JOHOR BARU: Two friends have proven that being handicapped would not stop them from helping others like them when they designed the Hand-Drive Controller (HDC) which would make driving a breeze to handicapped (OKU) persons.
To date, Mohd Afiq Barni, 30, and Hairul Anuar Abu Bakar, 42, through their company Double-A Project Enterprise, established in January 2017, have sold 70 HDC units to OKUs across the country.
Both Mohd Afiq — a graphic designer with a diploma from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) — and Hairul Anuar, an auto mechanic ace, have spinal cord defects.
Mohd Afiq was injured in a road accident in 2013 while Hairul Anuar fell off a building in 2008.
“We created a driving aid tool, the HDC, for people with disabilities because we wanted to see them being able to drive and be independent without needing help from others”, Mohd Afiq told Bernama here.
Operating from a rented workshop in Larkin here, the two friends realised that the main obstacle facing handicapped persons was that of limited mobility which made it difficult for them to work and earn income.
The design of the HDC they came up with was permanent and portable, and could be adjusted to the customer’s type of handicap and vehicle.
Their innovation is ideal for all types of handicap such as spinal cord injury, leg amputation, and even to those suffering from dwarfism.
“Our HDC design is subject to the doctor’s report, for instance, if the patient is suffering spinal paralysis, it is recommended that their driving allows them to control the brakes and fuel using hand pedals”, said Mohd Afiq.
He added that from the feedback they received, the customers were very satisfied with the quality of the product as well as the after-sales service.
Mohd Afiq added that customers need not worry about safety as the HDC has been approved by the authorities including Puspakom Sdn Bhd and Road Transport Department (JPJ).
“The HDC is designed according to the doctor’s report on the handicap of the customer and after installation, our company will bring it to the JPJ for validation before the customer could take it to the Puspakom for inspection and verification”, he said.
Their strong entrepreneurship spirit and the desire to succeed encouraged Mohd Afiq and Hairul Anuar to participate in the Reach Independence and Sustainable Entrepreneurship (RISE) programme organised by Maybank Foundation and People Systems Consultancy, an agency responsible for eradicating poverty in the region last year.
“RISE taught us about business, such as finance, marketing and how to promote a product using different advertising mediums”, he added.
The duo now wants to start a workshop for handicapped persons at a one-stop centre where car workshops, HDC assembly workshop, ironsmith workshop, car wash centre, and business and entrepreneurship course centre would be held, with employees comprising of disabled people.
More information could be obtained by contacting Afiq at 019-7017410 or Anuar at 019-7466126. — Bernama
