Survivor: Theresia Aryani, who is paralyzed from the waist down, paints batik.

For Theresia Aryani, painting is the most exciting part of the batik-making process. She feels whoops of joy when turning a plain white cloth into something colorful.

Painting patterns is also a lot of fun but she has to be very careful with the canting (spouted tool) she uses because of the hot liquid wax that flows through the spout.

Theresia, who has been a batik artisan for the past four years, said taking part in conserving Indonesia’s best-known traditional fabric gave her deep pleasure and satisfaction despite the special needs she lived with.

“I was not born disabled. In 2002, a motorcycle I was riding on fell into a hole, injuring my thigh. My hand could no longer function normally, probably due to the side effects of the medicine I took,” the 43-year-old said.

Theresia, who is paralyzed from the waist down, is a member of Difabelzone, a community of disabled batikmakers in Pandak district, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta. 

The community, which has 24 members, produces hand-painted batik fabrics and clothing, as well as products made of hand-painted batik, such as tote bags, pillowcases and tablecloths, with the brand Zola Indonesia.

“We have classic motifs like kawung and parang, and nature-inspired ones like leaves, flowers and animals,” said the community’s leader, Lidwina Wuri, who founded Difabelzone in 2015.

Lidwina is an able-bodied batikmaker who produces ready-to-wear clothing cut from hand-painted batik that she makes in Purworejo, Central Java. 

According to Lidwina, most of Difabelzone’s members live with cerebral palsy, a group of lifelong movement disorders caused by a brain problem that occurs in early childhood.

The idea of setting up Difabelzone crossed her mind after she served as a mentor in a three-month batik-making class held by the Yakkum Rehabilitation Center, a foundation that has empowered people with disabilities in Yogyakarta since 1982. 

Lidwina said the work of Yakkum’s students impressed her and made her realize that disabled people were capable of learning skills for self-empowerment. 

“It turns out that they could do work with a lot of details that required a high level of accuracy, even though many say that the process of making hand-painted batik is complicated,” she said.

At Difabelzone, most of its members are Yakkum’s graduates who want to hone their skills. However, it also opens its doors to inexperienced disabled people interested in learning how to make batik. 

Lidwina is proud of the persistence of her students, especially those living with cerebral palsy. Despite their muscle weakness, they continue to learn how to use canting. However, she does not force them to use the spouted tool. They may use easier tools such as a brush.    

Difabelzone also offers a tourism package that not only facilitates people visiting Parangtritis Beach and other tourist destinations around Bantul but also those interested in learning how to paint batik and about its history.

“Flinders University students who studied at ISI [Indonesia Art Institute] during a student exchange program visited us several times to take our batik-making course,” she said.     

Lidwina is happy to see disabilities are not hindering people from learning. However, what worries her are the parents of disabled people. 

Lidwina said that she still met disabled people who did not have the freedom they deserved because their parents were scared for them.  

Lidwina understood that worrying was an expression of love and caring, but it became problematic when parents did not realize that they were over-worrying. They did not let their disabled children try new things because of the worst fear they projected and the negative thoughts that they had in mind.   

“There are parents who even force their disabled children to always stay in the house. They thought that it was the best way to protect them from any harm outside,” she said. 

Lidwina recalled that she oftentimes had to convince parents to allow their disabled children to join Difabelzone.  

“I told them, ‘Us parents will not live forever. What will our children’s future look like if they are still not independent when we are very old and sick or if we’ve passed away?” she said.

“That is why, from now on, we have to give them life skills to survive.”     

After mastering batik-making techniques, Difabelzone members are allowed to work at home, but some of them prefer to stay at the community’s workshop in Bantul because they feel at home.

“It is probably because parents think that it is too risky for their children to commute from home to here [Difabelzone’s office] too often. To accommodate their request, we give them cloth, canting, a stove and other equipment,” she said. 

Lidwina said another challenge that she faced was dealing with those who accused her of exploiting the disabled. 

“I had nearly quit but they [Difabelzone members] asked me to keep going,” she recalled.    

At Difabelzone, those who paint batik on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. get a salary, according to Lidwina. She said that it boosted their confidence as it proved that they were financially independent. However, she hoped that in the future, they could make business units in their surroundings so that they could empower and inspire others. 

Lidwina said Difabelzone’s products were in no way of low quality, despite their makers’ limitations. Her team promoted and sold them through social media and exhibitions, such as at Gelar Batik Nusantara and the International Handicraft Trade Fair (Inacraft). 

“All of our products are hand-painted batik. However, we’ve received a request from Rotary International to make stamped batik. Hand-painted batik is still the most special because we use feeling when making it. We do not just scratch the cloth,” she said.

— Photos by A. Kurniawan Ulung

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