UB Official | Prasetya | Gapura | SIAM
Wrong assumptions Cause Discrimination of Difabel
In a completely dark room, visually impaired people can still read (braille), but people are certainly not blind can not read. In this case, who is normal and abnormal one? In fact, people still think and grouping the visually impaired and others difabel as a group were abnormal.
And that assumption actually becomes a basic national policy of treating persons with disabilities. Included in the education service policy. thus, service for them must be differentiate. it means that persons with disabilities are included in the different group than other people. we ignore that every body has different capability. With a particular approach, certain systems, and specific tools the service for disability do no need to discriminate. Slamet Thohari, Secretary of Pusat Study dan layanan Disabilitas (PSLD) state to Education News (Buchin and Rachmat Basuki)
Buchin and Rachmat Basuki continue their questions to Salamet Tohari.
Have you been active in anti-discrimination, especially in persons with disabilities? what is your basic idea in your struggle?
based on the fact that persons with disabilities in Indonesia was careless. we can see how our national policy for public facilities, less provide for coverage (accessibility) for disability. This policy is not appear suddenly but has become a national design. It seems the representative of how we put people with disabilities as abnormal.
how bad the impact of that assumption?
quite bad, because people with disabilities are considered abnormal, in the sense that different from a normal person, moreover the service for them were distinguished. take a look at our educational system for disability. student who has a disability have to join with SLB (Sekolah Luar Biasa) based on their weakness. just imagine, even for studying they have to grouping with other people who considered as abnormal. moreover they do not supported by the accessibility of the public facility, it will make them discriminated.
What’s wrong with ‘student who has a disability have to join with SLB’?
I can give you the same question. what’s wrong with disability? why the education service for them must be differentiate? are they different? I think everybody is different. even for other people who considered as a normal. we have the difference ability. so why does disability face the difference service in education? does it because they look different in physical appearance? otherwise the other people who look as a normal people do not judge as disability. again, it is the wrong assumption.
but, is it the fact that they are different and need special treatment? isn’t they?
I will give you a case, In a completely dark room, visually impaired people can still read (braille), but people are certainly not blind can not read. In this case, who is normal and abnormal one? does we can judge that the one who can read in the dark room as an abnormal? it shows to us that everybody has a certain ability, difference ability.
so I can conclude that you want to underline that disability have the same ability with other who considered as a normal people?
related with case that I have explained to you before that Normal people need a light to read, and visually impaired need braille. so others disability do. there are many kinds of tool which can help disability to do their activity. it would be easier for disability if other service give more support. the system which is friendly to people with disabilities.
please give me example?
just observe Malang, is there any public transportation which give any access to disability independently? it haven’t yet. it makes disability can’t mobile like a normal people. if they have to use it, it makes a sympathy from other user that make them to help disability. I know exactly the difference between systems that support it because I own a disability. My right foot infected folio since I was two years.
how far the differences that you feel when you get the disability services?
when I studied in UGM I used wheelchair, it actually limited my mobility. if I wanted to go somewhere I had to ask for help to other. it made me lazy to do anything and being introvert. the difference experience I felt when I studied in University of Hawai. I could do anything comfortable and safely. because all the system does support. I can go anywhere by my self. all the systems were providing.
In this years, University of Brawijaya open for disability students, And you are active in it. would you like to give me an overview of these services in the future?
it more or less seems similar to University of Hawai. the higher education should be friendly to them. they can choose the course, and we provide the tools. hopefully, this commitment could give the consideration for basic policy in campus which is friendly for them. for example when campus build the campus building which provide their facility. hopefully it will motivated other campus to do the same thing.
sources : Koran Pendidikan