It takes a village: Society plans RM25m place in Pahang for autistic adults with nowhere to go

KUANTAN, Oct 31 — The National Autism Society of Malaysia plans to develop an autism village to provide safe accommodation for adult autistic individuals who have nowhere to live in Pahang.

The intention was expressed following the presence of the Tengku Ampuan of Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah to officiate the society’s Kuantan 2026 Charity Sale Ceremony at Taman Gelora here, today.

The society’s patron Datuk Megat Ahmad Shahrani Megat Sharuddin said the proposed development of the village aimed to ensure that autistic individuals aged 30 to 50, especially those who no longer have guardians, received suitable accommodation and continuous care.

He said the centre was proposed to accommodate about 200 residents with an estimated development cost of about RM25 million based on a study conducted.

“When their parents are gone, some of them do not have siblings or family members to take the responsibility of caring for them. We want to provide a place so that they are not abandoned,” he told reporters after the event.

Megat Ahmad Shahrani said his party was trying to obtain five acres of land and hoped that the proposal would receive the attention and support of the Pahang Royal Institution to realise the wish.

He said Pahang also had the potential to become a settlement for autistic individuals from all over the country and not just those from the state.

“The society is also trying to obtain financial support from corporate companies and related bodies to finance the project, but providing land is the main requirement before fundraising efforts can be intensified,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said the operating costs of the society’s centres nationwide reached about RM7 million a year, while the collection obtained was only around RM4 million, causing the association to have to find an additional RM3 million every year.

He said the cost of providing education and therapy for individuals with autism was high because the learning approach required more specific attention, with a low teacher-to-student ratio to ensure that the needs of each individual could be met.

“The society, however, strives to ensure that the fees charged remain affordable for all levels of society, in addition to providing assistance to underprivileged families based on an assessment of their circumstances,” he said. — Bernama

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关丹，10 月 31 日讯——马来西亚国家自闭症协会计划在彭亨州建立一个自闭症村，为无家可归的成年自闭症人士提供安全的住所。

彭亨州东姑阿齐扎阿米娜迈穆纳伊斯坎达里亚 (Tengku Ampuan) 的东姑安普安 (Tengku Ampuan) 今天在塔曼格罗拉 (Taman Gelora) 主持该协会的关丹 2026 年慈善义卖仪式后，表达了这一意向。

该协会的赞助人拿督梅加特·艾哈迈德·沙赫拉尼·梅加特·沙鲁丁表示，拟建的村庄旨在确保 30 至 50 岁的自闭症人士，特别是那些不再有监护人的人，能够获得合适的住所和持续的照顾。

他表示，根据一项研究，该中心拟建可容纳约 200 名居民，预计开发成本约为 2500 万令吉。

“父母双亡后，他们中的一些人没有兄弟姐妹或其他亲属来承担照顾他们的责任。我们希望为他们提供一个地方，让他们不被遗弃，”他在活动结束后告诉记者。

梅加特·艾哈迈德·沙赫拉尼表示，他的政党正在努力争取获得五英亩土地，并希望该提议能够得到彭亨皇家机构的关注和支持，以实现这一愿望。

他说，彭亨州也有潜力成为全国各地自闭症患者的定居地，而不仅仅是该州的自闭症患者。

“该协会也在努力从企业和相关机构获得财政支持，为该项目提供资金，但提供土地是加大筹款力度的主要前提条件，”他说。

与此同时，他表示，该协会在全国各地的中心每年运营成本约为 700 万令吉，而收取的费用仅为 400 万令吉左右，导致该协会每年不得不额外筹集 300 万令吉。

他表示，为自闭症患者提供教育和治疗的成本很高，因为这种学习方法需要更具体的关注，师生比例较低，以确保满足每个学生的需求。

他说：“然而，协会致力于确保收费标准对所有社会阶层都可负担，并根据对贫困家庭情况的评估，向他们提供援助。”——马新社

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