Fostering Sustainable Service For Disabled Communities Through Youth Volunteerism: An Analysis Of Key Characteristics Using Fuzzy Delphi Methodology

Purpose: Services for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) not only involve physical needs, but educational services, particularly in the area of religious education. This includes the study of the Quran and fardhu ain, which are crucial for PWD who practice Islam. However, special
needs and specific methods must be considered to ensure that Islamic education can be effectively conveyed, whether by individuals or volunteer organizations. Since outreach efforts for PWD require a lot of manpower and specific skills, this study takes the approach that there
is a need for youth volunteers who can provide services to PWD. While there are various types of volunteer organizations available, there are not many that focus on outreach efforts for PWD in Malaysia. This has led to a lack of understanding and appreciation of Islam among the PWD
community. Therefore, the objective of this study is to foster sustainable services for the PWD community through youth volunteers by analyzing the key characteristics of volunteers using Fuzzy Delphi.
Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a design method and a developmental research approach that has three phases. In this study, the researchers focused on the second phase of Fuzzy Delphi. 13 experts were involved in this study to rank the elements in developing a model for volunteer outreach efforts for PWD.
Findings: The findings showed that all elements such as thinking, attitude, and skills, exceeded 70%, which is considered suitable, applicable and a must to the volunteers for PWD.
Research limitations/implications: This research involves volunteers among typical person who service PWD. For future, it hopes research might be conducted among PWD who involve in volunteering service.
Practical implications: These finding can be a reference to any development of training module for volunteers service especially which focusing on PWD. It is hoped that this findings could be as a guide for youth volunteers in teaching religious education for the PWD community.
Originality/value: The extraction of all the elements for the characteristic’s dimension of volunteers solely taken from the participants’ view and experience.