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Inclusiveness in jobs, education remains myth for disabled
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A short documentary, 'How Far I'll Go', follows two blind childhood friends – Andrea and Salsabila – who pursue their dreams in two different countries, the United States and Indonesia. (Gambar Bergerak/-)
S
alsabila, 18, who is visually impaired, has to endure for another year after she was denied entry by the college of her dreams. Salsa, her nickname, is not used to the computer-based college entrance test that she found too hard for her as a disabled person.
The story of her life is featured in the Citra Award-nominated short documentary, Sejauh Kumelangkah (How Far I'll Go), directed by Ucu Agustine. The movie was screened at Grand Indonesia in Central Jakarta on Monday to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which falls on Dec. 3.
The movie also follows the life of Salsabila's childhood friend, Andrea - familiarly known as Dea - in the United States. Andrea, who is also visually impaired, receives a proper educational medium for her to learn subjects at public school.
Unlike Dea, Salsa has to live in a dormitory for disabled people and learn how to manage everything herself. During high school, she couldn't even tell the shapes of circles, triangles, rectangles and squares as there was no way for her to learn geometry. Her teachers were out of reach as they had no abilities in reading Braille.
On the other hand, Bima Kurniawan, 33, a French teacher at SMA 68 state high school in Jakarta, struggles with an unfriendly environment for visually impaired individuals like him.
"Whenever I go to other schools, I am always terrified. Fellow teachers there are mostly not friendly," he said.
Bima suffered glaucoma in his right eye in 2011. His left eye was affected five years later and that made him entirely visually impaired.
