Creating Systems on Assistive Devices/Wheelchair Provision in Indonesia project responds to the pressing issue of empowering people with disabilities (PWDs) and Organisations through creating and sharing of local knowledge that helps push for disability-inclusive development. People with physical disabilities (mobile disability) in Indonesia have very limited access to supporting devices such as wheelchairs that can improve their quality of living. It makes them unable to leave the house, limits their independency and possibilities to go to school, find a job, and participate in community activities. At the same time, there are still prejudices around disability which makes it hard for people to reach out for help. Apart from this, not having access to the right supporting equipment can have great influences on their health. More specificly, the project focuses on:

• Assisting local Disability Persons Organisations (DPOs) in realising their own wheelchair shop. As stated, more wheelchair shops are necessary in other regions in Indonesia. Local DPOs are willing to take on this task. Through proper training, they build their own system of wheelchair provision and employ local DPOs (with PWDs members themselves) and healthcare professionals.
•  Providing access to appropriate mobility devices. Many people in Indonesia would be helped immensely if they would have access to appropriate support devices. Through this project, the DPOs empower more PWDs in their region, which results to their mobility and participation.
• Empowering DPOs, parents associations, and local healthcare professionals. The project empowers DPOs and parents associations that devote themselves to better social services for children and adults with disabilities. This project serves as a good practice for the DPOs, parents associations, local physical and occupational therapists through learning workshops on disability-related nutritional and physical management.
• Increasing awareness of disability-inclusive development. This is through raising awareness on disability-inclusive development that is done through the various activities within this project.
• Sharing with the government good practices on wheelchair provision that involve DPOs. This increases government involvement and encourages them to support DPOs in future.

Through participatory training and work plan development, three wheelchair shops are being piloted. In the long run, this will result in a new local system of care and employment.

Stigma and prejudice toward those living with disabilities in Indonesia hamper their effort at reaching out for assistance.  Most people with physical disabilities, and specifically mobile disabilities, have very limited access to supportive devices such as wheelchairs that can improve the quality of their lives, making it difficult for them to leave their homes and move about independently.  This generally limits opportunities to access services such as schools, health care, employment and participation in other communal activities. The importance of wheelchairs and other assistive devices cannot be stressed enough.    

OHANA Indonesia is a disability rights organization that is based in Daerah Istimewa, Yogyakarta, Indonesia and is dedicated to addressing specific economic issues regarding the disabled population. These include the assembly and distribution of ambulatory aid devices, rights and resource development for persons with disabilities (PWDs), and policy advocacy on disability rights. Its collective mission is to achieve social justice and promote welfare, through the strengthening the rights of PWDs. It hopes to accomplish these goals by working closely with the community, local practitioners, the private sector and the government. 

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PWDs: Between April 2019 and March 2020, OHANA implemented a project on “Creating Systems on Assistive Devices/Wheelchair Provision in Indonesia” with the aim of supporting Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) in Central Java, South Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara. The project responded to the issue of empowering PWDs and Organizations through creating and sharing of local knowledge that helps push for disability-inclusive development. Key activities in this project included training the employees and local DPOs to customize wheelchairs, and train therapists to practice with children and their parents, on appropriate wheelchairs.  

During the project, OHANA was able to provide technology transfer in the field of wheelchair to three DPOs in Wonosobo (IDW), Kupang (PERSANI) and Makassar (HWDI), so that they could independently provide training to local organizations. OHANA also got full support from the regional government as a policy provider for both regulation and budgeting to implement a wheelchair shop. The local government of Kupang successfully carried out the advocacy cooperation program for assistive service systems for the period 2020-2022 with an initiation budget of IDR 100,000,000,000. The wheelchair shops in the three areas are the first good practice projects in meeting the need of PWDs. 

Lack of understanding and appreciation of both the importance of wheelchairs and the fact that customization is important as there is no one size fits all approach, posed some challenges to OHANA during the implementation of the project. The government also faced budgetary constraints and was not able to allocate resources for the provision of tools.  

LASTING IMPACT: The project produced some significant changes. In Kupang, the trained participants were able to make a wheelchair prototype to the needs of adaptive aids. PWDs in those areas also gained technical skills in wheelchairs and assistive assessment. Thus, they can now earn money and create job opportunities as well. The government was able to support this initiative and allocated a budget for planning the wheelchair workshop.  

The availability of wheelchairs now means children can move around without constant help from their parents thus freeing them up to engage in economically viable activities. The movement and open visibility of these children in outside environments also help in decreasing stigmatization.  

“I am grateful for this wheelchair workshop. I don’t need to buy a new wheelchair, because if there is damage, we can repair it”