A good friend of mine

Salam hangat Debriefers,

I want to introduce a good friend of mine. My companion when I travel to conquer the world.

Her name is Pinky. She supported my legs when they were too tired to walk. She accompanied me window-shopping at the Mall and took me to the cinema to watch the newest Marvel movies. She took me to the plane door, and she greeted me when I landed.

And yes, you might have guessed, Pinky is a customized wheelchair. She used to be owned by an elementary-school girl in the US. I got her from my first international travel in 2010. I named her after the colour on her frame.

This article is about how I fell in love with Pinky, about using assistive technology in Indonesia, and about the adventures it takes us on. 

Ida Putri is an activist based in Indonesia, co-founder of Institute Inclusive Indonesia.

Kinanty Andini is an illustrator and digital artist, also from Indonesia.

Original writing like this is made possible by support from readers. Thanks for new contributions to Erica, Catherine, Louise, Susan and Tom.

Why I didn’t want a wheelchair

At first, I refused to use a wheelchair.

I am a woman of short stature, and my body stopped growing when I was five years old. I am still able to walk well, even if only for a short distance.

Wheelchairs are quite pricey and getting it everywhere can be challenge. I used to travel on the back of motorcycles. To bring a wheelchair would need a wagon, so I thought it would be more effort.

I was thinking that people look sick and weak when they use a wheelchair as generally they’re used for people who have health problems. And one of my colleagues mention that people with disabilities get “bound” into the wheelchair and then they don’t likely want to walk any more. 

Meeting Pinky and bringing her home

I went to the USA for a leadership training.

During my journey, Susan Sygall, CEO of Mobility International USA (MIUSA), suggested I try various types of mobility assistive devices to find out which one suits me best. I tried walkers and several types of wheelchairs, until I met Pinky.

My experiences in trying wheelchairs made me realize they make my life easier. I have difficulties in walking in long distance, and a suitable wheelchair even enabled me to participate in a parade. And it minimizes my risk of falling when I’m too tired.

Susan and the MIUSA team succeeded in convincing me that a wheelchair isn’t just for when the body can’t support daily activities, but also to maintain our bodies. And from my colleagues on the programme, women with disability from around the world, I learned about my right to choose.

I have the option to choose whether I would like to use the wheelchair or not. I’m not “bound” to the chair. I can decide when it’s necessary to use, and still be able to walk. So, I was happy to bring Pinky home.

Our long friendship

From the first time I saw Pinky, I fell deeply in love. I love the bright pink, one of my favourite colours. I instantly think we can be good besties.

From the size it is suitable to my body size. Adjusted to the length of my legs my feet stay well on the footsteps. The wheelchair also enables me to take control and I can push the wheels easily. And when you look at the figure you can see how firm the steel material is and at the same time how pretty she is.

Before having a wheelchair I followed my family to tourist destinations and waited in a car or a place near the gate while others explored the area. And rather than going to the mall, I asked family or friends to buy the things I need while I waited in the parking lot.

After getting Pinky, we had countless journeys. I went around the mall, stores, zoo, market and many places. And we had many flights together.

Losing Pinky

In 2016 I was travelling from the Philippines, where I was doing my masters at the time. I had a connecting flight at Changi Airport in Singapore. 

When I fly I remove the backrest and cushion to make the wheelchair foldable, then the airline staff take care out of her. Unfortunately I didn’t bring those two parts with me in the cabin. The staff promised to take care of them. 

On a connecting flight I asked to have Pinky with me, not to fly her directly to the final destination. That keeps me independent at the airport, because I can’t push the wheelchair provided by the airline. And when we land the ground staff usually bring Pinky to me at the plane door.

But this time I saw her standing their without backseat or cushion. I urged the ground staff to check again if they’d slipped. They couldn’t find them. It was a sad moment for me – where can I find those parts? They were custom designed. 

I was furious. And at the same time my tears started to fall. The airline staff didn’t take responsibility. They refused to check the baggage again, or to look where those parts might have been lost. They just said sorry, there is nothing they can do more, and they left. It’s as if they didn’t care.

Even after arriving in Jakarta I was still furious and disappointed. My feelings were so strong I talked to the airport staff in English, forgetting I’d already arrived home.

I made a report in the airport, and wrote an email to the airline company. I contacted colleagues to help me lobby the airline. Several days later I was told the parts were found and being sent to my hometown. With all the joy, I asked my father to drive me to the nearest airport to obtain parts of my beloved Pinky. 

Unmet needs for assistive technology

Through my work in disability advocacy, I meet many people with disabilities. 

I see how use of different devices – wheelchairs, crutches, canes, adaptive cell phones – impacts their life. They help not just in daily activities but how they access education, employment, and leisure. But many of them don’t have any. 

A Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) in Indonesia in 2021 found that, across 11,300 respondents, 60% of need for assistive technology is unmet. Research in Indonesia explains that a big challenge is affordability.

The importance of dignity

During my advocacy I once assisted a mother of a girl with brittle bones. The mother said the girl was very shy and didn’t like to play with her peers. 

She was 13 years old and her parents usually carried her to go to school. I suggested her to get a wheelchair and connected her to an organization led by people with disability focusing in wheelchair provision. She got two wheelchairs for free, one for home and the other for school. 

After several months the mother told me about how the girl’s social life developed better. She liked to play with her friends, around the wheelchair.

For many parents of children with mobility disabilities, carrying them can be a way to enable them to attend school or assist with mobility. They have an unconditional love to their children. But maintaining dignity is not given important thought. The parents are often not aware that carrying their teens everywhere might be uncomfortable for them.

For the girl, being carried in front of her friends lowered her self-esteem, and hindered her to get along with her peers. But being able to use the wheelchair and let her friends push let her easily mingle. 

Show up in public

There are still many people with mobility disabilities who refuse to use a wheelchair, like I did before. The public spaces and transportation are not accessible for wheelchair users. And the wheelchairs they have are not customized to them, so they don’t get the best support. 

As Susan and her colleagues suggested to me, I suggest to people the importance as support, not just for when we can’t walk anymore. For example, a wheelchair will be safer and more comfortable in long distance or in crowds. 

I want more people to show up in public using a wheelchair. It will make the community more familiar with us and improve the creation of accessible public facilities. I believe Indonesia is a creative community and with better understanding they can do more for an accessible environment. 

Going electric

I can usually operate Pinky in a public building like a shopping mall, airport or hospital. But it isn’t easy for me to push and go everywhere. I get tired easily as I have short and weak hands. And in inaccessible buildings it’s oftentimes difficult to use freely, like when the ramps are too steep. 

And then on another foreign trip I met a new wheelchair. Two years ago I had a three-week training program in Sydney, Australia. They gave me a rented electric wheelchair to use.

Even though it wasn’t adjusted to my body, I found it very useful. It took three days for me to be able to drive it well. The professor’s husband coached me on riding it smoothly and taking an accessible bus to the nearest mall.

It was one of the very few times I’ve taken the bus. Because of inaccessible buses in Indonesia I’ve used them very little. Riding an electric wheelchair onto the bus and parking safely was a terrifying moment for me. 

Dangerous driver

I am a good and yet dangerous wheelchair driver. I can drive it in the crowd without bumping into people. And you can congratulate me – some of my colleagues mention it is so painful when the leg is hit by an electric wheelchair. 

I am a dangerous driver because of my need for speed. I love it so much, so I always put the wheelchair at maximum speed. I don’t care if it causes me to fall, or it makes me bump or scratch into things such as door bus, elevator wall, billboard or rubbish bin. As long as I’m the one who takes the consequences.

Free as a bird

In Sydney it was joyful to have an electric wheelchair. It was three kilometers to the campus training every day. In the evening we would go explore the city. Summer and accessibility – something I don’t meet in my country.

During my three weeks in Australia I had more experience than my entire life in Indonesia. I could go everywhere using public transportation easily. The bus has a low deck, ramp, and space for a wheelchair, so I can go in and out comfortably. I can also independently go shopping to the market or any other places. I feel like I have full freedom, free as a bird.

And then one of my colleagues complained. She can’t adapt well with this high speed. It reminds me to develop empathy. Usually I’m the one who is left behind for walking too slow. When I have power to walk faster than others, I need to slow down and adjust my speed with theirs.

It also shows me that sometimes people are not aware of leaving someone behind. It’s a lack of awareness, not on purpose. And so that gives me an insight about how to raise awareness on disability issues.

Farewell pinky

My pink wheelchair accompanied me for about 14 years. We had countless flights and went to 8 countries together. As a dangerous wheelchair driver I took off the two safety wheels on the back. So countless times we fell backwards together when going up steep ramps.

But last year I had to say goodbye to my beloved companion. I needed a powered wheelchair so I can reduce the burden on my tiny hands. It was a sad moment to let Pinky go.

Currently the pink wheelchair is with an 8-year-old boy named Andi. He’s an elementary student, living in a rural area around 30km from my home. The parents used to carry him to school. His happy face at riding Pinky for the first time was a great image for me to say farewell to her.

The boy is happy to have it, even though the pink color is associated with girls. I am happy that my best companion has a new journey, to accompany the boy to live his life happily.

Meeting Mr Grey

After several months saving I can afford to buy an electric wheelchair. I now have a new companion, called Mr Grey. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that the gender of my new wheelchair male. And I associate the name with a wise middle-aged man with grey hair. We’ve already been through seven flights, one travel using train and one international travel.

I like to drive Mr. Grey to the paddy field near my house. It takes a few minutes, up and down along a bumpy road. When using a manual wheelchair I couldn’t get there independently, so I hadn’t had a chance to go. Now I go there with my bestie and my nieces. Some children usually follow with me, they like to see me and Mr. Grey battle with the bumpy road.

And even though I only stay on the main road of the paddy field, I am happy to take some time to see the beautiful sunset. There are two mountains – Merapi and Merbabu – and the sun disappears between them. It looks like the image of mountains we draw in elementary school. I give myself time to praise Allah the Almighty for this blessed day. 

Regards from me and Mr Grey from the middle of our paddy field,

Ida

Outro

Further reading. See Ida's previous Debrief essay, Bigger than the Machine. Or, for more on wheelchair travel, Tanzila Khan's Finding my Fairy-Tale. And the Debrief Library has a collection of disability news from Indonesia.

See more from Ida: find her on Linkedin.

See more from Kinanty: who is also on Linkedin.

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Acknowledgements 

I would like to send my appreciation to Peter Fremlin, my editor, for great brainstorming sessions.

Thank you to Kinanty Andini for the beautiful illustration, Susan and MIUSA staffs for allowing me to have Pinky, and Prof Michelle, Pak Moel and AAI SC 2023 team for the great experience with my first powered wheelchair.

Thanks also to the readers and organizations who support the Debrief.

My special gratitude sent to Mbak Astuti Parengkuh, for holding Pinky when we were riding pedicap. And lastly, I would like to send big hug for my family who always supporting me to my journey in conquer the world.