Grab continues to fight the good fight to create greater inclusivity and equality in Southeast Asia, particularly Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) who seek to be self-sufficient and independent, and looking to contribute to the community. Through its “Grab for Good” social impact programme, Grab wants to ensure anyone, regardless of background or ability, is able to benefit from the digital economy.
There are nearly 800 PWDs who earn an income on Grab across the region, over 500 of whom are Malaysians. This includes persons with deafness, cerebral palsy or motor impairments.
Sean Goh, Country Head of Grab Malaysia, who delivered his opening speech in sign language, said “Our driver-partners and delivery-partners inspire us everyday with their strength and dedication. Last year, we introduced ‘Break the Silence’, in partnership with the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf (MFD), to improve the experience for drivers who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. Since then, we’ve grown from serving 245 PWD partners to over 500. As we celebrate Break The Silence once again this year, we hope to reach even more communities with different abilities, and to serve them better. Ultimately, we believe that Malaysia was born under an imperative to be an inclusive nation, and that every Malaysian deserves an equal opportunity.”
In 2018, Grab piloted “Break The Silence” in Malaysia to welcome more deaf and hearing-impaired people on the Grab platform, whether as a driver-partner, delivery-partner, agent, or merchant.
Grab partners the Malaysian Federation of The Deaf to continuously engage the deaf community and improve the experience for deaf and hearing-impaired drivers.
“We commend Grab’s efforts to encourage a more inclusive environment for the deaf community in Malaysia. Through their initiatives over the course of the year, deaf and hard-of-hearing drivers will be able to work with peace of mind, knowing that someone is looking out for them. We are also proud to be able to assist them expand their efforts to their community of differently abled partners on their platform,” said ?YM Tengku Arman Harris Tengku Ismail, President, Malaysia Federation of the Deaf?.
Working closely with MFD, Grab was able to better understand the needs and identify pain points of deaf driver-partners on the platform. This has led to improvements in Grab’s products, platform, and processes. Within the Grab app for instance, driver-partners and passengers can better communicate, and also get customer support via a dedicated live chat feature.
With support from the Ministry of Transport (MOT), Road Transport Department (JPJ), and the Ministry of Health (MOH), Malaysia is one the few countries in the world to have implemented progressive regulations that allow PWDs to obtain a commercial driver’s license.
Following the success of the “Break The Silence” initiative in Malaysia, Grab is expanding the impact to towers countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Singapore. Grab targets to double the number of deaf driver-partners on the platform over the course of the coming year.
Earlier this week, during its regional “Grab For Good” event in Jakarta and in conjunction with International Week of the Deaf (23-30 September), Grab announced partnerships with GERKATIN in Indonesia; Malaysia Federation of the Deaf (MDF); Singapore Association of the Deaf; and the National Association of the Deaf Thailand.
To cultivate a seamless Grab experience for differently-abled driver-partners, delivery-partners, merchants, agents, and user, the company is introducing three new pillars:
- Extend support to PWD enterprises
This year, Grab will include differently-abled merchants on GrabFood and GraPay. As a user, you’ll be able to learn more about these merchants and how you can help them grow their business, right from the Grab app. Some merchants coming onboard in the coming weeks include The Bassment Cafe, Deaf-in-Business (DIB) Restuarant and RC Deaf Missions Malaysia. More merchants will be coming onboard the platform by end of the year. - Introduce the Driver Representative Committee (DRC) for PWDs
To better support and represent the growing number of PWDs on the platform, Grab has appointed 19 differently-abled driver and delivery-partners to be part of their Driver Representative Committee (DRC). The committee acts as a bridge between Grab and the driver- and delivery-partner community to better understand their needs. - Upskilling drivers to better serve customers with disabilities
Grab will organise monthly training sessions for driver-partners to equip them with skills to better assist passengers with physical impairments such as those who are wheelchair bound. To date, Grab has trained a total of 85 driver-partners and will run these training sessions twice a month. Grab is expanding trainings nationwide to upskill at least 1,000 driver-partners by end of 2020.
Also, Grab will be developing further tech enhancements to better support deaf and physically-impaired partners and enhance their experience in earning an income on the platform.
Firstly, the integration of in-app cards to notify users if a driver-partner is deaf. This is an upgrade form the current automated GrabChat notification.
GrabChat will be made the default communication channel for users who are paired with a deaf driver-partner.
Passengers will find in-app communication guides to better interact with deaf driver-partners. This will be placed in the in-transit feed, replacing the current in-car communication flip cards.
Within the Grab app as a widget, you will now also find The Sign Language Dictionary, a series of short video clips that teach you essential sentences and common phrases in sign language.
Haymasuthan A/L Periasamy, a deaf driver-partner in Grab’s Driver Representative Committee (DRC)?, said, “Changing the way people see my disability isn’t easy. And that is why I keep working with Grab to shift the perspective many still have about the deaf and hearing impaired community. I am thankful for the opportunity to work closely with Grab to assist others out there achieve financial independence.”
Siti Fatimah binti Badrun, a wheelchair bound driver-partner?, said, “I have been wheelchair bound since birth and never thought that there were income opportunities for someone in my condition growing up. I was hesitant at first when hearing about Grab but I decided to try it out anyway because many of my friends were encouraging me to do so. Since then, I’ve learned that I really enjoy it and I also appreciate the income I am able to earn independently driving with Grab.
Grab continues to work with governments, community groups, international organisations, and NGOs across the region to open up more opportunities for its disabled partners. There is still plenty to be done, but Grab as a far-reaching platform has the capability to impart positive change and impact at scale.
