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Disabled Indonesians rally for equal opportunity, not pity
With unemployment among people with disabilities running high, they are calling for a fair chance at getting a job and creating an inclusive workplace.
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illustration of a disabled person in a wheelchair. (Shutterstock/PhuShutter)
W
ith unemployment among people with disabilities running high, activists are calling for the development of a more inclusive workplace and fairer employment practices.
In a virtual national conference held by the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Mitra Kunci program earlier this month, Sri Setyaningsih, who heads the Boyolali Communication Forum for People with Disabilities (FKDB), a disability community in Boyolali, Central Java, spoke about the problems facing disabled people under her care. Her community works in partnership with the local social affairs agency.
According to Sri, the problem lies with the fact that disabled people are often too dependent on parents or families as a result of being sheltered for most of their lives, meaning they lack the skills for employment.
“This is because [some parents] are embarrassed. Some parents will go to the extent of ‘hiding’ their disabled [children]. They’re not allowed to go outside,” she said. “Parents still feel disability is a shameful thing, and this is a common occurrence.”
Law No. 8/2016 on people with disabilities mandates a minimum quota of employment for people with disabilities: 2 percent for government institutions and 1 percent for private institutions.
Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) published in August of last year showed there were 7.6 million disabled people in the country in the productive age range of 15 to 59. Only 4.1 million disabled people in this age group, 54 percent, were working.
In contrast, in a survey published in February this year, also by BPS, 139 million people were recorded as being of productive age. Of this number, 131 million, 94 percent, were working.
