant impact on the community. In the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, 2021-2025, which was presented in Parliament by the Minister of Finance of Malaysia, Senator Dato’ Sri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Universiti Sains Malaysia is recognized as the first PHEI to establish a CBRC and further provide inspiration to other Universities to get involved with the Social Welfare Department.

Q: What have been the most challenging things to overcome during your service at the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center USM?

Dr. Syazwani: I have definitely faced several challenges. In the initial stage of establishment, with little knowledge about how to establish a CBRC, the administrative process, implementation, and the syllabus used for learning were very difficult things to bring about. Everything started from zero knowledge. Also, the CBRC needs to look at trainees’ achievement levels according to the trainee category; sometimes, the disability is the same but at a different level. There is a need for a daily lesson plan or a quality individual lesson plan. It is necessary to plan for each trainee because they all have different capacities, capabilities, limitations, and focus. Finally, the solution has been the existence of daily and individual lesson plans, and guidance and encouragement from the Department of Social Welfare, as well as help from supervisors from other CBRCs.

Madam Wan: Teachers are certainly required to possess a high level of care and concern to ensure that the trainees at the CBRC achieve the objectives of this rehabilitation center.

Q: What was the most valuable experience you have had during your service at the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center USM?

Dr. Syazwani: The creation of the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center was inspired by my experience as a mother with a disabled child. Therefore, I am the holder of two hats, namely as both founder and parent. There are many small things that have made me happy with the experience. For example, some parents shared that their children had a good relationship with them, but were not so responsive. However, after being at the CBRC, the child now prefers a closer relationship. Also, a child once made a flower from lego and presented it to their parents. They appreciated that so much. Some parents shared that their child could not communicate well because of autism, but after receiving intensive training at the CBRC, the child can now call both parents by title.

Madam Wan: At the beginning, there was a child who could not utter a word to their teacher, and then suddenly they called their teacher by title. This really touched the teacher’s heart.

Q: In your opinion, should the USM Community-Based Rehabilitation Center be established in every IPTA? Why should it be mandatory?

Dr. Syazwani: Yes. This is in line with the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, which encourages all public higher education institutes to establish Community-Based Rehabilitation Centers because there is still a lack of knowledge about disabled children in Malaysia. This would be the best platform because, in every PHIE, many opportunities can be created to improve the development of children with disabilities.

Madam Wan: Community-Based Rehabilitation Centers will help in opening the eyes of the community. This is said to be so because the community is less aware and concerned about these special children. Therefore, it is appropriate to establish one in every institution.

 

 

Researchers’ interview session together with the supervisor

Q: Has establishment of USM’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Center impacted on the local community with disabled children?

Dr. Syazwani: Of course. Naturally, it has impacted well on the university being the first to have a Community-Based Rehabilitation Center, but results from a focus on community volunteering show that the trainees show excellent development such as doing daily activities well and improving in terms of abilities and potential. In addition, the CBRC can also train parents to control the behavior of these disabled children and develop their skills, and encourage better quality care by holding workshops for knowledge transfer.

Madam Wan: The existence of USM’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Center has had a good impact on the local community, as once they get to know more about the CBRC it helps to reduce the burden on the community.

Q: How do you see the establishment of USM’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Center impacting the lives of the local community and the country in the long term?

Dr. Syazwani: The Department of Social Welfare was basically the forerunner of the CBRC. However, now USM’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Center can run independently under the supervision of the Department of Social Welfare. In addition, it should really be considered an advanced rehabilitation center because it has modules. Next, CBRC can be a very beneficial program, depending on the activity. From the perspective of impact on the country, we highlight the potential of trainees, for example, in academia, sports, and so on, and this could become truly iconic in the future.

Madam Wan: In my opinion, the impact the CBRCs have on society is excellent, and many more people will come to know more about special children.

Q: What motivates you to stay with the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center USM?

Dr. Syazwani: I want to help parents and trainees because I am a parent of a disabled child. Having a normal child surely brings happiness, but having a special child; there is a real sweetness to it.

Madam Wan: I am already attached to these disabled children in my heart, and it is difficult for me to stay away from them.

Reflections

The interview session was exciting because we got perfect responses from both interviewees. All the information obtained was beneficial in the process of completing this report. Overall, the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center of Universiti Sains Malaysia is seen as a medium that has great potential in producing more iconic individuals from among the disabled. In addition, it is achieving its mission, vision, and objectives, working positively in the community, and also giving maximum impact towards the development of the country’s human capital. We hope that the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center continues to be looked upon and taken seriously by every level of leadership so that those with disabilities, as equal Malaysians, do not get left out of whatever incentives are on offer.

In addition, a million thanks are also expressed to the KUFS professors for giving us students the opportunity to enter the field in this community engagement project. Appreciation also goes to all lecturers who are equally involved in helping in this completion process. It is hoped that this project will be able to help anyone who sees, reads, and refers to the Community-Based Rehabilitation Center.

Researchers

Hi everyone! My name is Muhamad Firdaus bin Mohd Nazri. I’m 22 years old, originally from Malaysia, and the second child of four siblings. I am taking my Bachelors in Social Work, at the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. I am involved in associations and clubs at the University, and in addition, I am also active with several charitable NGOs as a volunteer. In the field of volunteering, I participate in humanitarian missions and in organizing programs that have an impact on the community.

Hola! I am Alissa Anne Alexander, but people here call me Lissa. I grew up in Malaysia and have lived here for 21 years. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work in the Faculty of Social Sciences on the main campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia. As a student of social work, I am involved in PIHDM which assists people who require the essentials for life, and several other NGOs with the help of a church youth organization. Good day! Nice knowing all of you.