OKU Rights Matter

Every child has the right to learn, to belong, and to grow — regardless of ability.

Small Steps, Big Changes for Preschool Inclusion is Malaysia’s first resource of its kind: an essential companion for turning the belief in inclusion into everyday practice in our preschools, and beyond. It centres the practice of presuming competence and ensuring access in supporting children with disabilities.

The book brings together Lai-Thin’s professional expertise and lived experience — as a disability-inclusion advocate, inclusive education specialist, and care partner to family members with disability and neurodivergence.

Designed to be usable with any curriculum, this resource equips preschool teachers, school leaders, parents, and advocates with practical tools and strategies to make early childhood education truly inclusive.

Inside the book, you will find:

Classroom-friendly strategies to support children with diverse learning needs and abilities, enabling every child to participate meaningfully.

Approaches to address challenging behaviours with compassion and understanding, not punishment.

Ways to foster respectful interactions between children with and without disabilities.

Strategies for effective collaboration among teachers, families, support professionals, and community — embedding inclusion into school life.

Practical guidance for supporting children with disabilities, and their families, navigate transitions: from home to preschool, between classrooms, or into new learning environments.

About the Author

Lai-Thin is an inclusive education specialist and disability-inclusion advocate. She holds a Master’s degree in Special and Inclusive Education (Erasmus Mundus) and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology (HELP).

Lai Thin currently serves as Project Lead for the National Early Childhood Intervention Council (NECIC), where she coordinates initiatives that strengthen early childhood intervention and inclusive education practices in Malaysia. She is also a member of The OKU Rights Matter Project, writing resource briefs and advocacy papers, as well as co-curating resources.

Growing up with a neurodivergent sibling and being a dementia care partner, she learned that true support means centering the autonomy and lived experiences of people with disabilities. Blending personal insights and professional expertise, she works to challenge ableism and build systems that uphold the dignity, rights, and full participation of persons with disabilities.

Cover Art

“I wish I could go to school” by Branden Lim

Branden’s painting portrays a preschool setting with a ramp and small steps, symbolising accessibility for all children. Faceless figurines represent diversity, highlighting inclusion regardless of appearance. Branden, a wheelchair user with spinal muscular atrophy, created this piece to advocate for equal access to education for all children, regardless of any disabilities.

NG Lai-Thin of The OKU Rights Matter Project was part of the initial working group on drafting the Disability-inclusive Language Guidelines. The drafting of the Guidelines is the initiative of The Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF), usually referred to as The Content Forum. The Content Forum is perhaps the very first Malaysian Government entity to explicitly demonstrate, in practice, harmonization of its scope of work with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and has done so in close consultation with knowledgeable members of the OKU community. Prior to finalizing the draft Guidelines, The Content Forum embarked on wide public consultation to solicit feedback. It is noteworthy that The Content Forum made the public consultation accessible in diverse formats for persons with diverse disabilities in the OKU community. Altogether, The Content Forum leads in its exemplary endeavour on “walking the talk” by harmonizing a national government ministry endeavour with the CRPD.

Disability-inclusive Language Guidelines by The Content Forum

Consider This: Content Guidelines – Public Review of Disability-inclusive Language

MALAYSIAN MEDIA COUNCIL OPENS OFFICIAL COMPLAINTS CHANNEL

A professional & institutional channel for the public and stakeholders to submit complaints related to: •⁠ ⁠Journalistic practices •⁠ ⁠Media ethics •⁠ ⁠NEWS •⁠ ⁠News content

This is a mechanism to emphasise:

•⁠ ⁠Editorial accountability; •⁠ ⁠Safeguarding media freedom; •⁠ ⁠Fair correction; •⁠ ⁠Mediation.

Complaints are handled under the Code of Conduct and Complaints Committee, functioning as an independent, transparent & non-punitive channel in line with the principles of media self-regulation.

Over the past few weeks, the Malaysian community has been struck by a number of news items of school violence, bullying and safety. The impact of the harmful narratives surrounding these incidents have resulted in the disability community feeling distressed and unsafe.

LETTER | Confirmation that our fifth prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, fondly known as Pak Lah, is living with dementia throws a spotlight on a condition that affects nearly 300,000 Malaysians.

Aida (Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group), along with our allies, express deep disappointment over the remarks made by Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar at the 16 October press conference held at the Parliament building. “The country’s laws on workplace discrimination cover persons with disabilities as well, and there is no need to enact specific legislation for this group,” he said.