Celebrating International Disability Days: Improving Concern for People with Disabilities in Indonesia.

Abstract

Disability is defined as a person's interaction with the limitations they have in their ability to participate in theirenvironment and society. Consequently, Disability can also be defined as a functional limitation to activity dailyliving. These limitations for people with disabilities often resulted in difficulties in adapting, which making themdifficult to fully participate in their daily life. These limitations further supported by the number of people withdisabilities in Indonesia that is keep increasing over the years. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data from 2023 shows thatthere are approximately 22.97 million people with disabilities, or about 8.5% of the Indonesian population. Thisincrease in numbers resulted in an increased obligation for the state to provide educational and health facilities, aswell as employment opportunities that are accessible to these people with disabilities.The main problems faced by people with disabilities in Indonesia, especially for children, are including physicaldisabilities, cognitive impairments, and emotional regulation. Firstly, physical disabilities are including hearingimpairment, low vision to blindness, and mobility issues that on most cases would needs a walking aid, whilst highprevalence of undetected hearing and vision problems might hinder children's learning ability and disrupt growth anddevelopment. Secondly, cognitive and emotional regulation is followed by these issues, such as intellectualdisabilities, autism, and language disorders that are all quite prevalent, further complicating learning problems duringthe developmental period. Another crucial issue is the lack of literacy among parents and caregivers of people withdisabilities regarding their children's growth and development, including their acceptance of children with specialneeds. In many cases, parents would, intentionally or unintentionally, mistreat their children with special needs withinequality. This phenomenon is particularly evident in school opportunities. Furthermore, with the growing stigma insociety about having a child with a disability is often associated to a curse and punishment from God. Thereby, thiskind of believes often leads many to feel ashamed and disregarded, pushing through the phenomenon of inequality formany households with disabled children.As an act to reduce discrimination for people with disabilities, the Indonesian government has enacted laws andregulations to increase their participation in education, employment, and social settings. Government Law No. 8 of2016 establishes the government's obligation to provide the widest possible access for people with disabilities to schooland pursue equal education. However, this is not enough; it requires collaboration from all levels of society with socialmedia plays a crucial role in educating people about the equality of people with disabilities and promoting activitiesfor people with disabilities, thereby reducing societal stigma.In conclusion, let us work together to raise awareness of people with disabilities so that no one in Indonesia, especiallythose with disabilities, feels left behind. Together, we can make Indonesia Golden 2050 a success.