Surakarta is a pioneer in inclusive city, and at the forefront of enacting laws for the protection and fulfilment of the rights of people with disability – as is evident in City Regulation No. 2 Year 2008 on Disability Equality, later updated into City Regulation No. 9 Year 2020 in People with Disability.
People should not be fully aware that inclusive is not mere slogan or banner, it should be “ingrained in their blood.” For this reason, the Inclusive Solo Vision Network - a coalition of disability activists, made up of individuals and organisations – promotes disability inclusion and social inclusion in Surakarta City. One of its activities is discussion – a critical legal review of disability-friendly accessibility in collaboration with Yayasan YAPHI on Monday (9/12).
A speaker at the discussion, the National Disability Commissioner, Fatimah Asri Mutmainnah suggests that accessibility in public spaces is critical because the root of the problem – i.e. negative stigma – cannot be voiced earlier. A person with disability needs to prove that he/she can lead an community organisation, or even become a Presidential Office staff, like Sunarman Sukamto, who is also present in the discussion. How? People with disability may be given rooms in participatory spaces, and these may indicate two things – the first is inherent, which is accessibility), and the second is descent accommodation. The two take people with disability to meaningful participation, then people with disability can finally say “we are equal.” When ignored, then negative stigma reign.
The 1945 Constitution talks about rights to accessibility – right to be treated in a special way, and right to more protection to participate in public spaces. Indonesia’s ratification of CRPD further consolidated these rights through Law No. 19 Year 2011 and later Law No. 8 Year 2016. The implementation of the law is elaborated in Government Regulation No. 42 Year 2020. The Regulation stated clearly the duties of provincial and district/city governments to provide guidelines for the establishment of settlements, and public spaces.
In a commitment, stakeholders play critical roles, and this is evident in the standard operating procedures about accessibility in program planning. Mere commitment is not sufficient, as it should be articulated into program(s), and consulted with the “experts” – people with disability. Without consulting people with disability, it would be difficult to accommodate the needs of people with disability into development programs that are friendly to people with disability.
In that context, adds Fatimah Asri, that 22 the rights of people with disability as articulated in Law No. 8 Year 2016 are highly critical. There should be spaces made available for people with disability to be involved in decision-making, and strategy (strategies) for interaction between stakeholders and rights holders. Progress in inclusion in a city can be characterized by the strength of advocacy by disability organisations. (City or any0 government Commitment or program plan is not sufficient in itself, without those advocating for the rights of people with disability, by showing the government that people with disability has needs. “This must be fulfilled. This must be accommodated. It is important that the implementation is measurable and well-targeted,” says Fatimah Asri. She adds that it is critical to, at the same time, upgrade capacity and knowledge – so that we understand the regulations associated with disability – in public spaces.
The second speaker, the coordinator of Inclusive Solo Vision Network, Pamikatsih suggests that Surakarta City is a model for advocacy for the fulfilment of the health rights of people with disability. She points out to City Regulation No. 9 Year 2020 and the National SDG movement which, as it turns out, have not strengthened the rights of women and of people with disability, hence the emergence of Gender, Equality, Disabilitty, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI). Equality should be the standard in the community – so no more such words as “handicapped” and “non-handicapped.”
She argues that it is a shame that there are black guiding blocks despite the on-going promotion of accessibility, and Pamikatsih plays a video of accessibility in Surakarta that shows the limited people’s perception of the need of people with disability only in terms rehabilitation. Pamikatsih adds that SDG policy in 2018 emphasises the rights of people with disability within four components: government, professionals, community, and people with disability. The four groups need to work together to achieve full inclusion.
The four components should be united, and this necessitates a change i paradigm within each components. She also explains that the government’s role in policy making should be ongoing.
Launching “Booklet: Access to Disability-Friendly Public Infrastructure”
Inclusive Solo Vision Network published a Booklet: Access to Disability-Friendly Public Infrastructure during the seminar. The booklet talks about disability as elucidated in Law No. 8/2016 on People with Disability – from challenges to the four pillars of SDGs. Second, it explains accessibility – physical and non-physical – through pictures and writing, and proves that accessibility in Surakarta City is not yet as the word suggests, with many streets having yellow guiding blocks being used by street vendors.
In her speech, the executive director of Yayasan YAPHI, Haryati Panca Putri explains that it is not easy to change the paradigm and the awareness of community,and this is the reason Inclusive Solo Vision Network prepares a booklet, to help the public perform services, engage with and understand the ethical issues regarding their relationship with people with disability. “This is an on-going process that would reflect our commitmet to human rights,” says Haryati Panca Putri in the seminar and discussion with stakeholders, including staff of Social Affairs and Public Work and Spatial Planning (PUPR), with Yohanes Handharu Pratistha as a moderator. (Ast).
