Years ago, Dr. Lim Boon Hock and his wife Guek were stirred to adopt a baby boy in their home country of Malaysia. Matthew was soon discovered to have special needs—ultimately being diagnosed with Autism and Russell Silver Syndrome. As they quickly learned in the early 1990s, resources for children with special needs in Malaysia were incredibly limited.
The challenges they shared with other parents transformed into opportunity. Dr. Lim pivoted his career as a teacher to study development and special needs, becoming a regional expert on special education, diagnosis, and developmental therapy. Parent support groups blossomed.
But over time, parents wondered what would happen as they aged and grew unable to physically care for their children. In their hearts, they longed to prepare their grown children for a meaningful way to live their own lives.
Together with other parents and experts, Boon Hock and Guek founded the QuadE Society to serve persons with disabilities. The QuadE mission is to Engage, Enable, Enhance, and Empower these young people to live their daily lives to their fullest potential.
Before long, the value of a supported living facility focused on training and preparing young adults with disabilities became clear. Dr. Lim enlisted the services of a well-respected local architect from their church. But one piece was still missing.
“I was wondering,” reflected Dr. Lim, “who is going to build something… to be disability compliant, that will have ‘visit-ability’, accessible routes, and turning points… I think designers [in Malaysia] are trying to be disability compliant, but we haven’t gone to this extent.”
At this point, a mutual acquaintance introduced QuadE to EMI. Even in the first introductions and communication, the fit was undeniable. Dr. Lim says, “We wanted our work to be set up along Christian principles—to be more than just a charitable organization. We hope that the young adults coming in, and their families, would in some way be touched by the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.
“So EMI’s questions to us, asking for our vision and details of how the QuadE project would impact people with the gospel, stuck in my mind. ‘What?’ I thought, ‘Are they that serious?’
In late 2019, an EMI Cambodia team traveled to Melaka, Malaysia in order to meet with key personnel and develop a Master Plan for the site. Dan Chong, an architect from EMI Canada, added invaluable input from his experience in private practice, where he had designed a large residential school for autistic children.
The team set to work, starting by laying out an “accessible route”, which maintains separation of public and private spaces, while balancing shallow grades and good drainage. They continued with conceptual designs of different buildings and spaces, referencing best practices for accessible design along the way.
After EMI Cambodia finalized the conceptual design, QuadE and the local architect began developing construction drawings. It’s clear though, the handoff after EMI’s visit included more than the layouts, renderings, and details that showed up on paper.
“I was really impressed,” Dr. Lim told us later, “on that day when the team was out in the rain, in the humidity, in the mosquitos… You smile and laugh, you seem to enjoy your work. But you’re so driven.
“I want to believe, and I do, that it’s unto the Lord, so you give your best unto the Lord. I believe you come with that mindset, and that’s what drives you.”
