'Security guard on wheelchair, why not?'

'Security guard on wheelchair, why not?'

For many disabled people in the capital, the absence of public
facilities and a lack of job opportunities make life a daily
struggle. With the International Day of Disabled Persons falling
on Dec. 3, The Jakarta Post spoke with people about this issue.

Mispan Indarjo, in his 30s, works at the United Nations
building on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta. He lives with his
family in Kalibata, South Jakarta:

The city does not provide decent public facilities for
disabled people. Only a few offices provide special elevators for
them, but most offices do not have the elevators. Malls and
shopping centers also fail to provide special facilities for the
disabled. The managements of most buildings treat the disabled as
if they did not exist.

Worse, very rarely do people with disabilities have access to
"normal jobs". Maybe companies still see them as a burden rather
than productive assets. When times are tough like they are now
and most companies are trying hard just to survive, disabled
people are the first to be ignored.

When I worked in Cambodia several years ago, there were so
many people who had lost limbs to land mines. It was good to see
that some companies did employ disabled people, even as security
guards.

JB Sudarmanto, in his 40s, works for the Grasindo publishing
company in Palmerah, Central Jakarta. He lives with his family in
Bumi Serpong Damai in Tangerang:

The government has done little to provide facilities for the
disabled. Almost none of the streets in the capital have
crossings for the disabled. There are no pedestrian bridges
designed for them. Even normal pedestrian sidewalks have been
taken out to widen roads. We know that some schoolteachers
mistakenly encourage students to help disabled people cross busy
streets, which is simply wrong because it puts the students in
danger.

In the workplace, disabled people are often discriminated
against by the companies they work for. Many companies fail to
see the potential of the disabled.

-- The Jakarta Post.