Brief background
This collaboration aimed to quickly and visibly tackle issues within Indonesia's data ecosystem concerning persons with disabilities. It also aimed to contribute inputs that would attract and mobilize resources for the medium to long term. A consultant firm worked closely with the Data Innovation and Policy Lead from Pulse Lab Jakarta to deliver a range of services.
How we went about it
The firm conducted a thorough review of pertinent documents related to global and national agendas, as well as best practices concerning data inclusion for persons with disabilities. These included the UN Secretary General’s Our Common Agenda and the UN Country Team’s Data Strategy.
In doing so, it played a pivotal role in identifying crucial stakeholders from various sectors, such as OPDs, UN agencies in Indonesia, relevant government bodies, and the private sector. A series of workshops involving these stakeholders followed, aimed at jointly establishing priorities and strategies to enhance data collection and utilization for the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The firm also generated a comprehensive report scrutinizing the current state of data availability, including gaps, requirements, and areas necessitating action.
The multistakeholder workshop
The workshop served as an integral component of the PLJ and DMEL project focused on gathering Person with Disability (PwD) data. Its core objectives were to consider sector-specific data necessary for the inclusion of persons with disabilities and identify strategies for bridging existing data gaps.
A diverse range of participants attended, including representatives from UN agencies deeply involved in disability data (RCO, PLJ, ILO, WHO, WFP, UNICEF), various government entities (such as Bappenas, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Education, BPS, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Affairs, and the National Commission of Disability), and OPDs.
A key workshop observation was that disability-related data existed within multiple government ministries but often used differing operational definitions and exhibited inconsistencies in the reported numbers of people with disabilities. Certain marginalized groups, like individuals with mental health issues, were inadequately represented in the current data, and the absence of support for mental health issues within health facilities was highlighted.
Deficiencies were also revealed in quality of available data. The Ministry of Home Affairs, demonstrated how data stored on their servers regarding OPD members was evaluated. However, even OPD members with disabilities were not accurately categorized such.
The workshop also explored overlapping mandates within data collection and ways to enhance data coordination. Potential solutions raised included establishing a common information system capable of linking systems together, and establishing a dedicated working to address coordination challenges.