Friday, December 17, 2010

Jakarta plans to make city more accessible

From BERITA JAKARTA:

As form of its attention to the disabled, Jakarta capital city government plans to implement local regulations on building facilities and accessibility for the disabled, including the sanctions for the violators. At present, there are approximately 35,000 disabled people in five administrative areas of Jakarta.

"All people with disabilities have equal opportunities to obtain health care. We will realize the equation in order to further increase their welfare,” said Jakarta Capital City Governor Fauzi Bowo after attending the celebration of International Day of Disabled People (Hipenca) at Sasono Langgeng Budoyo, TMII , East Jakarta, Tuesday (12/14).

Fauzi Bowo said he expected for public commitment to paying attention to the needs of people with disabilities. Hence in the future, the disabled people could be more independent, just like people in general.

Currently, disclosed Fauzi, the bylaw draft on disability-related matters was being formulated by the executive together with the legislative. Hopefully, the bylaw will have been enacted prior to the celebration of Hipenca 2011.

According to the governor, the bylaw would also include strict punishment for the violators. The bylaw would become the guidelines for the city government to take decisive actions.

Head of Jakarta Social Affairs Agency, Kian Kelana hoped the city council could immediately endorse the bylaw. “Presently, Jakarta government has also given full attention to the disabled people to eliminate any discrimination to them," he said, adding that one form of attention is the provision of capital for productive economic businesses run by the disabled. Annually, the city government disburses a fund of Rp 1.4 million for each person in the program.

In the meantime, Chairman of the Indonesian Disabled Association (PPCI) of Jakarta Chapter, Leindert Hermeinadi said that disabled people in Jakarta had also been given a variety of skill trainings; among others, computer, management capacity building, cake-making process, HP service, and sewing trainings.