Chairman's Statement

The Yayasan Sultan Idris Shah's toil of more than twenty years had earned the Foundation tremendous progress and success. This success is rated by the increasing number of children with disabilities who seek our assistance especially in the area of Community Based Rehabilitation Services.

It has been generally recognized that Institutional rehabilitation can only account for 10-15% of rehabilitation needs of a person with disabilities. The rest of the rehabilitation work comprising between 85-90% has to be the responsibility of the Community as advocated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that 'Community Based Rehabilitation is a strategy for enhancing the quality of life of people with disabilities'. This requires a holistic establishment of a networking system of getting the community involved with various support from families, caregivers, hospitals, government departments, doctors and private sectors rendering assistance.

The Foundation's emphasis on such outreach programmes has lead to the establishment of eleven community based rehabilitation centres in the state of Perak, especially to enable the poor within the rural community with an easy access to rehabilitation services, without having to travel to Ipoh, which can be a burden to the families and cumbersome to the person or child with a disability.

Rehabilitation within the community helps the disabled overcome their discomforts and with the support of the right professional therapy, they are able to lead happy and meaningful lives in the area of mobility and independence.

The Foundation practices an open door policy that provides free rehabilitation services to people with disabilities irrespective of age, race and religion. Expenses mainly include salaries, maintenance of vehicles, therapeutic equipment and financing new and existing community based rehabilitation centres throughout the length and breadth of Perak.

I must sincerely express here that our great progress and success has largely been due to the support of well wishers, the caring public and most of all, my dear friends and close associates. The Foundation rests on you all good people out there. A special note of appreciation also goes to all staff, helpers and volunteer workers at the foundation. Without all of you the success would not be achieved.

I wish also thank His Royal Highness Paduka Seri Raja Azlan Shah, Sultan of Perak, for his continuous support to the Foundation.


Tan Sri Dato Seri V Jeyaratnam
L.L.B. (London), Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln's Inn) PSM, SPMP, JP, Chairman