How can we help the disabled?<\/p>\n
The office of outspoken minister Kwik Kian Gie found a simple way
\nto commemorate the International Day of Disabled Persons which
\nfell on Dec. 3.<\/p>\n
The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) office on
\nJl. Taman Suropati, Central Jakarta, just hung a banner on its
\nfence that read: \"The government is committed to providing equal
\ntreatment for disabled people\" (forgive me if I haven't quoted
\nthe slogan accurately).<\/p>\n
If a bombastic slogan such as this was displayed during
\nSoeharto's era, it would be understandable. But it was shocking
\nthat this empty cliche was issued by the office of Kwik Kian Gie,
\nknown as a populist economist, whose commitment to equality is
\nunquestionable.<\/p>\n
I hope I'm wrong, but as far as I know, the office doesn't
\neven provide wheelchair access, or a special toilet for disabled
\npersons, or special signs for blind people. As far as I know no
\ndisabled person has been accepted, until now, to work there.<\/p>\n
As Bappenas is expected to formulate a national development
\nstrategy, I am afraid it appears that issuing slogans is the only
\nsolution offered by Kwik's office toward resolving this social
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
\"Don't judge other people. You only started to pay attention
\nto problems of disabled people after you had to take care of me,\"
\nmy wife said admonishingly when I complained about Kwik. She
\nherself is a fanatic fan of the economist.<\/p>\n
She may be right. My wife has been confined to a wheelchair
\nsince May last year after undergoing surgery on the spine. The
\ndoctors strongly advised her to have the operation after a fall
\nin the bathroom, saying that otherwise she may be paralyzed.<\/p>\n
The result? She could walk before the surgery, but could not
\nmove at all from her bed after the surgery. The doctors, who tend
\nto think patients know nothing about modern medicine, simply told
\nus, \"we have done our best, but God has decided otherwise.\"<\/p>\n
As a journalist, I was very disappointed as I couldn't
\ncrosscheck the doctors's claim directly with God.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, the best opportunity for the state to pay
\nattention to the needs of the disabled actually occurred during
\nthe 21-month presidency of Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur is visually impaired -- practically blind, while his
\nwife Sinta Nuriyah was confined to a wheelchair after a serious
\ntraffic accident, years before Gus Dur became president in 1999.
\nThey are a great couple, they served their nation and their
\nshortcomings even become their strength. Whatever Gus Dur's other
\nweaknesses, the couple's spirit was an ideal role model for the
\ndisabled.<\/p>\n
Now who has sincere empathy for disabled people?<\/p>\n
Honestly, I myself paid little attention to them, until my
\nwife's surgery. Only when something happens to our loved ones --
\nson, daughter, spouse, parents or siblings -- we are made aware
\nof their predicament in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
And how about the attitude of the majority of Indonesians
\ntoward those who have a physical disability? In public places,
\nthey are scrutinized as if they are aliens from other planet.
\nMaybe they are just plain curious, but the onlookers without
\nrealizing it have hurt and offended the disabled person.<\/p>\n
To my surprise, during the last 20 months, I found that
\nChinese-Indonesians show stronger empathy for the sick or
\ndisabled.<\/p>\n
It has often happened when they see my wife at a shopping
\ncenter, that they approach her and ask about her condition. Many
\ngive lists of shinsei (traditional Chinese healers and
\nherbalists), doctors or other people who offer alternative
\ntreatment.<\/p>\n
A Chinese friend offered an explanation for what I had
\nobserved.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe because we have suffered from discrimination, we feel
\nmore empathy for other people's suffering.\"<\/p>\n
Who knows? Whatever the reason, their attitude is helpful.<\/p>\n
How about public facilities for the disabled? I can only talk
\nabout public facilities for people who use a wheelchair. The
\nsuffering endured by disabled people who cannot find a job or
\ncontinue their studies just because of their physical condition
\nis another issue. Those who face discrimination may be worse off
\nthat my wife.<\/p>\n
A cashier at a Lippo Bank branch urged me to close my wife's
\naccount and open a new account for myself as my wife would
\nusually wait in the car, parked just in front of the bank, every
\ntime I made a transaction on her behalf. The reason given by the
\ncashier was that it was inconvenient for her to come to the car
\nto verify my wife's signature.<\/p>\n
Even the biggest and oldest privately run hospital in Jakarta,
\nSt. Carolus, doesn't provide a special toilet with wheelchair
\naccess.<\/p>\n
Again, as far as I know Plaza Senayan provides the best
\nfacilities for people who use wheelchairs. Indeed, there are four
\nparking spaces for them, in front of Sogo and in front of Hero
\nsupermarket in the basement. There is a special toilet on the
\nfirst floor. The lifts are comfortable.<\/p>\n
But what about other shopping centers? Mal Taman Anggrek
\ndoesn't have such facilities, according to its security guards.
\nThe lifts are too crowded. Pasaraya Blok M? Just the same.<\/p>\n
Despite my wife limitations, she sometimes says funny things
\nabout her condition.<\/p>\n
\"I'll chase you, Eva!\" she threatened our daughter who was
\npretending to leave her behind in a hospital last month, without
\nrealizing that she could not walk without other people's help.<\/p>\n
However, it's very hard for me to answer whenever she asks:
\n\"When will I be able to walk normally again?\"<\/p>\n
It's very touching to see her prepare my breakfast every day
\nfrom her wheelchair.<\/p>\n
Well, the message for you (if you are still reading this) is:
\n\"Stop having pity on disabled persons. What they need is the
\nright to equal treatment as a citizen of this country. And you
\ncan help them to fight for that.\"<\/p>\n
-- Kornelius Purba<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/how-can-we-help-the-disabled-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }