Starting the year on the right foot

by Yeoh Siew Hoon

The day before I was due to speak at a conference on accessible tourism, I found myself in a leg cast and flying home, tail between my legs, to Singapore.

I had gone to Kota Kinabalu, hoping to climb a mountain and ended up falling down the steps of a hotel, injuring my left leg.

Someone up there has a sense of humour at least.

Now please don’t think I planned it so I could speak authoritatively on a subject about which I know nothing – accessible tourism being tourism that is accessible to all including the disabled and elderly – but perhaps it was someone’s way of telling me that in the new year, we ought to not only say what we mean but also mean what we say.

For isn’t it true that there is no better teacher than first hand experience? Because for the first time in my life as a traveller at large, I found myself travelling as someone in need of assistance.

I had first to call AirAsia with whom I was flying for the first time. They told me to just show up early and tell them what I needed.

I asked for a wheelchair. It cost me RM17. Fifteen minutes later, a woman dressed in bright orange showed up with a wheelchair. She looked at the three of us (I was with two friends who were seeing me off) and asked, “Which one of you needs the wheelchair?”

Given I was the only one for miles around in a leg cast, I thought this was a good question indeed.

My friends then wanted to take a photo of us – I am sure it will appear in a Facebook posting sooner or later – whereupon the staff said, “Do you want your friend to push you because if you want me to push you, we have to go now as I have to go back in and work?”



I like it that she didn’t treat me any differently from other customers – ie rudely. I have heard from disabled friends that what they wish for is to be treated like normal – neither like heroes just because they managed to cross the road or climb a mountain or like “so poor thing”.

But I didn’t like her attitude. So I told her she was being rude, we had waited 15 minutes for her and the least she could do was wait 15 seconds while we took a photo.

I think I shocked her because she was obviously expecting a “poor thing” that would be so grateful for the help.

She turned all sweet and nice after that, even offering to take me shopping. She told me the airport had started off with five wheelchairs and four were no longer functioning. So I was in the only wheelchair they had left. No wonder they wanted a quick turnaround.

My new-found orange friend wheeled me to the head of the Express Boarding queue – the good thing about being in a wheelchair is you get to board first – and bade me farewell.

I could feel curious eyes looking at me, probably wondering what I had done to deserve the leg cast. Finally, an elderly Chinese woman came up and asked me at least 100 questions about my condition. What happened? How much did it cost? Why am I traveling alone? Do I have a husband? Where is my mother? What do I do? How much do I earn?

I felt like a contestant in “Moment of Truth”. I mostly lied however. In such situations, I find telling the truth extremely boring.

Onboard, the cabin crew was helpful. I needed something to prop up my leg and I, forgetting for a moment I was on a low cost airline, asked for a cushion or pillow. The stewardess gave me a bag of paper napkins instead which I thought very ingenious.

In Singapore, I had arranged for JetQuay’s meet and greet service and I have to say, this is a wonderful service if you need assistance. You get into this buggy and you go for a joyride – the coldest joyride I have ever taken – through Changi and you exit through a dedicated terminal. You get personal immigration service and your checked baggage is collected and delivered to you.

I couldn’t have asked for better material for my presentation at the conference the next morning, which was attended by academics, scientists, engineers and manufacturers of products and services catering for the disabled and elderly.

As I stood on stage, rather unsteadily, in my leg cast and hospital slippers, talking about a subject about which I had previously known nothing, I resolved that this year will be the year not only of silver linings but also of taking tentative steps into new and unfamiliar territory.

Yes, the leg hurts but hey, don’t they say that which does not break you only makes you stronger.

For one, I did not fall during my speech.