On the morning of 5 August 2018, Sri Sukarni, a disability rights advocate in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), clung to her child as the ground convulsed beneath them. The 7-magnitude earthquake that shook Lombok Island left Sri, who uses a wheelchair, crawling through the debris. No one had ever explained to her what to do in the event of a disaster. There were no accessible evacuation routes. No disability-friendly shelters. No early warning. That day crystallised an urgent but straightforward truth: disasters don’t discriminate, but disaster responses often do.

Fast forward to 2024, and Sri is no longer a passive survivor. She’s a key voice in shaping NTB’s disaster policy through its newly launched Disability Service Unit (Unit Layanan Disabilitas – ULD), established with the support of the Australia-Indonesia SIAP SIAGA Program. “This time,” she says, “we’re not just in the room – we’re at the table.”

Building Inclusive Systems from the Ground Up

SIAP SIAGA, the Australia-Indonesia Partnership on Disaster Risk Management, has supported the establishment of ULDs in the provinces of Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), East Java, and Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT). These units, embedded within provincial disaster management agencies (BPBDs), are not just bureaucratic innovations – they are platforms for transformation. Co-designed and led by people with disabilities, the ULDs are reshaping how communities prepare for and respond to disasters.

Each ULD has a threefold focus: collecting and integrating disaggregated disability data to map risks, designing inclusive disaster preparedness and response strategies, and ensuring accessible communication, early warning systems, and services such as evacuation and shelter.

The idea was born out of necessity – and determination. In both NTB and East Java, local organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) were tired of being consulted only after disasters struck. With SIAP SIAGA’s facilitation, they collaborated with BPBDs to form joint working groups, to review policy gaps, and to co-develop operational plans. These were not symbolic gestures. In East Java for example, the ULD is now formally institutionalised within BPBD’s structure and has completed vulnerability mapping using data from 38 districts.

The Power of Participation

For Topan Mars Arifin, leader of the Indonesian Blind Association in NTB, the impact has been transformative. “Before ULD, we were treated like charity cases. Now we’re trainers, resource people, advisors.” His organisation helped develop training modules on inclusive emergency response and contributed to a Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion checklist which is now used to review all BPBD disaster plans.

Khalid, Head of NTB’s ULD, adds: “The process itself changed perceptions. Government staff began to understand that disability isn’t a deficit – it’s a perspective.” 

In East Java, where 17,000 people with disabilities live in disaster-prone zones, ULD data collection has been combined with provincial disaster vulnerability maps. As a result, evacuation routes, public announcements, and emergency shelters are being adapted.

From Policy to Practice

The momentum is spreading. NTB’s BPBD has committed to rolling out ULDs in all districts, while East Java’s ULD now supports inclusive disaster drills and simulations. In NTT, the ULD team has helped introduce accessible early warning protocols and advocated for local budget allocations specific to disability-inclusive preparedness.

This shift from top-down to participatory governance marks a breakthrough. What began as advocacy is now institutional practice.

Lessons and the Road Ahead

Three lessons stand out. First, co-design matters – OPDs must be involved from the outset, not invited later. Second, data is not just a tool for planning, but for inclusion. Knowing where people with disabilities are, and what they need, transforms preparedness. Third, perception is paramount: shifting how people with disabilities are viewed – from recipients to responders – transforms system behaviour.

Sri, now a frequent speaker at disaster risk forums, sums it up: “We’ve gone from being forgotten to being the ones with the microphone.”

Palladium manages the implementation of SIAP SIAGA, a program supported by the Australian Government to strengthen disaster management and resilience in Indonesia and the Indo-Pacific region.