Fighting for fair threatment

Fighting for fair threatment

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Loud cheering and expressions of gratitude to God were heard in the state administrative courtroom last Wednesday, the moment presiding judge Ibrahim accepted the suit filed by Wuri Handayani.

Scores of people attending the hearing took turns to congratulate the woman in her wheelchair.

"Thank you, thank you," Wuri said, her eyes welling up with tears.

Wuri's lawsuit against the Surabaya municipality administration had finally succeeded.

The state administrative court annulled the decision of the administration that had rejected Wuri's application for a job as a civil servant.

"The court instructs the administration to make a decision that will allow Wuri to take part in the next civil service placement test," said the ruling of the state administrative court, delivered by the presiding judge.

For this 32-year-old woman, her court victory is the beginning of a long journey toward the achievement of equal treatment for disabled people. "After this victory, a weightier task awaits," she told The Jakarta Post, which met her recently in her office at PD Pasar Surya, a market management company, in Surabaya.

"I must accept the challenge, though, as disabled people are still discriminated against," she said.

Wuri lost the use of her legs 12 years ago when, as a student at the pharmacy school at Surabaya's Airlangga University, she climbed Mount Penanggungan in East Java along with some student friends. At 1,500 meters above sea level, Wuri slipped and fell to the bottom of a ravine.

"Luckily, I was OK, but since then I have not been able to move my legs. A neurologist who treated me said my spinal cord had been damaged," she said.

From then on, Wuri has faced a new frustrating chapter in her life; as a disabled person, who was often discriminated against because of her disability. While she had suffered only physical damage in the accident, the rector of the university, which should have supported her, instead asked her to transfer to another school.

"I refused to comply because, intellectually, there was nothing wrong with me," she said.

Wuri continued her pharmacy studies in her wheelchair, despite the fact that the equipment was not designed for differently- abled people. "God has His own will. I encountered a lot of technical difficulties, particularly during the practical sessions," she said.

Finally, she decided to move to the accounting department of the university's school of economics. "I overcame all the difficulties there," she said, graduating as an economist in 1998.

But degree-in-hand, it was still difficult for Wuri to get a job. Her applications were always rejected for the same reason: her disability.

Ironically, her alma mater, Airlangga University, rejected her application for a teaching position six times. "I was deeply hurt," she said.

Of greater concern to her is the attitude of the public towards her disability, many of whom, she believes, would rather she did not exist. "I once had an argument with a (movie) theater worker who tried to prevent me from using an exit. On another occasion, I argued with a taxi driver for refusing to take me when I really needed to go somewhere," she said.

Wuri has also been unable to take out health insurance from either private or state insurance companies. "They always say that I am not healthy. Once I challenged them to take me to a doctor for a medical checkup but they declined. In fact, I'm in great need of health insurance," she said.

Her perseverance in finding a job bore fruit when she was accepted to work, on a contract basis, as an expert staff member to the administrative and financial director of PD Pasar Surya, Surabaya. I got the job through a personal friendship. Still, it is enough to help make ends meet," Wuri said.

In 2004, when the government was looking for new recruits as civil servants, Wuri tried to take the selection test. Unfortunately, the registration committee rejected her application for health reasons.

This prompted her to fight for equal treatment. She filed a lawsuit with the state administrative court. "Praise be to God, He's on my side," she said.

In her journey to justice, Wuri has come to the conclusion that many people with disabilities are condemned to a life of poverty and discrimination.

Disabled people, she said, had little chance to improve their standard of living. Many barriers prevented them from obtaining proper access to education and job opportunities.

"If I didn't put up a fight like this, I'm sure nothing would have changed."