You certainly agree that special knowledge is needed to be able to interact with people with disabilities, bearing in mind that friends with disabilities need certain treatment. Unfortunately, there are still many people who are unfamiliar with it. Departing from that problem, a group of young people in Jakarta established a community called Pandulisane.
Pandulisane stands for Pandu, Tuli (Deaf), Daksa, and Netra (Blind). The name implies the desire of the community which was established in May 2018 to become a place to learning for anyone who intends to guide deaf, Daksa and blind friends.
Pandu Wicaksono, founder of Pandulisane has long been concerned about people with disabilities. Starting from being a frequent sign language translator for people with disabilities, he understood that there are still many non-disabled people who do not understand what is needed by people with disabilities.
Through the #HelpPeopleHelpYourself tagline, this community in Jakarta is starting to initiate limited classes that provide experience to understand disabled people and debriefing so they can interact with them. For example, if you often feel awkward when meeting deaf friends because you don't know how to use sign language, at Pandulisane, they will teach you the basic techniques of sign language.
In addition to learning sign language, Pandulisane also often holds other creative activities that are very meaningful for people with disabilities. One of those is the "Motoin Akses" activity. Through this activity, Pandulisane invites people to become volunteers to document access and facilities for people with disabilities. Anyone can participate in the #motoinakses action through the campaign.com app.
What we often encounter such as the yellow lane on the sidewalk is access or a path for blind people. There are also stairs without steps, and empty spots on the train, Transjakarta, or MRT, those are some examples of facilities for physically challenged people.
Unfortunately, there are still many people who do not know about it, and many irresponsible people who damage it or use the facility for their own interests.
Now, through the #motoinakses, Pandulisane volunteers can share photos on social media of physical access to disabled people they meet. In order to be able to provide socialization to others to participate in maintaining the facility.
Pandulisane aspires to realize the dream of people with disabilities by creating an inclusive environment for them in Indonesia. The step began by introducing about disability to the community.
If you are interested in joining Pandulisane, this community usually opens up opportunities to become a hopekeeper or volunteer in achieving the goals of an inclusive environment. You can check more complete information on @pandulisane Instagram!
Top Photo Credit: Instagram @pandulisane