BY: NAZLI IBRAHIM
PETALING JAYA, DEC 7: The Universal Design Award will be made an annual event with total prizes increased to RM100,000 to attract more participants from various sectors.
Petaling Jaya Mayor Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain said competition categories will be increased to promote awareness to building owners to provide facilities for all groups of people, including those with disabilities and the elderly.
“This year we are only utilising existing budget around RM24,000 but for next year we are adding RM100,000 and adding more categories from only seven this year, to increase participation.
“We shall see how many more will participate. We want participations from higher learning institutions, government buildings, budget hotels and others.
“We want building owners to have the awareness to provide facilities not just for the disabled people, in fact there are many buildings I have seen that are not even user-friendly to begin with, not even for normal people not to mention for senior citizens,” said Mohd Azizi.
He said that after the Universal Design Award 2016 Ceremony at the Encorp Strand Mall in Kota Damansara.
Clearly the step is taken to encourage and promote awareness to owners of buildings without user-friendly facilities including facilities for the disabled people and the elderly.
Earlier, Encorp Strand Mall, Menara PKNS Petaling Jaya, One Avenue Hotel, Wisma Perkeso, Ibis Style Hotel, Tropicana City Mall and Paradigm Mall received awards in the Universal Design Award 2016 presented by Mohd Azizi.
MBPJ allocates RM100,000 to make Universal Design Award an annual event
