Integrating people with disabilities into society

By Inge Komardjaja and Ellen P.S. Sasiang

BANDUNG (JP): The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons is Dec. 3, but the integration of people with disabilities into Indonesian society through equal treatment and opportunities is a rather novel notion.

The United Nations Human Rights and Disability Report of 1993 revealed that violations of human rights of people with disabilities occurred in many countries.

Discrimination against them may have its roots in society's view of these people who are regarded as abnormal and dependent on others. The struggle to achieve equality in social, economic and political arenas started in the early 1990s. As a follow up to the United Nations "Decade of Disabled Persons 1983 -- 1992", the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) declared the period l993 -- 2002 as the Decade of Disabled Persons for Asia and the Pacific.

The vision is to achieve full participation and equality of people with disabilities. Approaching the end of the decade, we need to appraise what Indonesia has done to accomplish the theme "Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities".

The realization of equality has to be espoused by legislation, complemented with by-laws and standards. In line with this, the government of Indonesia has issued Constitution Number 4 Year l997 concerning equal rights and opportunities in the access and use of public physical infrastructure, education and training and employment. In December 1998, the Ministry of Public Works produced and made available Technical Guidelines for the Construction of Accessible Public Buildings and Environment. However, the concept of both legal products is relatively new to Indonesians. Only a handful of academics, researchers, administrators and people with disabilities know about this legislation. Hence, to attain the ultimate goal of equal rights and opportunities, it is essential to disseminate this information.

Enforcement and control of access legislation ensures the rights of people with disabilities, since access is a right rather than a privilege. The guidelines, standards and legislation of access give persons with disabilities legal basis to demand their rights.

The Malioboro pilot project in Yogyakarta is a pioneer for accessible sidewalks in this country. On both sides of Malioboro road, tactile guiding blocks are to be installed on its sidewalks to facilitate people with visual impairment. Hopefully, this pioneering work does not remain a showcase, but will prompt similar action in many streets in large cities.

At present, only a few entrances to public buildings are equipped with ramps in addition to the staircases. People with disabilities and the elderly are too often deprived from entering public buildings, for many do not have handrails that are a great support for these people. If for some reason they have to access and use a public building filled with barriers of steps or staircases without handrails, they need extra physical strength that may strain their frail muscles and bones. Alternatively, they ask for other's help, which may render them a feeling of indignity.

As such, in accessing and using the built environment, they are not only restricted by physical barriers, but also inhibited by a complex of psychological and social pressures.

The inadequate physical access may be due to the assumption that disabilities are simply medical matters. Visits to doctors and health/medical facilities seem to preoccupy people with disabilities. In fact, many of them are keen on participating in social life beyond the house, but their special needs for barrier-free environments are left unnoticed by planners and policymakers. Disability is a reality that must be accepted, if the person is to survive and grow. What need not be accepted, as an expert once wrote, is the unnecessary poorly designed and unaccommodating environment.

Access legislation alone does not eliminate discriminatory practices and therefore must be complemented by the promotion of public awareness. People with disabilities are eager to decide for themselves rather than being ruled by others. The fact that many of them are dependent is partly because caregivers are ignorant of, or disregard, the desire for independence. To be independent means to take risks in facing uncertain and unfamiliar situations.

This is challenging, but this process empowers them to live confidently in the able-bodied world. Integration into society develops when they are given opportunities to participate in every aspect of life to the greatest extent possible. To group together with other individuals with disabilities should, therefore, be discouraged.

Indonesia has taken a giant step forward to materialize "equalization of opportunities" by electing K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid as president of the country. When many nations in the world are striving for equality of minorities, Indonesia has acted substantially in applying equal treatment and opportunities during the 1999 presidential election campaign, no matter what the political background was.

Our President begins the long haul to leading this huge nation. Despite visual impairment, his intellectual and mental abilities are not inferior to his predecessors. This evidence of capability raises the issue of redefining "disability" and "people with disabilities" to clear up people's misunderstanding. Apparently, all individuals have the potential to become disabled, either by illness, aging or accident. Focusing too much on intact physical and sensory appearance discriminates against people who do not meet this criteria, while obviously their intellectual ability and special skill may enrich society as a whole.

Inge Komardjaja works with the Research Institute for Human Settlements, Ministry of Settlements and Regional Development in Cileunyi Wetan, Bandung regency. Ellen P.S. Sasiang is a lecturer doing a master's program in universal design in the School of Architecture, National University of Singapore.