International Disibilities Day is celebrated on every December 3rd. Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in collaboration with the Disability Women’s and Children Advocacy Center (SAPDA), held a seminar with the theme  “The Complexities of Ideas for the Legal Skills of Persons with Disabilities in Indonesia” (“Kompleksitas Gagasan atas Kecakapan Hukum Penyandang Disabilitas Indonesia”), Yogyakarta (2/12).

The seminar  took place starting at 08.00 – 12.00, in the Falculty of Law in UGM. The seminar speakers are from both domistic and abroad, namely Founder of SAPDA  Nurul Sa’adah Andriani, Keyzear a lecturer from La Trobe University in Australia, Rimawati, a lecturer from the Law Faculty in UGM, and Tio Tegar, UGM Law Faculty student.

According to Sa’adah, up to now, persons with disabilities, both physical and mental, have not received proper legal justice. Apart from Law Number 8 of 2016 concerning Persons with Disabilities which has provided forms related to disability, there will be requirements regarding arrangements if needed by the principlelex specialis derogat legi generali.

“Where a specific law overrides a general law,” he said, it was found that in several cases of a person with a disability who’s right to inheritance was disputed.

Similar worries were shared by Tio Tegar, student of the Law Department of UGM,  who is active in disibility assistance in UGM. He talked about several cases, such as experiences of discrimination by several banking institutions and social services which were unequal, especially for people with disabilities, which still often occurs.

In Australia, according to Patrick Keyzear, the development of disabilities, especially those related to mental health, is almost the same as those in Indonesia. If in Indonesia there is a Law No. 8 2016, in Australia if a person with a mental disability is experiencing legal problems, there is a policy that there must be written psychological evidence as an explanation for a person with a mental disability.

However, this is not without gaps, because it is still very difficult to make psychological evidence about the mental disability itself, he said.

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Reporter         : Yosi Hermanto

Editor              : Septia Annur Rizkia