'Security guard on wheelchair, why not?'<\/p>\n
For many disabled people in the capital, the absence of public
\nfacilities and a lack of job opportunities make life a daily
\nstruggle. With the International Day of Disabled Persons falling
\non Dec. 3, The Jakarta Post spoke with people about this issue.<\/p>\n
Mispan Indarjo, in his 30s, works at the United Nations
\nbuilding on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta. He lives with his
\nfamily in Kalibata, South Jakarta:<\/p>\n
The city does not provide decent public facilities for
\ndisabled people. Only a few offices provide special elevators for
\nthem, but most offices do not have the elevators. Malls and
\nshopping centers also fail to provide special facilities for the
\ndisabled. The managements of most buildings treat the disabled as
\nif they did not exist.<\/p>\n
Worse, very rarely do people with disabilities have access to
\n\"normal jobs\". Maybe companies still see them as a burden rather
\nthan productive assets. When times are tough like they are now
\nand most companies are trying hard just to survive, disabled
\npeople are the first to be ignored.<\/p>\n
When I worked in Cambodia several years ago, there were so
\nmany people who had lost limbs to land mines. It was good to see
\nthat some companies did employ disabled people, even as security
\nguards.<\/p>\n
JB Sudarmanto, in his 40s, works for the Grasindo publishing
\ncompany in Palmerah, Central Jakarta. He lives with his family in
\nBumi Serpong Damai in Tangerang:<\/p>\n
The government has done little to provide facilities for the
\ndisabled. Almost none of the streets in the capital have
\ncrossings for the disabled. There are no pedestrian bridges
\ndesigned for them. Even normal pedestrian sidewalks have been
\ntaken out to widen roads. We know that some schoolteachers
\nmistakenly encourage students to help disabled people cross busy
\nstreets, which is simply wrong because it puts the students in
\ndanger.<\/p>\n
In the workplace, disabled people are often discriminated
\nagainst by the companies they work for. Many companies fail to
\nsee the potential of the disabled.<\/p>\n
-- The Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/security-guard-on-wheelchair-why-not-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }