Inclusive gathering to commemorate World Disability Day

AIPJ’s Disability Inclusion Program supported ‘Temu Inklusi 2014’ to commemorate World Disability Day. Various activities were held to promote issues surrounding disability in Indonesia, and these were attended by participants from government institutions, disabled persons organizations, media, and the public. The event was conducted in Sendangtirto village, Sleman, Yogyakarta on 19-21 December 2014.

SIGAB, an AIPJ partner coordinated the commemorations that featured a workshop on inclusive journalism. The workshop considered the challenges that occur during the reporting of a disability issue. Jonna Damanik, General Manager of Diffa magazine, spoke about the challenges faced by media outlets when they interact with disability issues. “To maintain the quality of the news, journalists should be able to dig deeper,” he said. He hoped that the workshop would play an important role in forming stronger relationships between the media and persons with a disability. 

Participants talked about the important role media played as an advocacy tool, especially for mainstreaming disability issues and helping promote better policies for persons with disabilities. The workshop was attended by journalists, students and community members with an interest in disability inclusion.