NTT Ombudsman Encourages Improvement Of Disability-Friendly Public Facilities

KUPANG - The Head of the Ombudsman for the Representative of the Province of East Nusa Tenggara Darius Beda Daton has encouraged the improvement of public facilities so that they are friendly to people with disabilities in the area.

"Residents with disabilities have complained to us about the lack of accessible public facilities for them," he said when confirmed in Kupang, as reported by Antara, Thursday, May 12.

He said the complaint was submitted at a joint meeting of the alliance of persons with disabilities combined from blind, speech deaf, mental/intellectual and physical disabilities in Kupang City, last Wednesday.

He gave an example such as the sidewalk facilities in Kupang City which are already equipped with paving blocks but there are many poles in the middle of the sidewalk, trash cans that block, and even become vehicle parking places.

"Then facilities such as vines, toilet guide lines and others are still incomplete in public service agencies in NTT," he said.

Beda Daton said that the complaints of people with disabilities are not without basis but they have the same right to be served.

Article 4 of the Public Service Law states that one of the principles of public service is equality of treatment or non-discrimination. Likewise, the affirmation in Law Number 8 of 2016 concerning Persons with Disabilities.

Thus, all government agencies and other public facilities in NTT should provide special services and special infrastructure for people with disabilities.

He explained that data from the Central Statistics Agency for NTT stated that the number of people with disabilities in 2016-2017 for all districts/cities was 30,400 people. Meanwhile, data from the NTT Social Service shows 8,081 people in 2021.

"Of course this is not a matter of numbers, but because of the mandate of the law which says every citizen has the same right to get a decent living," he said.