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Jokowi seeks to improve accessibility, equality for people with disabilities
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has renewed his support for people with disabilities, hoping to improve accessibility and provide equality and more fair chances, in a speech that marked the commemoration of the International Day of Disability.
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The theme of this year’s International Day of People with Disabilities, which falls on Dec. 3, is “Not all Disabilities are Visible”, aiming to spread awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, diabetes and cognitive dysfunctions. (Shutterstock/File)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo renewed his support for people with disabilities on Thursday, hoping to improve accessibility and provide equality and more fair chances, in a speech that marked the commemoration of the International Day of Disability.
“We want to continue increasing chances, equality and accessibility for people with disabilities, to ensure they have access to education, health services and employment. We also wish to build accessible infrastructure and to create obstacle-free environments for them,” Jokowi said on Thursday.
“We must use the commemoration of the International Day of Disability as an opportunity to lay a strong foundation for the protection of people with disabilities taking a human rights approach instead of a charity approach,” he added.
Jokowi said he had signed four government regulations this year to support people with disabilities, including those requiring education institutions to provide facilities for inclusive education and requiring courts to improve access to justice for people with disabilities.
One of the regulations requires courts to provide infrastructure such as wheelchairs, sign language translators, ramps and guiding blocks. It also allows people with disabilities to face court proceedings without guardianship and for their testimonies to be heard and used as evidence in court.
Another regulation was signed by Jokowi in July to protect their right to housing and public services and provide protection from disasters. It stipulates, for instance, requirements for housing developers to provide facilities for disabled people.
On Oct. 13, Jokowi also signed a regulation that requires regional administrations to have a disability service unit (ULD) on manpower that provides support for the employment of people with disabilities. This includes the provision of equipment to support disabled workers.
