I went to training on Disability, Gender and development in Bangkok on March 8- 21, 2010. The training was held in APCD (Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability) building, it was supported by APCD and JICA. I was representing GEMPITA (as SEHJIRA’s partner) and also as a sign language interpreter for my friend Angkie Yudistia from SEHJIRA Foundation.

The participants of the training were representative of self-help organizations of persons with disabilities from countries of South East Asia, including Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, the union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, The Socialist of Vietnam, and The Kingdom of Thailand. The objective of this training is to empower persons with disabilities as agents of change and to promote an inclusive, barrier-free and rights based society for all. From Indonesia, Sehjira Foundation and HWPCI Ternate-Maluku were selected as representatives from Indonesia.

Since the first day of the training, I was so amazed with the condition of the building which is being used to conduct the trainings and also as our accommodation. It is so accessible in every aspects for all types of disability, kindly refer to the pictures as I am so speechless to describe it in words.

They were so many positive things that I got during the training. One of it is how we perceive disability itself.

Pernah membayangkan gak teman-teman, bagaimana rasanya ketika dunia disekeliling kita tak bersuara? atau yang lebih menyiksa, ketika kita tahu ada banyak suara disana namun kita tidak bisa menangkapnya. Kita tidak bisa menikmati lagu-lagu, tidak bisa mendengar seseorang memanggil nama kita, atau ketika seseorang membisikkan kata sayang ditelinga.

Mungkin suara bagi kita sama artinya seperti: ………………. serangkaian titik yang tidak kita mengerti atau suara adalah serangkaian kode seperti @*&%568$#@#*_)*654….975+=)*( kumpulan-kumpulan makna yang kita tidak akan pernah memahaminya..

Ketika 1 + 1 harus jadi 2 di dalam dunia kita, maka suara yang kita dengar = bunyi yang kita keluarkan.

Jadi, ketika telinga kita tuna rungu (tidak bisa mendengar) maka akan otomatis kita menjadi tuna wicara. Namun tidak berlaku sebaliknya…

“I cursed the fact i had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet” Persian proverb

taken from Robin Shamra’s book.”

Kebetulan itulah yang saya alami beberapa minggu yang lalu. Jadi ceritanya, saya beruntung mewakili GEMPITA  berkunjung ke yayasan SEHJIRA (yayasan tuna rungu sehat jiwa dan raga). Banyak makna yang bisa dipelajari. Terutama, Saya SALUT sama pengurus-pengurus yayasan, hampir semua dari mereka tuna rungu dan mereka berusaha untuk memperjuangkan agar hak-hak mereka dalam pekerjaan, pendidikan dan masyarakat sejajar dengan orang-orang yang lain. HEBAT.