PBSNS A Life Changing Experience for Learning Disabled

1. Why was PBSNS established?

PBSNS was established to fulfill a need for families with learning disabled children. In 1996 this issue was brought to the attention of the leadership of the Wesley Methodist Church, Seremban. They decided it would be a worthwhile community project and in 1998 the Pusat Berdikari Seremban (PBS) was born. 'Pusat Berdikari' translate from Bahasa Malaysia as 'Centre for Self-Reliance'. 10 years later PBS was transformed into PBSNS, a registered society run by Christians of Seremban but servicing the learning disabled of all races and social backgrounds.

2. What is your operating model?

We run a day centre over a 5 days work week from 9.00am - 4.00pm. Our trainees report for 'work' much like in a normal workplace. They clock in and their work are rated to qualify for 'pay' at the end of each month. With their 'payslips' they can then qualify to receive welfare allowances, currently RM300 per month, from the State Welfare Department.

Trainees families each donate RM100 monthly to help cover the operating expenses.

3. Who runs the centres?

The centres are run by a team of paid staff (currently 2 fulltime and 1 part-time) and volunteers. A management committee oversees the work. It meets every 3 months and handle issues arising.

4. Do the trainees graduate like in schools?

It is impossible to make trainees graduate as each have their own development pace. Some trainees learn faster so can leave the centre earlier to find jobs, others stay on for longer period. As far as possible we desire those trainees who have picked up sufficient skills to get jobs and start living on their own. Those who did have demonstrated that given the chance they can be independent.

5. What do you do with those who cannot find jobs?

We have a Sheltered Workshop which works like an employment centre. It is in the SW that trainees earn 'salaries' as evidence for them to apply for welfare allowances. Those who cannot find jobs outside continue to work in the SW. However we hope more employers will respond by giving trained people a chance to be employed.

6. Do you offer place for lived-in trainees?

Unfortunately we do not have the facilities to accommodate trainees who desire to be cared for 24/7. We are essentially a skills training centre.

7. Who are your financiers?

Aside from the donations from the trainees families we receive regular donation from our founding church. We also receive donations from caring individuals and corporate bodies who believed in our work. For peace of mind we hope to have regular income from donors on a long term basis. We also hope the business communities can adopt us under their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.

8. What are your plans for the next 3-5 years?

We have just opened our new centre. We plan to take in on a gradual basis more trainees up to the maximum 40 limit. We want to develop a well defined operating system, clear teaching and training methodologies and an efficient administrative and marketing department to help project and promote our work. We need people with passion and commitment to join us at every level to build our society into a well run unit.

9. What are your plans on parental involvements?

From the onset we had wanted parents of trainees to take a greater interest in the progress of their wards. Unfortunately some parents treat us as baby sitters and fail to carry through the training we provided while their children are at home. We plan to start a parents club to engage them to be more pro-active. Hopefully some of them will come in to serve as volunteers as one or two have already done so.

10. What do you mean by your tagline - PBSNS A Life Changing Experience?

We realise that what we do will impact our trainees, more or less, depending on their potentials and how fervent their families undertake to help them transform. We believe that the learning disabled are handicapped by opportunities rather than by abilities. In PBSNS we try to turn the table by giving these people opportunities to better themselves. While it may take longer time to see results, we believe we will see many lives changed when their hidden potentials are developed and used. More than the trainees themselves, we believe that the caregivers and parents too may see life transformation themselves when they see their efforts start bearing fruits in those they help build better lives.

11. You started the Chedang Cafe recently. How will you ensure trainees get the right exposures?

For our trainees to learn how to relate to customers they need hands on experience and unless their future employers are willing to provide them the training we thought we should have a training cafe. Here we want to lead them in a step-by-step teaching to greet, take order, repeat order, deliver food and drinks ordered, collect monies and return any change and to say thank you when the customers leave. We are aware that it may be a momentous task to build up the confidence of the trainees to do all these tasks but the challenges will only spur us to try for their achievements. With the patience and care given to each trainee we believe that it is possible for these trainees to be competent and confident in themselves.

12. Is there a dream for PBSNS to become?

Learning disability exist in every community and in every town and cities. Learning disabled people need to be trained to live competitively so that their parents are at peace. While we grow PBSNS to be a local centre we hope to excel in our work and be professional that we can help others set up similar centres. Becoming ISO certified is one such goal. The other is to become a certified training centre for other trainers to learn how to start their own centres.