THE LAW ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: HOW FAR HAVE WE GONE? (CASE STUDY IN INDONESIA)

The inequality of educational opportunities and access to labor experienced by Persons with Disabilities (PwD) shows that the amendment of Law no. 4 of 1997 into Law no. 8 of 2016 has not succeeded in providing an inclusive space for PwD. A human rights-based, independent, and non-charity-based approach makes the Law on PwD a guide for fulfilling disability rights in Indonesia. This paper use qualitative-quantitative and juridical-normative methods to evaluate the implementation of the Law on Persons with Disabilities in various aspects, including education and the labour market during the COVID 19, which globally known as a public health emergency. In the end, this paper acknowledges two significant findings; first, the absence of policies at the regional level made the inclusiveness challenging to implement as a public service minimum standard. Second, the need for a special policy for PwD during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential to adapt the protection of public health for the most vulnerable such as PwD.