Dr Antoni Tsaputra

In a country where conservative estimates show 22.5 million people have a disability, the work of Indonesia-based Griffith University alumnus Dr Antoni Tsaputra is helping drive significant change.

Through the Indonesian Disabled People Association in Padang, Antoni has both improved accessibility and opportunities for those with a disability in the capital city of Sumatra, and mobilised large numbers of people with a disability to advocate for their rights.

“Some people with disabilities do not know what their rights are, and they have no idea of the importance of speaking out to voice their concerns, to voice their challenges and demand the government be more accountable,” he said.

“The knowledge I gained from my masters degree in communication really helped me to empower my fellow disability to start some public campaigns, to raise awareness.

“We had press conferences and a public protest with full coverage of all media, and we demanded that the Padang city government have a disability rights law.

“Within a year, the government involved us in formulating the disability rights law in the city.

“We now have national disability law, we have provincial disability as well as our disability laws at the district level or at the city level, but it depends on us, people with disabilities, to keep pushing the government. To always remind them.”

In a wheelchair for most of his life, Antoni had never used an electric chair until he came to Australia to study at Griffith, courtesy of an Australian Development scholarship.

“Since I was in kindergarten and elementary school and all through junior high school and senior high school, it was my mum who pushed me in my manual wheelchair to school. My mum had to walk like two or three kilometres from our place to all the schools.

“I am forever grateful to my mum, who understood the importance of education (when) some other friends of mine with a severe physical disability like me ended up staying at home.”

The trip to Australia completely changed his focus.

“I decided to do communications because at the time I worked for a city government in the Department of Communications. When I started my masters degree, it was my first time overseas and I never had any idea about disability activism,” he explained.

“I attended several disability conferences, and learned a lot about the importance of the disability rights movement and I realised that I should not only think about myself, but help motivate other people with disabilities to achieve their dreams, realise their potential.

“Before I went to Australia, I thought that disability was only about impairment and then I realised that actually impairment has more to do with barriers.”

Antoni's work in Padang led to the creation of two areas in the city focussed on accessibility and built using universal design principles. His advocacy further ensured nine people with disability were recruited as public servants, roles previously not believed suitable for those with physical limitations.

Now employed as a lecturer at the University of Padang, Antoni has much more to achieve, including ensuring all city planning departments have programs that address accessibility issues.

“I do really hope that someday I would be able to establish a disability studies program at my university and a Disability Policy Research centre. That's my long-term goal.”

Married to another disability rights activist, who he met on Facebook while studying in Australia, Antoni says work also needs to be done on improving perceptions of people with disabilities.

“Being a disabled person is only a small part of our identity as a human being, you know,” he shared.

“I would like people to see me and others for what we have achieved. We have intersectional identities.

“I'm a university lecturer who happens to have a disability.

“I think this is still one of the great challenges, changing how people perceive disability when they still see disability as an illness, as a disease.

“It is still very common in Asia and changing the perception takes time.”

Of his award, Antoni said he was grateful to be honoured by Griffith in this way.

“There's still a lot to achieve actually, but this is indeed a great appreciation, and this award motivates me even more.”

Antoni was granted his Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from Griffith in 2011. He was recently named the new Indonesian Chair of the Australia Indonesia Disability Research and Advocacy Network (AIDRAN).  His three-year term will continue its vital work to bring together Australian and Indonesian disability advocates, researchers and practitioners to promote broader social inclusion and evidence-formed disability-inclusive policy.