The following article is authored by Nina Asterina and Vanesha Manuturi.
In times of crises, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of localized and nuanced data on disability presents a real threat for vulnerable groups who may be left out of basic aid and services necessary for their survival. Indonesia has faced the immediacy of this issue as the country has no universal dataset for people with disabilities.
Two main factors contribute to the gap of collective data in Indonesia. First, its national database of citizens is not yet integrated with local and municipality data. This presents a challenge for city policymakers in using the database for local policy design. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, data discrepancies of vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, led to chronically uneven distribution of social aid and a major graft case implicating Indonesia’s former Minister of Social Affairs. Second, current data collection methodologies typically rely on manual door-to-door surveys and are not responsive to evolving conditions. This has led to data being outdated, inaccurate, and lacking context. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, research led by Kota Kita, the Bartlett Development Planning Unit at the University College London, and Global Disability Innovation Hub found that people with disabilities are faced with distinct challenges and needs due to the pandemic, ranging from lack of income to disruption in access to education. However, these challenges were often not displayed through the national database.
To assist cities, there is great value in promoting reliable, fit-to-purpose, and participatory data for the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies that support the needs of people with disabilities. Banjarmasin, the capital of Indonesia’s South Kalimantan province, is one city that has become a policy case study to explore the potential of participatory data collection in fulfilling the rights of people with disabilities at municipal levels.
The case of Banjarmasin
In recent years, Banjarmasin focused on putting in place local policies and regulations that would be more responsive to the needs of people with disabilities. The end goal is for Banjarmasin to become a disability-inclusive city. This demanded more evidence and laid the foundation for a participatory data collection, piloted in 2018.
The initiative examined participatory approaches to data collection as a way to gather more granular information about the condition and the degree of inclusion of people with disabilities in the urban policy-making process. It was conducted as a collaboration between Kota Kita and UNESCO and supported by the City Government of Banjarmasin and local civil society organization, Kaki Kota Banjarmasin.
The participatory methodologies proved to be successful in fostering closer links among city stakeholders in Banjarmasin, helping to mobilize the skills and expertise of disabled people’s organizations and people with disabilities, and ensuring a more inclusive planning process. The data collection documented 3,897 people with disabilities in 1,657 blocks (RT) in Banjarmasin, which was almost double the official government data (Asterina et al., 2019).
Since then, the data has been useful in assisting targeted support for people with disabilities. For example, the Indonesian General Election (KPU) in Banjarmasin used data from the participatory process to confirm their primary data on people with disabilities and held a public discussion on December 9, 2018. The process helped determine 3,297 people with disabilities as the final number of eligible voters, compared to the previous data of 991 people with disabilities.
Granular data and information from the process have also been essential in designing effective disability-inclusive policies during crises. Banjarmasin’s Department of Social Affairs used the participatory data to cross-check the georeferenced disability data in delivering relief aid to people with disabilities in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent flooding in Banjarmasin in January 2021.
The takeaways
Reliable and fit-to-purpose data obtained through participatory methodologies leads to tangible positive results. It gives city-level stakeholders the evidence they need to advocacy for and make decisions that serve the needs, rights, and aspirations of people with disabilities at local levels. There are two key takeaways to note, particularly as cities around the world are adapting to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic:
- The gap in existing data on disability highlights an urgent need for more innovation and creativity in data collection methodologies to encourage citizen participation and ensure accurate and contextual data on people with disabilities in cities. In practice, this can mean using digital apps or cross-referencing primary data with secondary sources such as through community mapping.
- Participatory methodologies can catalyse local governments into better understanding and supporting people with disabilities for delivering social aid in times of crisis. Beyond aid delivery, participatory data collection can also strengthen the citizenship of people with disabilities in cities, who are deserving of full and equal access to fundamental rights and services.
References
Asterina, N., Thamrin, H.N., Beagen, B., 2019. Banjarmasin City: a Disability Inclusive CityProfile. UNESCO.
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Nina Asterina is the Program Manager for Urban Inclusivity initiatives at Kota Kita.
Vanesha Manuturi is Communications & Advocacy Manager at Kota Kita. Kota Kita is a non-profit in Indonesia facilitating citizen participation and collective action for participatory governance.
The authors are responsible for the facts contained in the article and the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.