Life not a bed of roses for Julius

Life not a bed of roses for Julius

For Julius, 21, his gold medal in track and field at the
National Special Games last year meant nothing when it came to
real life.

As a visually impaired child, Julius has lived with
discrimination from "normal" people all his life.

"There was one time when I was standing for about 30 minutes
on the curb in Pondok Labu trying to cross the busy road, and no
one offered to help," he said. Instead of help, all he got was an
insult from someone who accused him of only pretending to be
blind.

Now Julius is in his third year of high school at the
Resources Center for Children With Visual Impairment in Lebak
Bulus, South Jakarta.

Even though he is proceeding with his education and has
acquired numerous skills, Julius -- as well as other students at
the center -- is pessimistic about his future.

"I still have to think about what I'll do after I graduate.
Will there be any jobs out there for people like me?"

There are, indeed, several companies offering jobs for the
disabled.

A big American fast food chain restaurant in Tebet employs
four disabled people who are hearing impaired or verbally
challenged.

"The four can work as effectively and efficiently as other
'normal' employees here," said the restaurant manager, who asked
to remain anonymous. -- JP