Disability and Disaster in Indonesia

No: RDI Op-Ed, No. 4 (DCR) 20210702

Summary

A serious disruption such as a disaster which involves widespread human, material, eco-

nomic or environmental impacts sometimes has disturbance that exceeds the ability of the af-fected community or society. The community here includes vulnerable people, one of which is people with disabilities. People with disabilities have limited ability to face, cope or even recover from disaster using their own resources, hence the Indonesian Government put priority on dis-abled people as one of the vulnerable groups subject in disaster risk management regulation. The detailed examination of Indonesia’s national regulatory frameworks on disaster risk demon-strates that people with disabilities remain most frequently represented by their assumed social vulnerability (Pertiwi, Llewellyn, & Villeneuve, 2020). The ongoing representation of people with disabilities as a ‘vulnerable group’ limits the potential for their active participation in di-saster risk planning and programs. It also limits the potential for DPOs, as their representative organization, to lead disability-inclusive DRR in Indonesia. People with disabilities are doubly vulnerable to disasters because of their less abil-ity to cope and recover, so it is important to in-volve them in all stages of disaster management.

Opinion Page

Disability and Disaster in Indonesia| 1RDI Op-Ed, No. 4

As a country located in the pacific ring of fire with a dynamic environment, Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries. Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in Indonesia has been built through four phases from pre- to post-disas-ter. As vulnerable communities, people with disabilities are commonly overlooked and rarely involved in each stage. Even though several regulations related to this had been enacted, further program implementation needs to accommo-date disabled people as a process applying inclusive development inside Disaster Management in Indonesia.

The Importance of People with Disabilities In-volvement in Disaster Management in Indonesia Indonesia has a comprehensive legal framework for disaster management. Disaster Management Regulation number 24 of 2007 lays out a set of provisions that summarizes the responsibilities

of central and local government, the rights and obligations of society, the role of business insti-tutions and international stages of disaster man-agement, as well as financial assistance and disas-ter relief. Furthermore, it would be a good reform of this regulation to add an element of disability in the overall process of disaster management. Indonesia Government Regulation Number 21 of 2008 concerning disaster management oper-ations places people with disabilities as vulnera-ble groups. People with disabilities meet unique challenges and issues at every stage of disaster management (Raja & Narasimhan, 2013). The problem has to be resolved right away because Indonesia has ratified the Convention on the Right of Person with Disability (CRPD) through Law 19 of 2011. This ratification then requires recognition of the rights of people with disabil-ities in every sector, including disaster manage-ment. The participation of vulnerable groups is needed to build their capacity in dealing with disasters (Newport et al., 2000). The four over-arching disaster management phases most com-monly referred to are the mitigation phase, the preparedness phase, followed by the response phase following disaster impact, and the recov-ery phase (Herold & Sawada, 2012).

Mitigation/PreventionReducing the negative consequences can be real-ized through public education and awareness, haz-ard and vulnerability assessment. Technical pre-vention also can be undertaken through improved infrastructure and land-use planning. In Indonesia,

PreparednessPreparedness means planning how to respond to disaster events. The preparedness form phase comprised emergency planning, capacity building, telecommunication and response plans, monitor-ing, and early warning systems. In legislation and policy about disability issues in Indonesia have been widely cited as one of the vulnerable groups that have to prioritize in the disaster. Several regulato-ry frameworks contained in Law of The Republic of Indonesia Number 24 of 2007 concerning Disaster Management Article 55, The Head of National Di-saster Management Agency Regulation Number 14 of 2014 concerning Handling, Protection, and Participation of People with Disabilities in Disaster Management; as well as Law of the Republic of In-donesia Number 8 of 2016 concerning People with Disabilities. However, the ground fact showed leg-islation and policy strategy still not in line with the implementation. One example is Indonesia’s early warning system information that uses sirens is less accessible to people with disabilities with specif-ic criteria, such as deaf impairment (Wulandari, 2017). Support from the family environment of peo-ple with disabilities affects the appropriate evacua-tion efforts for people with disabilities, so training people with disabilities and their closest relatives about DRR activities is part of preparing for rescue actions when a disaster occurs.impact of new tech-nology may displace women’s income-generating work because it particularly affects the poor sector, usually the landless laborers.

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RecoveryRecovery is rebuilding communities so that individ-uals, businesses, and governments can function on their own, return to normal life, and protect against future hazards (FEMA). At the national level, BNPB plans and coordinates recovery activities in the wake of major or large-scale disasters. At the local level, BPBD is responsible for recovery activities in the aftermath of minor or small-scale disasters. The planning process for recovery in Indonesia starts with a post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA). The scope of the PDNA is defined by National Di-saster Management Agency (BNPB) Regulation No.17/2010 on Guidelines for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and covering the aspects such as humanitarian, housing and settlements, infrastruc-ture development, economic, social, and cross-cut-ting (National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), 2015). The contribution of local govern-ments, in general, is still limited to the reconstruc-tion of physical buildings after the disaster. But in fact, people with disabilities are very open to be-ing involved in disaster planning and management. Local governments have not been able to reach efforts related to community empowerment (Ku-sumasari & Alam, 2012), especially for people with disabilities, for example providing skills training for people with disabilities.

problems experienced by people with disabilities in the disaster mitigation phase are: (1) lack of acces-sibility of information and teaching/learning mate-rials related to DRR for children with special needs; (2) lack of specific data collection and statistical data certainty regarding the identity and condition of people with disabilities; and (3) the absence of vulnerability assessment mechanism based on the type of disability (Santoso, Noor, & Ulum, 2015). Mitigation activities for people with disabilities should be implemented through mapping the needs of people with disabilities during natural disasters. Based on Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 8 of 2016 concerning People with Disabilities, the various needs of people with disabilities are classi-fied starting from physical, intellectual, mental, and sensory aspects. Furthermore, coordination and discussion with communities/organizations of peo-

ResponseEmergency response involves the quick study of location, damages, and resources, deciding on di-saster emergency status, rescue, and evacuation of disaster-affected communities, protecting vulnera-ble groups, etc. We all know that Indonesia already has a disaster early-warning system. However, the early warning system has not included disabilities’ needs in the preparation. This causes people with disabilities to depend on family members or the surrounding environment to get disaster informa-tion. Then, evacuation for people with disabilities is one concrete form of the contribution of local gov-ernments (Ayal & Hudha, 2020). Evacuation of di-saster victims will be more effective and maximized if supported by an emergency response that reacts quickly. But general experience shows that people with disabilities tend to be left behind during disas-ter evacuation, due to lack of preparation and plan-ning in disaster risk management, as well as the lack of public facilities and services available.

Lesson LearnedPeople with disabilities are often overlooked

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ConclusionThe exclusion of people with disabilities in disas-ter management activities causes high losses and casualties, both injuries and deaths. It is important to involve people with disabilities in disaster man-agement to ensure the fulfillment of the needs of people with disabilities and address them when a disaster occurs (Probosiwi, 2021). Therefore, it is necessary to establish a Law on People with Dis-abilities to create a disability-friendly Indonesian environment. The existence of special regulations governing the implementation of efforts to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of people with disabil-ities will become legal protection in the context of realizing the welfare of people with disabilities.

throughout the disaster management cycle, partic-ularly children with special needs (Women’s Com-mission for Refugee Women and Children, 2008). This is because children with special needs are the most vulnerable group in the event of a disaster. One of the children with special needs is children with autism. Autism can happen to children of vari-ous social strata and various cultures. Autistic chil-dren do not only have communication disorders, but also show interaction problems with people around them, either adults or peers. One of the research-es in 2017 aims to determine the preparedness of children with special needs in dealing with earth-quake disasters in Yogyakarta (Indriasari, Daniyati, & Widyarani, 2018). It shows that the involvement and support from parents or other family members gave a positive influence on them to become active-ly and physically involved in the disaster simulation. Videos are found to be effective as the learning me-dium for children with autism in encouraging them to engage in two-way communications with others. Furthermore, the level of success in teaching and educating autistic children is also influenced by how severe the level of autistic symptoms experi-enced by the child. The milder the autistic disorder a child has, the higher the possibility and the faster

Further Reading

• Arifah A.R.,Tariq M.N., Juni M. H. (2019). Decision Making In Disaster Management Cycle of Natural Disasters: A Review. International Journal of Public Health and Clinical Scienc-es, 6(3).

• Ayal, L.N and S.A Hudha. (2020). Kontribusi Pemerintah Daerah Dalam Pengelolaan Risiko Bencana Bagi Penyandang Disabilitas. Media Informasi Penelitian Kesejahteraan Sosial, 44(3): 279-288.

• Herold, S., & Sawada, M. C. (2012). A Review of Geospatial Information Technology for Natural Disaster Management in Developing Countries. International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research, 3(2), 24–62.

• Indriasari, F.N, P. Daniyati, L. Widyarani. (2018). Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergen-cy Preparedness for Children With Autism in Facing Earthquake Disaster in Yogyakarta. JMMR (Jurnal Medicoeticolegal dan Manajemen Rumah Sakit), 7 (1): 52-59.

• Kusumasari, B and Q. Alam. (2012). Bridging the gaps: the role of local government capa-bility and the management of a natural disaster in Bantul, Indonesia. Nat Hazards, 60:761–779.

• FEMA. The Four Phases of Emergency Management, from https://training.fema.gov/emi-web/downloads/is111_unit%204.pdf

• Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 8 of 2016 concerning Persons with Disabilities (in Indonesia)

Resilience Development Initiative (RDI) is an Indonesian think tank that focuses and contributes to the body of knowledge on sustainable development and resilient studies.Jl. Imperial II No. 52, Dago Asri, Dago, Kota Bandung 40135Call us: +62 22 253 6574Email: rdi@rdi.or.idWebsite: www.rdi.or.id

Author • Salsabila Syakura, Indah Cahyaning Sari (syakurasalsabila@gmail.com, indahcahyaning1604@gmail.com ) Bandung Institute of Technology, Brawijaya University• Supervised by: Danang Azhari Resilience Development Initiative

DisclaimerThe views expressed in this op-ed are those of the author or authors of the paper.

They do not necessarily represent the views of RDI or its editorial committee.

Further Reading

Resilience Development Initiative (RDI) is an Indonesian think tank that focuses and contributes to the body of knowledge on sustainable development and resilient studies.Jl. Imperial II No. 52, Dago Asri, Dago, Kota Bandung 40135Call us: +62 22 253 6574Email: rdi@rdi.or.idWebsite: www.rdi.or.id

• National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Indonesia’s Disaster Risk Manage-ment Baseline Status Report 2015, from https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/disaster-mgmt-ref-hdbk-2015-indonesia.pdf.

• Newport, Feyanth K., Godfrey G.P. Jawahar. (2000). Community participation and public awareness in disaster mitigation. Disaster Prevention and Management, 12(1), 33-36.

• Pertiwi, P., Llewellyn, G., & Villeneuve, M. (2020). Disability representation in Indone-sian disaster risk reduction regulatory frameworks. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 45 (2020) 101454, 1-11.

• Probosiwi, R. 2021. Keterlibatan Penyandang Disabilitas Dalam Penanggulangan Ben-cana. Balai Besar Penelitian dan Pengembangan Kesejahteraan Sosial (B2P3KS), Yogya-karta.

• Raja, D. S. & Narasimhan, N. (2013). Incusive disaster and emergency management for person with disabilities a review of need, challenges effective policies, and practices. Bangkok, The Centre for Internet and Society.

• Santoso, A. D., Noor, I., Ulum M. C. (2015). Disabilitas dan Bencana (Studi tentang Agen-da Setting Kebijakan Pengurangan Risiko Bencana Inklusif Bagi Penyandang Disabilitas di Kabupaten Klaten, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia). Jurnal Administrasi Publik (JAP), 3 (12), 2033-2039.

• Wulandari, R. (2017). Analisis Kesiapan Pemerintah Daerah dalam Penanganan Pen-yandang Disabilitas Menghadapi Bencana Gempa