Disability terminology and the emergence of ‘diffability’ in Indonesia

Abstract

The labelling of disabilities in Indonesian society and legislation has changed over time. More recently, the grassroots has used the term difabel to allude to the conceptualisation of ‘differently able’. The persistence of the grassroots in defending the term difabel, while in the UNCRPD ratification era the elites have turned to using disabilitas, alerts us to the power of labels and the role they play. This article provides a critique of the issue of language and the labelling of people with impairments and how it influences the paradigm of policy and service responses, and thereby the future role of differently able people. Given the background on the evolved disability terminology, this article suggests that difabel should also be adopted into broader English usage (i.e. ‘diffability’). Such a term provides a more positive characterisation of people with impairments and reminds us of the importance of emphasising abilities and acknowledging differences.

Keywords:

• Disability
• terminology
• discrimination
• differently able
• Indonesia
• Central Java

Notes

1. INSIST was established in Yogyakarta on 10 December 1997 as the Institute of Social Transformation to lead critical, alternative perspectives and as a supporting system for people’s organisations and social movements in Indonesia. In 20 May 2004 it was changed into the Indonesian Society for Social Transformation.