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Jakarta Post

Challenging bus journeys for disabled people

One sunny Friday afternoon 15 disabled people, who were having a day off, decided to use public transportation to travel out of Denpasar

Luh De Suriyani (The Jakarta Post)
Denpasar
Sat, January 11, 2014

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Challenging bus journeys for disabled people

O

ne sunny Friday afternoon 15 disabled people, who were having a day off, decided to use public transportation to travel out of Denpasar.

The group of the disabled people hung around patiently for almost half an hour at a bus stop in Siulan in Tohpati area waiting for the Trans Sarbagita bus to take them to Bali Mall Galleria in Kuta.

When the bus finally arrived, each of them had to get assistance from at least two people in order to get on board in their wheelchairs. The ramp at the bus stop was quite steep making it difficult for the wheelchair bound passengers to enter the bus'€™s door.

The roof was too low for a large bus to stop right in front of the bus stop to enable people with disabilities to easily get into the bus. It required two public buses to transport 15 people with disabilities to Kuta.

'€œThe ramps at the bus stop are too high. It is extremely difficult for us to get up there without assistance from other people. Similarly, when the bus comes, we have to get extra assistance to get down to the same level as the buses in order to board them,'€ explained Sang Ayu Sujiatie, a polio survivor.

The 15 disabled people are members and volunteers at the Puspadi Bali Foundation, a nonprofit organization, which supports people with various physical disabilities in Bali.

'€œWe are trying to use public transportation to visit various places such as restaurants, cinemas and malls, to enjoy the company of other members of the society and to learn how they view us [disabled people]. More importantly, whether the government and the society are ready to accommodate people like us with the provision of accessible public transportation and facilities such as sidewalks,'€ said I Nengah Latra, chairperson of the foundation.

Latra said he had sampled public transportation services in neighboring countries like Malaysia and Thailand. '€œThe two countries have far better facilities for people with disabilities,'€ he said.

Indonesia has ratified Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) or the Disability Convention. Indonesia has also translated the convention into a law on the rights of people with disabilities.

'€œBali still has no legal umbrella to protect our rights. In 2006, there was a draft proposal for the bylaw on the rights of people with disabilities. But, it went nowhere. No discussion has ever made about the fate of the draft bylaw,'€ Latra said.

The rights of people with disabilities include the rights to have access to education and employment, healthcare services, protections and other aspects.

Based on data from Bali'€™s Social Affairs Office, the island has 25,000 residents with disabilities. Around 5,000 people are those with visual impairments; 5,000 people with hearing and speaking disabilities; 9,000 people with physical disabilities; and 6,000 people with mental problems.

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