Malaysia's first cross-disability lifestyle magazine launched

Petaling Jaya: Challenges, Malaysia's first and only national magazine exclusively for the disability-related community was launched last Tuesday at the 1Utama Shopping Centre here.

The monthly journal has been created to fill a niche targeting the special needs and interest of Malaysia's hitherto unseen population - people with disabilities and/or at risk of disabilities, said its founder Mary Chen.

Challenges, which is also Malaysia's first cross-disability lifestyle magazine, was conceptualised to promote positive public awareness and connect all parties involved in disability.

“Our aim is to create an environment of collaborative networks and activities to promote independence and proactive integration of Malaysians with disabilities within their communities,” said Chen.

“There is a void in our society currently, for a national platform covering all the types of disabilities and related issues that shares practical, first-person-based solutions to living a more independent life with your disability.

"Our mission is to promote the concept of a 'parallel lifestyle' for PWDs in their communities. We believe Malaysians with Disabilities have the right to live a full, enriching life, now."

The magazine is designed to be conversational rather than confrontational, providing information to entertain, empower and enrich our readers. Its contents include articles on lifestyle, leisure, entertainment, accessible tourism and transport, health and fitness, sport and recreation, employment, education, youth, women, relationship, universal access homes and community, local and international news and personality profiles.

Challenges also aims to create choices in employment, education, entertainment /recreation.

Whether shopping or seeking solutions to accessible homes renovations, trips and vacations, car modification, gadgets, buying gifts or souvenirs produced by PWDs, investing money or setting up trust funds, Challenges will be everyone's first choice for accessible, practical guide to a more independent and enriching lifestyle.

The morning's launch was attended by guests from various NGOs, NPOs, public agencies, care and service providers as well as individuals with disabilities.

Free annual Challenges Magazine subscriptions were also presented to 10 organisations, namely Beautiful Gate Foundation For The Disabled (PJ); Deaf Club Majudiri Y; Dignity n Services Bhd / SUPPORTED LIVING (PJ); Japan International Cooperation Agency, IICA, (KL); MINDS. TTDI; POCAM (Persatuan Orang-orang Cacat Anggota Malaysia); World Vision Malaysia; AGAPE Centre, Sibu, Sarawak; Eden Handicap Service Centre Bhd, PENANG and Sarawak Society For The Blind (Kuching).

Chen said these organisations were amongst the first batch to respond to her request to be included in the Challenges sponsor-a-mag distribution list programme.

“We welcome members of the public to participate in this programme to enable us to reach out to more organisations,” she adds.

Individuals and corporations can be a sponsor of Challenges magazine to either organisations on the Challenges sponsor-a-mag distribution list or to a NGO of their choice. The price of a gift subscription is RM192 (including postage & handling within Malaysia) .

See NST news,
http://www.nst.com.my/Friday/National/20080411114946/Article/index_html

Visit Challenges Online Website
http://challengesmagazine.wordpress.com/

Congratulation to Challenges Team!! ^ ^