Today, 2 April, is World Autism Day, a day to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of people with autism so that they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society.

The United Nations describes autism as a condition that manifests during early childhood, irrespective of gender, race or socio-economic status: “The term Autism Spectrum refers to a range of characteristics. Appropriate support, accommodation and acceptance of this neurological variation allow those on the Spectrum to enjoy equal opportunity, and full and effective participation in society.”

A local company that continues to champion for autistic people is Selangor Dredging Berhad (SDB). The company continues to come up with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and programmes to get this community together and involved in society.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company had hosted the One-Two-Star talent show, a platform for autistic children to perform in front of an audience, and also aimed at building the confidence of participants while showcasing their extraordinary musical abilities.

Click on this link to view a 2-min highlight to see for yourself just how musically talented these autistic children are.

Recently, the company launched the One-Two-Boost initiative, a collaboration with TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) practitioners from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, namely Ms. Lin Cze-Pern and Mr Go Pei Heng. This initiative follows on the heels of the company’s other CSR initiatives throughout the years:

· One-Two-Juice: A fruit juice stall operated by autistic adults at the courtyard area of Wisma Golden Eagle Realty launched in 2011. Through this effort, they were able to earn salary independently by preparing juices, taking and delivering orders and manning the juice stalls. Subsequently, One-Two-Juice was awarded the Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award under the Social Empowerment Category in 2012 and 2014, emerging as one of the top CSR initiatives in the Asian region.

· One-Two-Wash: Introduced in 2014, this car wash initiative was implemented with specially designed processes and learning tools to assist these individuals to learn and follow through better. Located at Wisma Golden Eagle Realty, it caters to office tenants as well as patrons from the neighbouring office buildings.

· One-Two-Gift: Another opportunity for autistic children to improve their motor skills where they were coached to produce naturally handcrafted soaps made from shea butter.

The One-Two-Boost initiative is about creating specially prescribed herbal drinks and soup packs, all single-handedly prepared and packed by young adults with disabilities under proper supervision. This initiative is also aligned with goals to provide special needs people more job opportunities as well as to boost one’s overall well-being and promote healthier lifestyles.

SDB managing director, Ms Teh Lip Kim who also has an autistic child, said that the aim here is to give young adults with autism a sense of purpose and to encourage them to embrace life wholeheartedly.

“It’s also about instilling a sense of pride in them that that they are able to deliver – just like normal human beings – tasks assigned to them. Here, it is to give them a sense of confidence to deliver finished products, and for the benefit of the world at large through their efforts.”

SDB’s CSR initiatives are driven by strong purpose and revolve around offering support, while creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities to acquire skills that will prepare them for a life on their own.

Apart from offering them a channel for employment, the projects undertaken by SDB not only provide temporary assistance but also enable them to learn and improve their work and social skills, while creating a community for them and integrating them into society.

“You may not hear them talking all the time, but there is this beautiful ‘unspoken’ language when autistic people are all together. It gives them a sense of community and belonging. You can witness that there’s a strong bond and love amongst them all, and they want to be together – a deeper sense of brotherhood and sisterhood that’s beautiful and special.

It’s also important for them to integrate with part of a bigger community and society at large. It’s about giving them a place and a voice in society, and for them to deliver the finished products. As a society, we should also accept them and praise them for their efforts.

Austistic people’s needs tends to be very ‘simple’. They make us realise that we have everything we want in our lives. Why should we want more? We should already be grateful for whatever we have.”

Under the One-Two-Boost initiative, new product series would be introduced from time to time for overall wellness and well-being, catering to the different needs of the body.

Currently, the Immune-Booster series features soups, tea and drink packs to boost one’s overall immunity. The Nourishing Series consist of the warm and cold bazhen soup which is suitable for males and females, and is known to increase energy and blood circulation. To increase the body’s metabolic rate, the Fat Loss tea is suitable to be consumed daily and combined with a proper diet and exercise regime to see results.

Apart from offering them a channel for employment, the projects undertaken by SDB do not just provide temporary assistance but also enable them to learn and improve their work and social skills.

Here are some ‘open heart’ sharing from some of the participants with autism.

Meanwhile, this is what Mr Teh shared: “My son Ming has volunteered for One-Two-Wash, One-Two-Boost and One-Two-Gift. I remember the first time he came home after his car wash, Lai Cheng (job coach) handed him some plastic gloves, clips and locker keys. For the first time, I saw how disciplined he was, he came home removed everything and dried it and the next day, he would gather all his things by himself once again. I also saw a sense of pride – that he was going to work, just like his mother and father.

“When he is together with all his friends at car wash, they come together as a community and it’s this brotherhood or camaraderie by doing an activity together – and to see the finished product. For example, he is very proud when he packs the herbal packs, and eventually he drinks it and knows it’s good for health.

“I am very appreciative that there is this community of people of their own kind, who love and care for one another. Keeping an autistic child at home is not the way to go – I can see contentment as well as confidence in Ming when he goes to work!”

If you’re interested in finding more about One-Two-Boost – or if you’d like to order these special creations made with love and care by an autistic community – please click here.

Source: Selangor Dredging Berhad (SDB)

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