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Mismatched data, inconsistencies hinder COVID-19 aid for people with disabilities
“Without proper record-keeping, how can we ever determine whether the social aid meets the needs of the recipients?” one researcher asked.
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This year’s International Day of People with Disabilities, which falls on Dec. 3, has taken “Not all Disabilities are Visible” as its theme, aiming to spread awareness about disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, diabetes and cognitive differences. (Courtesy of Shutterstock /Virinaflora)
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he distribution of COVID-19 social aid to people with disabilities in Jakarta has suffered from significant data errors and discrepancies in quality and quantity, a recent survey by Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), in collaboration with disability rights groups, has found.
The study, which virtually surveyed 120 people with disabilities living in Jakarta from Oct. 14 to Oct. 20, found that 74 percent of respondents had been impacted by the ongoing pandemic.
Of those affected by the health and economic crisis, 42 percent earned less than Rp 1 million (US$70.76) monthly, according to the study, which involved the Association of Indonesian Women with Disabilities (HWDI) and the Association of Indonesian People with Disability (PPID), among others.
ICW researcher Dewi Anggraeni said during a webinar on Tuesday that 32 percent of respondents were not registered as recipients of the central government’s social aid, despite being among the most vulnerable to financial woes given that they earned an average of less than Rp 1 million per month.
Read also: People with disabilities demand access to information, basic rights during pandemic
The quality and quantity of the aid, Dewi said, had also been a source of discontent among people with disabilities, as the items were ill-suited to their needs.
“Twenty-five percent of respondents found that the quality and quantity of social aid was not up to the quality and quantity previously promised [by the government],” she said, adding that 33 percent of respondents said the aid received had failed to fulfill their daily needs over the course of the pandemic.
