The Indonesian Blind Union (Pertuni) recently held its 10th National Congress (Munas X) at the Mega Anggrek Hotel in West Jakarta. This quinquennial event was attended by around 520 delegates from across Indonesia, all ready to discuss the future of the blind community. The Munas X Pertuni was a significant moment for the Blind Community, with the main agendas including: 1) Establishing the 2024-2029 work program; 2) Adjusting the organization’s bylaws (AD-ART), and 3) Electing the Chairperson and Chief of the Central Supervisory Board of Pertuni for 2024-2029. 

The event was officially opened by the Directorate General of Law and Human Rights of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia, underscoring the seriousness of this congress. On this occasion, Aria Indrawati, the Chairperson of Pertuni, stated, “As a national organization, Pertuni is home to 50,000 blind individuals in Indonesia and serves as a vehicle to fight for their rights.” The two-term chairperson further added, “Additionally, Pertuni also represents approximately 4 million citizens who are blind in this country.” Aria emphasized that Pertuni continues to move forward with a strong spirit of democracy. Pertuni is both a home and a vehicle of struggle for the blind members of Pertuni across Indonesia—a home where the blind can learn to manage and develop the organization while upholding democratic principles, and a vehicle that is legitimate for advocating for the respect, protection, and fulfillment of the rights of Indonesian citizens who are blind. 

In line with this situation, as one of Indonesia’s State Universities, Universitas Terbuka (UT) actively participates in these circumstances. UT, which has been given a special mandate by the government to provide broad access to higher education, has been implementing this mandate in tangible ways. One of these tangible actions is offering full scholarships to the blind, a program that UT has been promoting since 2021. 

UT Receives Award from Pertuni 

Amid the Munas X, there was a special moment when Universitas Terbuka (UT) received an award from Pertuni for its concrete contributions in supporting higher education for the blind. Since 2021, UT has been providing full scholarships for blind individuals who wish to pursue higher education. The award was presented by UT’s Vice Rector, Rahmat Budiman, S.S., M.Hum., Ph.D., who reiterated UT’s commitment to providing unrestricted access to education. Rahmat stated, “UT is the only university that offers unrestricted access to all Indonesian citizens, including the blind.” He expressed his gratitude for the award from Pertuni in recognition of UT’s contribution to empowering blind youth through the provision of full scholarships. 

Rahmat also added, “For the blind community members who wish to gain access to quality higher education, we invite you to join UT, as we provide full scholarships for these students. UT is the only university that offers unrestricted access to all Indonesian citizens,” he emphasized. 

What’s Next? 

Looking forward, Pertuni will continue to organize various internal and external activities to support its members. From organizational management to technology training, everything is designed to strengthen the blind community in Indonesia. Both UT and Pertuni strongly support these tangible actions, with the hope that more blind youth in Indonesia will gain access to quality higher education.