Fighting for fair threatment<\/p>\n
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Loud cheering and expressions of gratitude to God were heard in
\nthe state administrative courtroom last Wednesday, the moment
\npresiding judge Ibrahim accepted the suit filed by Wuri
\nHandayani.<\/p>\n
Scores of people attending the hearing took turns to
\ncongratulate the woman in her wheelchair.<\/p>\n
"Thank you, thank you," Wuri said, her eyes welling up with
\ntears.<\/p>\n
Wuri's lawsuit against the Surabaya municipality
\nadministration had finally succeeded.<\/p>\n
The state administrative court annulled the decision of the
\nadministration that had rejected Wuri's application for a job as
\na civil servant.<\/p>\n
"The court instructs the administration to make a decision
\nthat will allow Wuri to take part in the next civil service
\nplacement test," said the ruling of the state administrative
\ncourt, delivered by the presiding judge.<\/p>\n
For this 32-year-old woman, her court victory is the beginning
\nof a long journey toward the achievement of equal treatment for
\ndisabled people. "After this victory, a weightier task awaits,"
\nshe told The Jakarta Post, which met her recently in her office
\nat PD Pasar Surya, a market management company, in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
"I must accept the challenge, though, as disabled people are
\nstill discriminated against," she said.<\/p>\n
Wuri lost the use of her legs 12 years ago when, as a student
\nat the pharmacy school at Surabaya's Airlangga University, she
\nclimbed Mount Penanggungan in East Java along with some student
\nfriends. At 1,500 meters above sea level, Wuri slipped and fell
\nto the bottom of a ravine.<\/p>\n
"Luckily, I was OK, but since then I have not been able to
\nmove my legs. A neurologist who treated me said my spinal cord
\nhad been damaged," she said.<\/p>\n
From then on, Wuri has faced a new frustrating chapter in her
\nlife; as a disabled person, who was often discriminated against
\nbecause of her disability. While she had suffered only physical
\ndamage in the accident, the rector of the university, which
\nshould have supported her, instead asked her to transfer to
\nanother school.<\/p>\n
"I refused to comply because, intellectually, there was
\nnothing wrong with me," she said.<\/p>\n
Wuri continued her pharmacy studies in her wheelchair, despite
\nthe fact that the equipment was not designed for differently-
\nabled people. "God has His own will. I encountered a lot of
\ntechnical difficulties, particularly during the practical
\nsessions," she said.<\/p>\n
Finally, she decided to move to the accounting department of
\nthe university's school of economics. "I overcame all the
\ndifficulties there," she said, graduating as an economist in
\n1998.<\/p>\n
But degree-in-hand, it was still difficult for Wuri to get a
\njob. Her applications were always rejected for the same reason:
\nher disability.<\/p>\n
Ironically, her alma mater, Airlangga University, rejected her
\napplication for a teaching position six times. "I was deeply
\nhurt," she said.<\/p>\n
Of greater concern to her is the attitude of the public
\ntowards her disability, many of whom, she believes, would rather
\nshe did not exist. "I once had an argument with a (movie) theater
\nworker who tried to prevent me from using an exit. On another
\noccasion, I argued with a taxi driver for refusing to take me
\nwhen I really needed to go somewhere," she said.<\/p>\n
Wuri has also been unable to take out health insurance from
\neither private or state insurance companies. "They always say
\nthat I am not healthy. Once I challenged them to take me to a
\ndoctor for a medical checkup but they declined. In fact, I'm in
\ngreat need of health insurance," she said.<\/p>\n
Her perseverance in finding a job bore fruit when she was
\naccepted to work, on a contract basis, as an expert staff member
\nto the administrative and financial director of PD Pasar Surya,
\nSurabaya. I got the job through a personal friendship. Still, it
\nis enough to help make ends meet," Wuri said.<\/p>\n
In 2004, when the government was looking for new recruits as
\ncivil servants, Wuri tried to take the selection test.
\nUnfortunately, the registration committee rejected her
\napplication for health reasons.<\/p>\n
This prompted her to fight for equal treatment. She filed a
\nlawsuit with the state administrative court. "Praise be to God,
\nHe's on my side," she said.<\/p>\n
In her journey to justice, Wuri has come to the conclusion
\nthat many people with disabilities are condemned to a life of
\npoverty and discrimination.<\/p>\n
Disabled people, she said, had little chance to improve their
\nstandard of living. Many barriers prevented them from obtaining
\nproper access to education and job opportunities.<\/p>\n
"If I didn't put up a fight like this, I'm sure nothing would
\nhave changed."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fighting-for-fair-threatment-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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