Wayan Sukarmen

Translated from Bahasa Indonesia

Introduction

My name is I Wayan Sukarmen from Kintamani Kedisan. I am the trusted secretary of the Yayasan Cahaya Mutiara (YCMU) foundation. I am 24 years old. I've been with the foundation since the beginning, so it's been about 8 years.

Experience at the Foundation

Of course, the existence of an organization like Cahaya Mutiara Ubud has had a tremendous impact on me because here I can share my experiences and also find out about the experiences of various friends with disabilities in Bali. I can share my knowledge and also grow my confidence. I think the existence of an organization like this really helps me to be able to develop myself.

Confidence

Of course, as a disabled person I have insecurities and felt different from other friends. Maybe I didn't have an idea to dare to dream about something, to achieve something. But after being here I think all of that is gone. I can string together my dreams, I can learn to grow my confidence. I also see that my friends here really have the spirit to live their lives, so I think it's from this foundation that I can grow my self-confidence. 

Me, as a disabled person, of course, I have felt insecurities, but so would a non-disabled person. Honestly, I’ve always felt different from my friends and other people around me. I didn’t dare to dream about achieving anything. But since coming here I see with my friends that they have high spirits and pursue on with living their lives. I feel because of that I’ve grown my self-confidence. 

Disability

I’ve got a genetic disorder of the bones. I was diagnosed with Osteogenesis imperfecta, or “brittle bones”. I've had dozens of fractures, from childhood actually. 

I was born normal, but when I started to grow up, I grew a little bit later than people my age. The first time I broke a bone was around the age of 6 or 7.

Happiness

What makes me happy, here at the Foundation, is the sense of family that is created. At Cahaya Mutiara Ubud Foundation, we support each other and keep motivating each other. That's what I might not necessarily get out there. That's the happiness I feel right now because of the friends who always support me.

Challenges

There are many challenges, especially in Bali. Disability is still sidelined, although now the government is a little concerned about friends with disabilities, and has paid attention to the needs of friends with disabilities. But, as a developing country, there is still a lot that needs to be addressed for us. Especially access to education. More friends with disabilities do not have educational opportunities, and that’s got to change. 

In the past, I happened to be at a normal school, so when I volunteered, enrolled in the school, there was also rejection. Even though my character and abilities have been accepted. The teachers saw my physique, and usually rejected me on the grounds that they couldn’t provide inclusion. They didn't provide certain tools. That is one of the challenges. After being accepted to some schools, there are still challenges. They don't provide access for friends with disabilities. For wheelchairs, they can't because the infrastructure in Bali includes a lot of stairs. Likewise, in public places there are a lot of stairs. so that is one of our biggest obstacles as people with disabilities. 

This is what we are voicing too, so that in the future we can get more access for people with disabilities. In addition, after we have received education, we can qualify. This is the upside, after school you must get a job. Sometimes there are many friends with disabilities who may get higher education but they are still not necessarily accepted in companies or in the workplace. So the biggest obstacle is access to education and access to employment. 

Is this discrimination?

Yes, in my personal opinion it can be marked as discrimination. Because it's also one of the many spaces where we close our opportunities. According to people, discrimination is bullying, but discrimination is really limiting the rights that we should get. When it comes to discrimination, especially disability, I think almost everyone has experienced discrimination. For example, at the Gianyar field, there was already a special lane for people with disabilities and the government had provided access. But there were people who gave us comments that it was not allowed to use wheelchairs in that place, even though in reality there was access for wheelchairs. We get a lot of discrimination and rejection from the community, but we still deal with it because we have often face things like that. 

Fear

The most feared thing in life is probably, for me, our future. Especially as a disabled person. Maybe now we have abilities, skills and so on, but the fear is that in the future there will be no opportunities for friends with disabilities. Even though we have skills, we have knowledge, but are still not necessarily accepted by society. Maybe I'm more afraid of that direction, for the future. Moreover, our parents may not always be around. Maybe fears to face the future. I think with a platform that can voice the aspirations of friends with disabilities to realize that, disabilities can be capable. And as long as we are given the opportunity we can do something. 

So things like that. I think if we can change the stigma of society towards disability. In that way, in the future, non-disabled people will be more open-minded and can be more accepting of people with disabilities too, like what the Indonesian government is doing right now, which is an extraordinary thing. They have provided laws for disabilities and they have started to build access. So I think if more and more people help to speak up for people with disabilities, I think in the future Indonesia will definitely become a disability-friendly country.

Regret

In the past, I used to think like that, especially when I was a kid, when I was at school. "They can walk, run, why do I have to be different?" But for now there are no regrets at all. I've accepted my condition. I'm confident with whatever my physique is, it's just a physique. My thoughts and dreams are still the same, and my spirit is definitely still the same as non-disabled people. So for now I have no regrets about being born like this.

Dreams for the Future

I want to continue my studies as high as possible. I have a hope that in the future I can also get a good job for myself, have a good career. If I can be successful, maybe I can also share my knowledge with other disabled friends and motivate more people. I hope I can be a motivation for other disabled friends and show them that even with the limitations I have, I still have determination and enthusiasm.

Inspiration

Nick Fujicic, from Australia, is an inspirational figure. His date of birth is the same date as mine. I'm really inspired by him because he, with his limitations, calls his smaller leg, "drumstick". So he doesn't have hands, he doesn't have legs, he just has a drumstick that he can inspire the whole world with. He goes around the world to share the miracles that happened in his life, because he once wanted to commit suicide. He didn't believe in himself, but with the help of his parents, with the support of his family, now he can even inspire the world. He's often invited to motivational seminars and even now he has a family, he has a wife, he has children, it really inspires me.

Message to the World

Young people can now be more accepting of friends with disabilities by not bullying and befriending people with disabilities. I think nowadays there are a lot of young people who have a good physique but still have insecurity and lack of gratitude. I hope in the future these young people can accept themselves, whatever condition they are in and can join hands with friends with disabilities to advance the nation and make this world better. 

Overcoming 

How did I grow my confidence? I try to accept myself. I always believe that everyone has their flaws and strengths. Whether it's visible or invisible because we must always believe that no one's life is perfect in this world. If we have the mindset that everyone has flaws, why should we be ashamed? It's not worth it at all. Insecurity doesn't benefit us, but it will harm ourselves. So everyone has their own capacity, their own value in life. Every person's value is different. We should never equate our value with others because everyone is worth it. Believe that nobody is perfect in this world.