More facilities for the disabled needed

By Martina Tobing

JAKARTA (JP): Theresia Ariswari, cried out for recognition as a member of this society in this paper's May 26, 1996 issue. Theresia is disabled. She wants to live and love and work, just like all of us. However, as we take for granted the way we fill our daily life with activities, love, study, work and play, for Theresia each day is a struggle to overcome the most simple tasks from the moment she gets up in the morning till the day is over.

The problem is not just one of recognition but also one of acceptance. Many of us from western societies are aware that the physically and mentally challenged may have such problems, but accept their being different, and their needs, and at the same time value them for what they are able to do.

People must be judged not for their disabilities but for their abilities. As a result many have been able to establish their place in society, living a full and satisfying life, they contribute to their society, rather than being a burden to it.

But Theresia lives in Indonesia where the disabled are not as visible, or if they are it may be on a street corner, holding up a begging hand. We seldom see people in wheelchairs rolling up and down the street, or on crutches catching a bus. Few who get around with difficulty are able to hold down a job, as so many buildings are inaccessible. In addition, most facilities are not equipped with adapted toilets and many a door is too narrow to get through with a wheelchair.

In addition to this, there is the problem of public opinion. Many people have an undefined fear of the disabled, which is mostly fed by ignorance. They do not understand what is wrong with the person, and automatically assume that being wheelchair- bound makes one also mentally incompetent, maybe contagious or unable to do desk or computer job.

We don't have to be disabled to know how it feels not to be accepted, or to be laughed at, or having a back turned on us. Fear of not being accepted or of being pitied, jeered or laughed at, keeps a handicapped person, as independent and capable as he may be, from getting out in society and trying to contribute to it. This may very well mean a wasted human being, and a loss of human resources in many cases.

It is time for Indonesia to pay a whole lot more attention to the care of its disabled. Theresia is absolutely right: disabled people can be valuable and contributing members of this society, and so they should be.

And a first step to remedy the situation would be to establish many more facilities to provide rehabilitation for those who need it, and staff them with professionals who are trained to give quality services. In the United States, for example, almost every hospital has a rehabilitation department with at least physical, occupational, and speech therapists. Larger medical facilities run the entire gamut of rehabilitation services, and from there a patient may move on to a long-term rehabilitation setting.

Jakarta has several hospitals with rehabilitation units, but not all these have all of the necessary services available, or else are staffed with partially trained professionals. The reason is a lack of training programs for rehabilitation specialists, as there are only a few academic programs for physical and speech therapist, and only one newly opened occupational training school which will produce its first graduates in July 1997. Many more professional training programs throughout the country are needed, and should be a priority for improving the future of the disabled.

Furthermore, public buildings must be made accessible. In America all buildings are made accessible, and sidewalks have small ramps to allow people in wheelchairs to travel along the street. Special "kneeling" busses are available for wheelchairs and contractors here could take a look at these and make good use of these already developed ideas and plans. Europe in some ways is even farther ahead with these issues.

One of the most difficult changes to make is that in public opinion. In addition to a strong effort by the disabled themselves to be more visible while demonstrating their value and ability to participate in society, efforts should be made to educate the public about disability and rehabilitation. Television has introduced us at times via short news flashes to children's hospitals, or rehabilitation of the elderly, or a specific disease. Doing this on a regular basis through rehabilitation units or centers, explaining what disease causes which type of disability and how therapy can improve this, may be a manner in which to educate the general public.

In addition, employers should be encouraged to hire the disabled; in the United States the policy of equal opportunity forces places of work to hire a certain number of handicapped people, giving them in this manner a fair opportunity. We should not forget that the average disabled makes an excellent employee, as most of them will work very hard to prove their worth.

We should all take example from people such as Theresia Ariswari, for whom we should tip our hat for the courage to write her article.

"What will the future hold for the disabled in Indonesia?" she asked at the end of her story.

That, I feel, is up to a drastic change in attitude of the non-disabled and an opening up of opportunities for those less fortunate.

The writer is a rehabilitation specialist and has a Masters Degree in Health Education.