Inclusion of People with Disabilities

By: Afke Bootsman, the Head Office of the United Nation’s Resident Coordinator in Indonesia 

Indonesia and the United Nations both value inclusivity and diversity - and therefore the protection of minorities and disadvantaged groups. When it comes to the workplace, one of the most historically disadvantaged groups worldwide, as well as in Indonesia, is those with a disability. 

At the UN in Indonesia, we are working to change that - and welcomed over 200 persons living with a disability to an HR session held earlier this month, where participants could familiarize themselves with recruitment procedures and processes at 22 UN agencies present in Indonesia. This event was among the first of its kind in Indonesia, specifically tailored to ease access of people with a disability to job opportunities. 

The interest was overwhelming and only reinforced our conviction that more needs to be done to create opportunities for people living with a disability, in line with our motto to Leave No One Behind. 

Today, according to the International Labour Organization, only 11% of adults with disabilities in Indonesia are at work or school, versus 66% for the rest of the population. This is not just unfair, it also makes no economic sense: it is a waste of valuable resources and human capacity, which could be put to use towards higher – and more inclusive – economic growth. 

Indonesia is one of just 10 countries in the UN system piloting the implementation of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy. We have made significant progress in improving the accessibility of our main offices, training hundreds of staff on disability awareness, and transforming our websites and communication products to meet the needs of those with a disability. Following the previous – and ongoing – focus on gender equity and youth inclusion, the UN in Indonesia is recognizing that much more could, and should, be done to improve the prospects of one of the most under-represented groups of all: people living with a disability. 

But while changes to our main office in central Jakarta, which is now wheelchair accessible, may be immediately obvious, it is the mindset change that is perhaps more significant. Our aim is to encourage greater empathy and understanding among our staff for people with disabilities, anticipate the challenges they may face when interacting with the UN, and adapt practices to be more inclusive. 

Over 200 of our staff have attended training to learn best practices to help people with disabilities, such as by making documents, spreadsheets, and presentation files accessible, ensuring captions are available, and checking whether any adjustments need to be made to documents and publications. 

These are important steps towards inclusivity. The real game changer, for people with different abilities, 

however, is to be able to participate in the job market. And this is the next frontier for us when it comes to inclusion. UN recruitment processes are complex, and ensuring that we are fully open to candidates with disabilities and actively encouraging them to apply are important steps. 

Catering to people with disability in UN projects 

We employ around 2000 people in Indonesia, but our development projects, implemented in cooperation with the government, reach millions every year. When it comes to including people with disabilities, ensuring their participation in our diverse set of projects from industrial development to agricultural modernization and local healthcare reform is key. We are now directly engaged with organizations that represent and support people with disabilities to consult them in policy-making and advice on a broad range of policies. 

Disability inclusion has been a collective learning journey for us all, questioning age-old assumptions and becoming truly empathic, so that adjusting who we are, what we do, and the way we do it to people with disability, is not considered an extra step, but a natural part of the work process. 

People with disability are above all people. The onus is on us to change our perception and our actions, to make the world a welcoming place to all.

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