Learning and Preparing for Disasters with People with Disabilities in BandaAceh, Indonesia (2024/7/17 - 26)
Theme: hazard, disaster, disability, vulnerability, resilience, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
and tsunami, inclusiveness
Venue: Banda Aceh, Indonesia
URL: https://www.kafalahindonesia.org/
https://www.slbtncc.sch.id/
https://aiwest-dr.usk.ac.id/#overview

From July 17 to July 26, 2024, Associate Professor Sebastien Boret (International ResearchCollaboration Office), Assistant Professor Hyejeong Park (Disaster Medical Informatics Lab),and their Indonesian collaborator Prof. Alfi Rahman (Syiah Kuala University), conducted
fieldwork on disaster and disabilities in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. This international collaboration
aimed to enhance social resilience and develop an inclusive approach to disaster risk
reduction.
Disaster and Disability 20 years after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Since July 2023, the research team has interviewed individuals with disabilities andorganizations involved in disability welfare and disaster prevention in Banda Aceh. This time,they carried out interviews with over ten people with disabilities facilitated by the local office ofKafalah, Indonesia. We learned about the experience of a diverse range of individuals, fromyoung in their 20s with hearing and speech impairments working in graphic design to older
men and women leading an NGO for and with people with visual impairments. We alsointerviewed two young men with bodily deformities about their respective lives as a YouTube
content maker (almost 400K followers) and a disability activist. Through these interviews, wegathered a comprehensive view of people with disabilities in Acehnese society with insights
into their disaster perception and experiences, their social interactions and communities, andtheir status and welfare.
Our discussions revealed as much about capacity as their needs. They believe empowering
people with disabilities is necessary for inclusive disaster risk reduction. In conclusion of thismeeting, some of the interviewees and representatives of the Kafalah Foundation were invited
to participate in the ‘Disaster and Disability Special Session’ at the AIWEST-DR conference(November 8-9, 2024), and Assoc. Prof. Boret suggested the conception of ‘The Ability Project’,an inclusive platform where people working in the world of disability will share their experience
with their community.

Disaster Preparedness Program for School Children with Disabilities
The second activity was a three-day disaster education and evacuation drill conducted at SLB
TNCC (Sekolah Luar Biasa the Nanny Children Center) from July 22 to July 24. The
participants included 33 teachers and 60 students with physical and intellectual disabilities,
our research team, an NGO, and supporters from Basarnas Aceh (The National Search andRescue Agency of Indonesia). Day 1 consisted of the teachers' training and a last review ofthe material in English and Indonesian. Day 2 focused on introducing and sensitizing studentsto natural hazards and early prevention measures. Day 3 saw the performances of earthquake
and tsunami drills.
(continues to the next page)Based on our observations and the feedback sessions with all the participants, this event
successfully enhanced collective and mechanical solidarity to increase risk awareness andrespond to disaster. The program also fostered mutual support among teachers, between
teachers and students, and among students themselves. The program consisted of adaptedtasks (videos, card games, coloring hazards, etc.) for the participants to learn actively about
hazards and dangerous situations, learn self-protective actions, and practice evacuations
within the school. Finally, we praised the students and teachers for their active participation,
proved their capacities, and made the classes and the drills their own. As reported in the local
news, this experience will have a lasting impact on the school while paving the way for similar.
Lastly, Assoc. Prof. Boret, Park, and Prof. Alfi visited Prof. Syamsidik, director of the Tsunami
and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC) at Syiah Kuala University, to discussAIWEST-DR 2024, commemorating the 20th year of the 2004 tsunami in Banda Aceh on
November 8-9, 2024. Prof. Syamsidik commented on the importance and the originality of ourresearch on the experiences of people with disabilities to provide a broader andcomprehensive perspective for building social inclusiveness capacity and resilience. In
addition to our special session on disaster and disability, Prof Syamsidik invited us to present
our findings at forthcoming national conferences on disaster preparedness activities inIndonesia.

Focus Group Interview,Kafalah Indonesia (NGO)Drop, Cover, and Hold on Session,
Disaster Workshop at SLB TNCC

Coloring Activity
For Increasing Disaster AwarenessGroup Photo at SLB TNCC

Evacuation Drills

Report by Sebastien Boret(International Research Collaboration Office)Hyejeong Park
(Disaster Medical Informatics Lab)