By Anthony Sivabalan Thanasayan

Dignity & Services (D& S), an advocacy group for people with learning difficulties published a book comprising 20 short articles written by persons with learning difficulties, with the youngest aged 13 and the eldest, 28. The book is called Difficult But Not Impossible.The cover was designed by Eugene Wong Fyot-Yong, 24, who is also a person with learning disability.

Parents and caregivers were specifically instructed not to assist them when they authored their pieces. You can see this was achieved from the way their insightful stories are written--with smudges, cancellation marks here and there, poor grammar, incorrect sentence structures and spelling, etc.

But the book challenges readers to look beyond these flaws and concentrate on the underlying message behind each story: that people with learning difficulties are no less than you and I. They have just been placed in extraordinary circumstances.

Perhaps what sets them apart from most of us is that they have a natural appreciation for the basic aspects of life. For instance, 22-year-old John Cheah values his best friend who spends quality time with him and is able to make him laugh. And 16-year-old Loo Yan Han relishes the great outdoors
while 19-year-old Komala Valli finds enjoyments in doing household chores. Mohd Hakim, 13, raves on about Jolok his pet cockerel.

The book has given people with learning disabilities a rare and fabulous opportunity to express themselves--and for others to know more about them.

Contact: Dignity & Services, Advocacy For People With Learning Disabilities, P.O. Box 498, Jalan Sultan, 46760 Petaling Jaya, Selangor ( 03-793 0849 or 03-792 9269, e-mail: dns_company@mailcity.com).