Indonesia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2011, and earlier this year passed the landmark Law No. 8 of 2016 on People with Disability. But people with disability in Indonesia are still often viewed as suffering from a medical “problem” and treated as objects of charity. People with disability are 30 to 50 per cent more likely to live in poverty, and children with disability are seven times less likely to go to school.
What factors explain the gap between laws and practice? What roles are played by religion and culture in perceptions of disability and how do these perceptions influence policy? What is being done, or should be done, to promote inclusion?
In this edition of Talking Indonesia, I discuss these issues and more with Slamet Thohari, a leading disability advocate and secretary of the Centre for Disability Studies and Services (PSLD) at Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java.
Talking Indonesia is a fortnightly podcast presenting extended interviews with experts on Indonesian politics, foreign policy, language, culture and more. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via iTunes or listen to the entire Talking Indonesia podcast via Stitcher.
Photo by ILO.
