Monday (19/6), the Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) conducted a field visit and exchange in collaboration with the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. Apart from students from the University of Sydney, the Center for Indigenous and Cultural Psychology (CICP) and the Student Activity Unif of Diffable Care (SAUDC) were also present as partners in organizing the field visit & exchange entitled Disability Inclusion and Rights Fulfillment in Indonesia.
Dr. Wenty Marina Minza, M.A., Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, and Cooperation at the UGM Faculty of Psychology, officially opened the activity. Wenty also welcomed Prof. Sonja van Wichelen, Deputy Director of the Sydney Southeast Asia Center, and students from the University of Sydney to the UGM Faculty of Psychology.
Pradytia Putri Pertiwi, S.Psi., Ph.D., a Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology UGM and an adviser to UKM Caring for Disabilities UGM, moderated the discussion. Wuri Handayani, S.E., Ak., M.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business UGM; Elga Andriana, S.Psi, M.Ed, Ph.D., Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology UGM; Alexander Farrel, Student of Faculty of Law UGM and member of SAUDC; and Restu Tri Handoyo, Ph.D., Psychologist., Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology UGM and Head of the Unit Konsultasi Psikologi (UKP) were the four speakers in the discussion session.
Wuri began her presentation by stating that several studies had found a vicious cycle between difficulties and poverty, “If we are talking about disability, it is very close to poverty… There’s a vicious cycle between disability and poverty. There are many barriers—physical, social, or attitude barriers—that they have to face in Indonesia. The facilities or schools cannot accommodate all disabled children in Indonesia. Second, because of a lack of education, they couldn’t compete with non-disabled people in terms of getting decent work. Because of a lack of education, they also experienced a low level of wage”.
Continuing the discussion, Elga Andriana gave a presentation on education for people with disabilities. In Indonesia, children with disabilities attend special schools at the elementary level. Few institutions provide education to those with disabilities, especially at the higher education level, which is another issue with education for people with disabilities in Indonesia, “There are around 184 universities in Indonesia that provide inclusive education”.
One of the presenters, Alexander Farrell, told his experience as a person with a disability who is presently attending university.
Author: Erna