How can we help the disabled?

How can we help the disabled?

The office of outspoken minister Kwik Kian Gie found a simple way
to commemorate the International Day of Disabled Persons which
fell on Dec. 3.

The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) office on
Jl. Taman Suropati, Central Jakarta, just hung a banner on its
fence that read: "The government is committed to providing equal
treatment for disabled people" (forgive me if I haven't quoted
the slogan accurately).

If a bombastic slogan such as this was displayed during
Soeharto's era, it would be understandable. But it was shocking
that this empty cliche was issued by the office of Kwik Kian Gie,
known as a populist economist, whose commitment to equality is
unquestionable.

I hope I'm wrong, but as far as I know, the office doesn't
even provide wheelchair access, or a special toilet for disabled
persons, or special signs for blind people. As far as I know no
disabled person has been accepted, until now, to work there.

As Bappenas is expected to formulate a national development
strategy, I am afraid it appears that issuing slogans is the only
solution offered by Kwik's office toward resolving this social
problem.

"Don't judge other people. You only started to pay attention
to problems of disabled people after you had to take care of me,"
my wife said admonishingly when I complained about Kwik. She
herself is a fanatic fan of the economist.

She may be right. My wife has been confined to a wheelchair
since May last year after undergoing surgery on the spine. The
doctors strongly advised her to have the operation after a fall
in the bathroom, saying that otherwise she may be paralyzed.

The result? She could walk before the surgery, but could not
move at all from her bed after the surgery. The doctors, who tend
to think patients know nothing about modern medicine, simply told
us, "we have done our best, but God has decided otherwise."

As a journalist, I was very disappointed as I couldn't
crosscheck the doctors's claim directly with God.

In my opinion, the best opportunity for the state to pay
attention to the needs of the disabled actually occurred during
the 21-month presidency of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.

Gus Dur is visually impaired -- practically blind, while his
wife Sinta Nuriyah was confined to a wheelchair after a serious
traffic accident, years before Gus Dur became president in 1999.
They are a great couple, they served their nation and their
shortcomings even become their strength. Whatever Gus Dur's other
weaknesses, the couple's spirit was an ideal role model for the
disabled.

Now who has sincere empathy for disabled people?

Honestly, I myself paid little attention to them, until my
wife's surgery. Only when something happens to our loved ones --
son, daughter, spouse, parents or siblings -- we are made aware
of their predicament in Indonesia.

And how about the attitude of the majority of Indonesians
toward those who have a physical disability? In public places,
they are scrutinized as if they are aliens from other planet.
Maybe they are just plain curious, but the onlookers without
realizing it have hurt and offended the disabled person.

To my surprise, during the last 20 months, I found that
Chinese-Indonesians show stronger empathy for the sick or
disabled.

It has often happened when they see my wife at a shopping
center, that they approach her and ask about her condition. Many
give lists of shinsei (traditional Chinese healers and
herbalists), doctors or other people who offer alternative
treatment.

A Chinese friend offered an explanation for what I had
observed.

"Maybe because we have suffered from discrimination, we feel
more empathy for other people's suffering."

Who knows? Whatever the reason, their attitude is helpful.

How about public facilities for the disabled? I can only talk
about public facilities for people who use a wheelchair. The
suffering endured by disabled people who cannot find a job or
continue their studies just because of their physical condition
is another issue. Those who face discrimination may be worse off
that my wife.

A cashier at a Lippo Bank branch urged me to close my wife's
account and open a new account for myself as my wife would
usually wait in the car, parked just in front of the bank, every
time I made a transaction on her behalf. The reason given by the
cashier was that it was inconvenient for her to come to the car
to verify my wife's signature.

Even the biggest and oldest privately run hospital in Jakarta,
St. Carolus, doesn't provide a special toilet with wheelchair
access.

Again, as far as I know Plaza Senayan provides the best
facilities for people who use wheelchairs. Indeed, there are four
parking spaces for them, in front of Sogo and in front of Hero
supermarket in the basement. There is a special toilet on the
first floor. The lifts are comfortable.

But what about other shopping centers? Mal Taman Anggrek
doesn't have such facilities, according to its security guards.
The lifts are too crowded. Pasaraya Blok M? Just the same.

Despite my wife limitations, she sometimes says funny things
about her condition.

"I'll chase you, Eva!" she threatened our daughter who was
pretending to leave her behind in a hospital last month, without
realizing that she could not walk without other people's help.

However, it's very hard for me to answer whenever she asks:
"When will I be able to walk normally again?"

It's very touching to see her prepare my breakfast every day
from her wheelchair.

Well, the message for you (if you are still reading this) is:
"Stop having pity on disabled persons. What they need is the
right to equal treatment as a citizen of this country. And you
can help them to fight for that."

-- Kornelius Purba