Country report of Indonesia

Indonesia is an archipelago with a very wide area with  population approximately more than 230 million based on the Indonesian Central Statistics Bureau. Indonesia is a developing country, like the other parts of society, visually disabled persons  fullfill their daily needs by doing various jobs. Massage is the most common profession doing  by visually  disabled persons in Indonesia.

According to the data from the Mitra Netra Foundation; 2008, from  the total of population, approximately 1.5%  are .  visually  disabled persons, it means there are 3 million and 450 thousand  visually  disabled persons, is estimated that 30% of the total  amount of  visually  disabled persons are  productive labor force(1,020,000). and is  estimated 70% of the productive labor force. work as masseur, this means there are approximately 714,000 visually  disabled persons work as  masseur.

Massage has been known from the first in Indonesia and become part of society as a tradition. However, massage as a modern profession was first introduced in 1959 when a German, Erns Tils, introduced it to visually  disabled persons in Solo (Central Java), he was teaching  sports masssage to visually  disabled persons based on book written by Prof. Thomson. Since then the German sports massage has become a popular training course in rehabilitation centres for the visually  disabled persons throughout Indonesia.

At around the year 60's in Pemalang (Central Java) was introduced massage, a Dutch citizen  introduced dutch style massage by using  a variety of literature And the terms in the Dutch language.

In 1993, Shiatsu was introduced into Indonesia by a Japanese citizen, Tetsuo Uno, who was teaching at a rehabilitation center for the visually  disabled persons in Bandung. Some instructors from Indonesia have been invited to study Shiatsu in Japan. Currently Shiatsu has been an alternative in some training centers for the Visually impaired persons in Indonesia.

Shiatsu is taught in a longer period than a sports massage, it is over 2 years with a diploma requirement to have at least high school, while a sports massage for 1Year with a minimum diploma requirement has elementary.diploma.

In 2006 a Chinese citizen specifically provides special training for the visually  disabled persons in Bandung by the name of Thung Yikung, beside other types of massage from China as accupressure, accupunture and reflexy. Masasage development is influenced by the traditional Indonesian massage hereditary drilled and has a style of their respective regions. In recent developments of the style massage, China style  massage more influenced the development in Indonesia which was previously only performed by a particular group.

As a developing country, the government has very big role in determining the policies to improve welfare of  the visually  disabled persons. Government builds training centers, preparing teaching staff, making the curriculum, deliver graduates who have practiced it.

Training  massage for the visually  disabled persons are also held by private institutions or foundations. Curriculum vary according to needs,  long  periods  are 3 months, 6 months and 1 year.

Visually  disabled persons who had graduated usually work in clinics which set up by the government, the graduates of the training center. or private institutions, individuals, which managed specially, but its existence is threatened defeated or less the trend compared with the massage which was held by the sighted persons. Massage become  alternative jobs for the sighted persons due to the large number of Indonesian population and many more of labor force are unemployed or unemployment.

Their income varies but on average it can be said can only meet the needs of everyday life.

Pertuni as organization of  the visually  disabled persons in Indonesia continue efforting to advocate  governments and communities, seek to improve the quality of masseur through practical activities and improvement of human resource activities in the field of massage at the regional / provincial, branch / district or town, in order that massage performed by the visually  disabled persons more increase and professional, as well as having a positive image in society.

Exchange of ideas and experiences among the visually  disabled persons from various countries in  a regional and international meetings such as this seminar is expected to accelerate efforts to improve welfare for the visually  disabled persons in Indonesia.