INDONESIA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Indonesia is a multiparty ...

INDONESIA 31
Few buildings and virtually no public transportation facilities were accessible to
persons with disabilities. The law requires companies that employ more than 100
workers to set aside 1 percent of positions for persons with disabilities. However,
the government did not enforce the law, and persons with disabilities faced
considerable discrimination.
In urban areas only a few city buses offered wheelchair access, and many of those
had their hydraulic lifts vandalized, rendering them unusable. Few companies
provided facilities for persons with disabilities, and fewer companies employed
such persons. Surabaya’s airport opened in 2006 and was not accessible for
persons with disabilities. Lack of funds was generally cited as the primary reason
for not improving accessibility.
Access to information and communications technology for persons with disabilities
is limited. The government taxes hearing aids as electronics, rather than medical
equipment, making them prohibitively expensive.
In 2003 the government stated the country was home to 1.3 million children with
disabilities; the actual number was believed to be much higher. The law provides
children with disabilities with the right to an education and rehabilitative treatment.
A government official alleged many parents chose to keep children with
disabilities at home; however, many schools refused to accommodate such
children, stating they lacked the resources to do so. According to 2008-09
government statistics, there were 1,686 schools dedicated to educating children
with disabilities, 1,274 of them run privately. According to NGOs, more than
90 percent of blind children were illiterate. Some young persons with disabilities
resorted to begging for a living. Children with disabilities were sent to separate
schools, and mainstream education was extremely rare. The country’s universities
did not offer a degree in special education.
During the year NGOs reported that people with disabilities were housed in care
facilities in unsafe, dirty conditions throughout Riau Province. The government
has taken no action.
The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for protecting the rights of persons
with disabilities. To date, they have taken no actions to improve respect for the
rights of persons with disabilities.
National/Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor