Fieldwork on Disaster and Disabilities in Banda Aceh, Indonesia (2024/1/29-2/8)
Theme: hazard, disaster, disability, vulnerability, building resilience, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
Venue: Banda Aceh, Indonesia

On January 29-February 8, 2024, Associate Professor Sebastien Boret (International ResearchCollaboration Office), Assistant Professor Hyejeong Park (Disaster Medical Informatics Lab), andco-researchers in Indonesia (Alfi Rahman, Syiah Kuala University; Pradytia Putri Pertiwi, Gadjah
Mada University; Muzayin Nazaruddin, Universitas Islam Indonesia; Yulia Direzkia, ClinicalPsychologist, Aceh General Hospital) carried out fieldwork on disaster and disabilities in Banda
Aceh, Indonesia. This collaborative research is titled "A Study on Disaster and Disabilities inIndonesia: Learning from the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami." Referring to the slogan"Leave No One Behind" created by the 2015 UNSDG, the study aims to understand the needs ofpeople with disabilities and their caregivers and provide opportunities for inclusive disaster risk
reduction activities. Considering multiple fieldwork within three years, we tried to understand theexperiences of people with disability during the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami inAceh and investigate the recent regulations and instruments the Aceh government has developed
to reduce disaster risks for people with disability.
During the fieldwork, they visited two model schools, which are a high school (Man 1) and anelementary school (Min 9), supported by the national government for inclusive educational systems,
and a support school (SLB TNCC), as an elementary school, for pupils with various disabilities.
We interviewed the principal and teachers to investigate how society could integrate people withdisability into multiple schools' curricula, as well as the need for disaster preparedness. They
conducted interviews with NGOs working for people with disability and regulation development inAceh. They observed that despite abundant efforts from the government and foreign aid, there arestill numerous vulnerable people, including people with disability and a lack of welfare systems.
Eventually, they had meetings with individual participants to understand the social environment forpeople with disability, their disaster experiences, and the need for disaster preparedness. Theseparticipants included various people dealing with disability, such as a mother raising a son withintellectual disability and a lady who lost her leg during the 2004 tsunami and is currently leadinga group supporting young people with disabilities.
Finally, they visited the Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC) at Syiah Kuala
University to discuss AIWEST-DR for the 20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami on November 8-9,2024. Based on our collaborative research group's various field experiences and indigenous
knowledge, this conference will contribute to making further practical and systemic steps forimplementing inclusive disaster risk reduction and enhancing the capacity for disaster risks.

Text and photos：Sebastien Boret (International Research Collaboration Office)Hyejeong Park (Disaster Medical Informatics Lab)
(continues to the next page)Collaborators, teachers, and students in a
support school

Research meeting at a collaborator's home

TDMRC at Syiah Kuala University

Model High School Man 1 Instagram Post