Last week we shared a photo of Sri Lestari, a social worker who is employed by a Whirlwind partner, UCP Wheels for Humanity, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. We found out after our post that she has been asked to speak at the TEDx Ubud conference on June 1st. Sri is hoping to make her trip to Ubud a much richer experience by traveling from Jakarta to Ubud on her modified motorbike increase awareness and share her experiences with others in the disabled community along the way.
I asked Sri what motivated her to make this trip (almost 750 miles) on motorbike. She responded with the following:
“Since I work in UCP Wheels for Humanity 2009, I visit more disable who just stay at home. They are happy when they see me, because I am disabled, I am a women and I can work. I really want to share my experience how can be life independence and healthy as disabled (paraplegic).
“The campaign really important because disabled in Indonesia still difficult to get out from their houses because no access, especially for public transportation. My live change since I have modified motorcycle.
“Most people didn’t trust me when I told them that I am paraplegia, they surprise I can live independently, go everywhere by myself on the modified motorcycle and can work. When I do social assessment with the paraplegic, at the beginning they don’t believe me, after I talk deeply about paraplegic they are more open, when I told them that I can ride the modified motorcycle they smiling, I am so happy can make them smiling, after that they will contact me regularly and more deeply asking how can be independent specially for our daily live and get a job and they invite me to visit them with my motorcycle.
“Each time there are new paraplegic in my hometown some friends will tell me to visit them, mostly family who has disabled very happy when I visit them. Some of them are desperate to support the disabled to have more spirit, because the disabled will said that you are not feel what I am feeling, but when I talk to them they won’t refuse me, because I just like them.
“Some Mom who has children with disability said that, they want they children can be like me, even be diffable person but still can work.
“I am happy because I can work n earn money, so I can do home visit to my paraplegia friends in my home town or Yogyakarta in the weekend, share my experience n give them motivation.
“But I also want to share out of my home town and out of Yogyakarta, so that why I really more supported to do the trip.