SURABAYA: East Java’s Regional Representative Council (DPRD) has passed a new regulation aimed at strengthening protections for people with disabilities, including by creating an independent advocacy body and requiring employers to provide more job opportunities for disabled workers.
The regulation was passed on Monday to replace a similar measure enacted in 2013, widening protections for people with disabilities and shifting policy towards a rights-based approach.
One of the regulation’s key provisions is the establishment of a Regional Disability Commission (KDD), tasked with advocating for and overseeing the implementation of disability rights. The KDD is expected to have nine members, with half drawn from representatives of disability groups.
The regulation also requires public institutions and businesses to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Provincial government agencies and regionally owned enterprises must meet a minimum employment quota of 2 per cent for people with disabilities, while private companies must allocate at least 1 per cent of their workforce to disabled workers.
The East Java administration will support the regulation’s implementation by providing training and guidelines and establishing Disability Service Units.
Beyond employment, the regulation requires the provincial administration to improve access to public services for people with disabilities, including by providing assistance and interpreters and making information systems more accessible.
It also calls for better access to public transport, including free rides for people with disabilities on the Trans Jatim bus service.
East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa welcomed the passage of the regulation, underscoring the need for more inclusive policies to ensure the rights of people with disabilities.
“This is particularly important in education and the business sector, where we need to ensure equal opportunities and inclusive services,” Khofifah said in a recent statement.
She also said the new KDD would help oversee protections for people with disabilities in employment, economic activities and education, while monitoring efforts to ensure their rights are upheld equally.
According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), as of July, disability prevalence in East Java stood at 2.3 per cent among people aged five and above, slightly higher than the national rate of 2.2 per cent.
That translates to about 1.1 million people with disabilities out of East Java’s population of 47.8 million.
The data covers a range of disabilities, including difficulties with seeing, hearing, walking, remembering and self-care.
Hari Kurniawan, chairman of Indonesia’s Disability Legal Aid Foundation (LBHD), welcomed the new regulation, saying it represented a shift away from a charity-based approach towards one grounded in the recognition of disability rights.
“The previous regulation viewed people with disabilities primarily through charity and assistance, rather than recognising the human rights inherent to every person,” Hari said on Tuesday.
He urged the East Java administration to issue a governor’s regulation, known as a Pergub, as soon as possible to set out rules for implementing the new measure.
“This is crucial because the previous disability regulation, passed in 2013, had no implementing regulations, making it difficult to enforce in practice,” he said.
Hari said implementing rules were particularly needed for four areas: creating a database of people with disabilities and their identities, issuing disability cards, expanding inclusive education and establishing the KDD to oversee the implementation of disability policies. - Jakarta Post/ANN
