UNESCO and Indonesian NGO Kota-Kita have partnered to replicate in selected Indonesian cities the disability inclusive participatory data collection and management methodology already piloted in 2017 in Solo, Indonesia. The initiative aims to demonstrate the power of data and evidence in designing effective disability inclusive policies in all areas of political, economic, and social life to ensure access for persons with disabilities so they can live in dignity and achieve their full potential. This is designed to respond to the manifest gap in disability data by applying Kota Kita’s methodology of participatory data collection in Banjarmasin City.

Yayasan Kota Kita has developed and deployed a methodology of participatory data collection that enables a neighbourhood-level mapping and supports the development of advocacy tools to strengthen residents’ voices in municipal budgeting, gathering efficacy and management. By collecting vital socio-economic and demographic data at the smallest administrative division level – referred to in Indonesia as “rukun tetangga” or often abbreviated to “RT”, and gathering it in a city-wide dataset that is later mapped, the residents and the policymakers are able to visualize concentrations of poverty, low public service delivery, and other socio-economic indicators such as housing, density, and proximity to various public services. These datasets are unique in Indonesia in being able to provide fine-grain information about the city. When this information is crossed, or compared, with other datasets, they gain more power and yield further insight for the communities and the policymakers.