Promoting Educational Equality: Open Initiatives Day Creates an Inclusive Space for Deaf Friends

Jakarta, 2 May 2025. The Open Initiatives Day (OID) program organized by Ruang & Initiatives at Ruang & Tempo once again demonstrated its role as a collaborative space connecting diverse stakeholders through a public discussion titled “Kini Setara” (Now Equal), which this edition focused on the education sector. This session was held in collaboration with Thisable.id, Indosign Academy, and TelusuRI, and featured speakers Angkie Yudistia (Social Entrepreneur & Special Staff to the President of Indonesia 2019–2024), Haykal Kamil Asmara (Project Officer, TelusuRI), and Frans Susanto (Founder of Indosign Academy and Sign Language Interpreter).

As a platform designed to open access to collaboration among communities, institutions, and individuals, OID upholds openness and diversity as its core values. This collaboration highlights how inclusion issues can be strengthened through the meeting of diverse perspectives from disability advocacy and sign language development to promoting more equitable travel experiences.

This edition of OID emphasized the importance of full participation of Deaf communities within public educational spaces. Eight Deaf participants took part actively, sharing their perspectives, experiences, and needs across topics such as employment, public spaces, and broader social ecosystems.

The activity was also supported by a sign language interpreter, ensuring that the discussion remained fully inclusive for all participants. The presence of an interpreter reaffirmed OID’s commitment not only to discuss inclusion but also to practice it meaningfully.

The participation of the three collaborators Thisable.id, Indosign Academy, and TelusuRI demonstrates how Open Initiatives Day serves as a platform that bridges cross-sector engagement. Through this discussion, attendees gained strategic insights into accessible policy and workplace practices, the importance of disability representation in public forums, the potential of community collaboration to expand safe and equitable spaces, and inclusive work models that can be adopted across various sectors.

OID consistently supports sustainable development by providing inclusive learning spaces, raising awareness of employment opportunities and disability-friendly ecosystems, and strengthening advocacy and participation of vulnerable groups in public spaces. This event underscores that inclusion is not merely a discussion theme, but a practice built through presence, collaborative work, and a willingness to listen directly to the lived experiences of disability communities.

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More Information:

‍Instagram: @openinitiativesday
Inge Meivi Fania

Community & Public Relations Ruang& Initiatives

‍085183039738