Kayuh Baimbai is a pioneering collaborative initiative that is strengthening disaster preparedness and promoting the leadership and inclusion of people with diffabilities in climate action in the city of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Kayuh Baimbai is co-led by Slamet Triyadi of the Indonesia Disabled People’s Association (PPDI) and Barniah of the Indonesia Disabled Women’s Association (HWDI) – both themselves people with diffabilities. The active leadership and participation of people with diffabilities is leading to more inclusive practices and consideration of accessibility in urban planning and emergency response strategies. These innovations leverage local knowledge and resources to create practical solutions that enhance daily living for people with diffabilities.
We adopt here the term difabel (differently-abled), which was derived by Mansour Fakih and Setiadi Purwanta in Indonesia to critique the term disabilitas (disability), which perpetuates and re-produces the marginalisation of people with disabilities and fails to recognise (or normalise) the diversity of abilities.
Kayuh Baimbai has been proactive in advising and influencing local government policies and creating opportunities for people with diffabilities to be heard and involved in decision-making in Banjarmasin.
We have recruited, trained and mentored 15 Diffability Liaison Officers (DLOs) from across Banjarmasin’s districts. Our Diffability Liaison Officers now act as a crucial link between people with diffabilities and various community and government stakeholders. Recruited from different districts, they are uniquely positioned to understand local issues, act as advocates within their communities, and act as a main contact in their area between people with diffabilities and emergency responders/local governments, particularly in times of disaster.
Our Diffability Liaison Officers have led on co-designing initiatives including a baseline survey of 275 villages to collect the city’s first data on people with diffabilities, and community-led support networks and accessibility projects. Diffability Liaison Officers are conducting extensive mobilisation campaigns in local schools and universities, which is pivotal in building awareness among students and educators of both disaster preparedness and inclusivity.
Our engagement with emergency responders including the Fire Brigade Department (Damkar) and Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has led to the co-development of new protocols that address the specific needs of people with diffabilities before and during disasters. This not only enhances safety for people with diffabilities but also raises overall community awareness about the importance of inclusive disaster and emergency responses. Our activities are increasing the visibility of people with diffabilities and helping emergency responders to map the locations of people with diffabilities to aid evacuation.
The visibility of Diffability Liaison Officers and their activities are playing a significant role in changing community and government attitudes and behaviours towards people with diffabilities, cultivating a community that values diversity and inclusion and ensuring that inclusivity remains at the forefront of community and governmental priorities.
On 25th April 2024 we launched our Diffability-Inclusive Disaster Preparedness Toolkit in collaboration with PPDI, HWDI, the Banjarmasin City Government and Antasari Islamic State University.
The inclusive Toolkit is available in both text and audio-visual form.
Our Kayuh Baimbai project has been captured in a documentary produced by Desy Pirmasari and Budi Kurniawan.
The launch was attended by over 100 stakeholders from government, state-owned and private enterprises, universities, national and local media, and civil society. Our toolkit has received positive responses and commitments from government, private and state enterprises, and was extensively covered by over 18 different local and national media groups.
