NEW STRAITS TIMES
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1996

FOUNDATION PLANS TO BUILD THERAPY SCHOOL

KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - The Sultan Idris Shah Foundation for the Disabled plans to establish a therapy school to provide training for the care of disabled children.

Foundation chairman Tan Sri V. Jeyaratnam said the school, to be built at the foundation centre in Bercham in the outskirts of Ipoh, would relieve the acute shortage of trained staff.

He said the foundation hoped to draw up a plan to run courses at intermediate level for therapy assistants in the field of rehabilitation in consultation with Uppsala University of Sweden and a local university.

Jeyaratnam was speaking at the Sultan Idris Shah Charity Nite dinner jointly organised by the and Riche Monde Sdn Bhd at the Crown Princess Hotel on Tuesday to raise money for the school.

A sum of RM1.288 million was raised with an additional RM200,000 raised through an auction. About 940 guests attended the dinner.

Also present were Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, former Lord President Tun Abdul Hamid Omar and Spastic Children's Association Selangor and Federal Territory patron Datuk Paduka Saleha Mohd Ali.

The dinner was also attended by 30 stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Jeyaratnam said the number of disabled persons seeking assistance from the foundation had increased, with 2,365 currently registered with it.

The Sultan Idris Shah Foundation was established as a charity foundation in 1982 to serve the needs of the physically disabled in Perak and it has set up the Community Based Rehabilitation services in 1984.