JOHOR BAHRU - Persons with Disabilities (PwD) cardholder Mohd Haziq Iqbal has been to three interview sessions to get a job in the hotel industry since last year.
The 26-year old who graduated with a degree in hospitality and business management from a private university in Selangor used to be an active person until he met with an accident in 2020 which changed his life.
He was in a coma after the accident for four months, and he suffered from indentation on the left side of his skull and metal plates were inserted in both of his fractured hands resulting him to become a PwD.
"I am really interested to work in the hotel industry. In fact, during my industrial training, I was placed at the front desk of a leading hotel in Selangor.
"After recovering from the accident, I started job hunting. In mid-2021, I started attending job interviews at several hotels.
"I have been to three job interviews but it was disappointing. They had offered me the lower positions,” he said.
Mohd Haziq who hailed from Kulai said he did not want to think about the past and instead wanted to maintain his high spirit to explore other fields such as online business.
Meanwhile, Mohd Raman Daeng Manassa, 35, who is also a PwD faced similar challenges in securing a job offer.
An accident that happened in 2009 while he was on his way to work had caused him to lose his right hand.
The father of three who has a certificate in industrial training and rehabilitation, has attended more than six interviews in the cleaning, services and manufacturing sectors, but his efforts had been futile.
"I have never been discouraged because not everyone understands the challenges faced by a PwD. For now, if anyone were to offer me a job, I would consider it.
"I am currently working at a car wash and workshop in Batu Pahat," he said.
For Mohamad Sufian Jasmi from Taman Bahagia, here, being a PwD has not made him feel discouraged and instead it made him stronger to continue life.
The 23-year old Johor paralympic athlete for archery was now earning a living by sending students to school and driving factory workers to work since March, last year using a car which was modified for the disabled.
He admitted that he was lucky to have the support and help of his parents and other family members after he struggled in securing a job offer due to being a PwD.
Mohamad Sufian is paralysed from the waist down after he was involved in a motorcycle accident in Taman Setia Tropika, here on Nov 3, 2016.
Before that he had a small business selling burgers and homemade chocolate chip cookies.