Center for Transportation and Logistics Studies-UGM (CTLS-UGM) received a visit from the Department of Transportation of Samarinda City. The arrival of the Samarinda City Transportation Office to the UGM-Pustral intends to learn from the UGM-Pustral related to the development of transportation and urban facilities that are friendly to people with disabilities and how to approach the Pustral in changing people’s mindset about diffability.
CTLS-UGM is experienced in developing transportation and urban facilities that are friendly to people with disabilities including the development of pedestrians in the city of Surabaya and Malioboro, Yogyakarta. Besides, CTLS-UGM is also actively involved in changing the mindset of the community related to diffability and the infrastructure that supports it. This is reflected in the activities that have been carried out including SIM for motorists with special needs, holding a national level competition for the re-design of houses of worship that are difable-friendly, assessment of infrastructure that is diffable-friendly at UGM Hospital, and Public Awareness of the symbols used by people with disabilities in driving. The importance of the disability facility planning process in totality, involving all stakeholders and people with disabilities (inclusive) who will later become users of the facilities. Pustral-UGM encouraged Samarinda City Government to have a strong commitment related to the improvement of infrastructure that is friendly for the disabled, bearing in mind that the diffability issue is not only the authority of the Department of Transportation but will touch many or related sectors across the region (Samarinda City). The initial stage that needs to be done and is very important is the detailed data collection of people with disabilities in Samarinda City (children, pregnant women, the elderly, sufferers of critical illnesses such as stroke). The next step is to inventory the transportation infrastructure facilities in Samarinda City, whether the condition is sufficient in quantity/quality for people with disabilities in Samarinda City, whether the condition has accommodated the principles of diffability. In addition, the need to improve the capacity/competence of the Samarinda City Transportation Department’s Human Resources related to understanding the diffability and planning of transportation facilities needed by people with disabilities is equally important.
