Ten years after the government vowed to increase public facilities for disabled people; mobility, comfort and access remain a problem, say activists
en years after the government vowed to increase public facilities for disabled people; mobility, comfort and access remain a problem, say activists.
In 2000, the late former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid and former transportation minister Agum Gumelar, launched the National Public Accessibility Movement (GAUN), which aimed to increase special facilities for the disabled in public places.
Ten years later, disabled activists, including people in wheelchairs and with visual impairments, gathered in Jakarta to celebrate and lament GAUN.
The program has borne very little fruit, several activists said.
“It was the first time I used the [Transjakarta] busway,” said Sunarti, who has used a wheelchair since the age of 5 after she was afflicted with polio.
Sunarti surveyed Transjakarta as part of the event’s evaluation of the capital’s public transportation system ease of use for disabled people.
She had to be carried up a long flight of stairs that lead to the shelter at the Blok M terminal in South Jakarta because there were no ramps, she said.
Sunarti said that she usually uses taxis, which are expensive, so her time about town is limited.
“I go out twice a week on average. If there was more access [for disabled people], I would like to go out more,” she said.
Agum, who was named an ambassador for the disabled at the event, said GUAN’s sluggish and barely effective implementation was “saddening”.
“Only a fraction of [GAUN’s] goals have been achieved,” he said.
Indonesia has several laws and regulations that guarantee rights access and special facilities for the disabled.
The 1997 Law on Disabled People stipulates that disabled people have a right to access and must be treated equally.
A 2002 law stipulates that all public roads must be equipped with facilities for the disabled.
Other laws stipulate that buildings must provide access for disabled people.
“Sometimes the laws are merely a token,” Agum said.
Saharudin Daming said that he agreed.
“Often the infrastructure of government and private buildings ignores safety and security principles for disabled people, said Saharudin, an official of the National Commission for Human Rights’ (Komnas HAM) subcommission on education and awareness building,
Saharuddin cited several examples of facilities that are unfriendly to disabled people, such as
elevators.
It would not cost much to make those facilities friendlier, he said.
“If they want to design for the purpose of accessibility, they only have to change the software…sometimes elevators merely give a ‘dingdong’ sound, I can’t comprehend the meaning,” he said.
Saharuddin praised buildings with elevators that provide audible floor announcements.
He called for a special body to monitor accessibility for the disabled.
“It’s time to establish a national accessibility commission with a mandate to conduct monitoring, research and give recommendations,” Saharuddin said at a speech during the event.
According to a basic health research report compiled in 2007, the prevalence of disabilities in Indonesians has increased to 21.3 percent from 12.7 percent in 2001.
More than 48 million of Indonesia’s current estimated population of 227 million people may be disabled according to the report’s methodology, which says conditions such as myopia are disabilities.
“[The disabled] have great potential, if they are given access. If not, they will be the nation’s burden,” Saharuddin said.
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