Monthly Archives: March 2017

Australia, humanity, University of Queensland
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The journey to reinvent myself: it all started with AAS

by Arya Yoga Rudhita

 

Not many Indonesian are aware that everyone has an equal opportunity or chances to achieve great things in life, and even in smaller number are Indonesian people with disabilities or families with a member of the family have disability. Even though It is really important for anyone to have the belief that they are worthy of the effort to have education or skill training to become self-reliant.
For me, I was lucky to be able to finish my high school right after my motorcycle accident in 1997. I also finished my bachelor degree in 2008, before trying to apply for Australia Award Scholarship in 2014. Before applying, I too always thought that all I can do was doing entrepreneurship or start-up. I have a lot of fail attempts in my entrepreneur life because most of the time they were done without proper preparation or calculation to minimize risks. Therefore, I have to admit that I was not so sure about my capacity to continue to a higher education, if my wife had not brought home an article about Antoni Tsaputra who fight the odd and earn himself a master degree through AAS. That article alone switched the learner side in me, and became one of the reason why I am here today in Brisbane.
The struggle to become an AAS recipient back then was not easy, to say the least. But it was not impossible either. Firstly, we should complete each and every document and other administrative requirement when signing up. Secondly, the process will demand our genuine enthusiastic passion and patience to be able to stand out and worthy of the scholarship. Furthermore, we should have already in a certain level of English communication skill required by the Australian university. After being selected, AAS candidates will go through Pre-Departure Training that is aimed to equip candidates with very useful academic skills.
I chose UQ as my place to study. My reason was because UQ is one of the best university in Australia, and are among the world’s top 50 universities, providing major in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Also, from what an alumnus of UQ told me, the Business School as the best in Asia Pacific region, is modernly equipped to facilitate people with disability, and that is true. Ramps, elevators, toilet for people with disabilities are available in a lot of places where needed. Moreover, some of the most helpful people are complimenting the help I can get in UQ. I can always go or call Student Service for an academic or non-academic consultation.

 

The only challenge for me was that I almost got deferred because of the late approval of my visa, as well as due to my difficulties to find an accessible accommodation. Fortunately, that was solved with the help of my wife and my student contact officer. I was then moved to UQ Student Housing one semester later. Furthermore, despite the hilly contour of Brisbane, all transportation services, street pavement and building are accessible with the provision of a power wheelchair. Even some beaches and swimming pools are accessible too by using a different kind of special wheelchair, for free.
All in all, I am working hard to make this small step bringing big impact to myself, my family and my community. I believe that I could and should participate more in promoting the disability inclusive movement and in shifting a change in my mindset. If others can do it, I am sure I can do it as well, inshaAllah.

 

Australia, University of Queensland, UQ, wheelchair journey
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The Journey to reinvent myself: It all started in UQ

By Arya Yoga Rudhita

 

“Yang terhormat Bpk Arya Yoga Rudhita,

 

AUSTRALIA AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS 2015

INVITATION TO JST INTERVIEW AND IELTS TEST

 

Atas nama Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, kami mengucapkan selamat atas terpilihnya anda dalam Proses Seleksi Tahap 1 (Proses Shortlisting) untuk mengikuti proses seleksi tahap berikutnya. Melalui surat ini , kami bermaksud mengundang anda sebagai salah satu kandidat dari 912 kandidat terpilih untuk mengikuti Proses Seleksi tahap II yang terdiri dari Tes Interview dan Tes Bahasa Inggris (Tes IELTS) untuk memilih 440 calon penerima program Beasiswa Australia Awards Scholarships 2015.

 

Jika Anda menerima beasiswa Australia Awards 2015 maka Anda akan diberangkatkan ke Australia pada pertengahan tahun 2015 atau tahun 2016 setelah menyelesaikan program pelatihan bahasa Inggris (EAP) di Indonesia. Rincian program EAP tergantung nilai test IELTS yang Anda peroleh nanti..”

 

This letter arrived on Wednesday, November 12th, 2014, a letter from Australia Award Scholarship (AAS) which informed me that I have been accepted to be one of the candidates for the scholarship, therefore I must follow-up a series of exams to be held by Australia Award Indonesia. Oh My God, it’s real and I never imagine it before.

 

For a short introduction about who I was before receiving the email is: I was an amateur entrepreneur. I had experienced several failures in my start-ups, ranging from selling motorcycle helmets and accessories, selling shoes, opening a food court, selling ducks and fried ducks, car upholstery. My only surviving business at that time was a software developer company. A company that I had to leave due to my study, but it is not something I regret. I am lucky to have a very supportive family and a very understanding wife to endure those failed start-ups. My wife was also the one who made a large contribution to the email that took me to the AAS, amid her efforts to improve her competence and capability as a civil servant in the Ministry of Health. My wife managed to become a grantee of Australia Award Indonesia and this triggers both of us to do what previously unimaginable: I might as well try my chances to study in an Australian University. On the other hand, perhaps this is also the most logical thing I could do after all of my unsuccessful business trials. I did not have sufficient knowledge and attitude to become a successful entrepreneur. I knew that I have to learn more from my mistakes and from other people’s mistakes as well as their success.

 

Besides, apart from my personal need as an entrepreneur, I can also feel and understand that a lot of my friends who have disabilities in Jakarta and other part of Indonesia are still alone in their effort to open a business. Not knowing what to do and do not have mentors to share them knowledge or experience. Because for us, the challenges to start a business are much greater than those who do not have any access-barriers. Most of us is still unfamiliar with financial reports, true working environment, and public speaking skill: something which we can easily overcome through internship. We still also need to look for the kind of business that is accessible and suitable with our capabilities. I had a dream of empowering Indonesian people with disabilities, with more choices of how to become independent on their future. At the end of the day, I found gazillions of reason why I should take the opportunity to learn and hone in my entrepreneurial skill in Australia.

 

In short, after going through all the processes and examinations in IALF Jakarta, I became a recipient of AAS and must follow the Pre Departure Training (PDT) for 6 weeks. The length of this training will varies depending on the candidate’s IELTS results which were organized by IALF, since reaching a minimum level of IELTS score required by the destination campus is also one of the targets to be achieved by recipients before he/she can start his/her education in Australia. I met some of the most amazing, kind, and courageous people among the students, classmates, and the teaching staffs in IALF. In PDT, us candidates were given one of the most important preparation for our study: academic writing and presentation skill. For someone who had their bachelor degree a long time ago, such as yours truly, is getting the most benefit from the training. The PDT was also the time when I chose University of Queensland as my place to gain knowledge and network of entrepreneurship.

 

The academic writing skill and presentation skill was then felt very useful in the first weeks of another academic preparation training held by UQ as well as throughout our study in UQ. Recipients of AAS are compulsory or entitled to have another four weeks of Introductory Academic Training (IAP).

 

UQ is the second oldest campus in Australia, one of the best campuses in Australia, ranked 3rd in Australia, and among the world’s top 50 universities. A bit different from mine, my wife chose her major in health economics because she feels that she needed the knowledge and expertise of the way to pick which effort and health policy to address costly national health issues, through meticulously rational economic calculations that can be accounted for. UQ has this major under the school of economics, which were what my wife really look for. Similarly, I chose UQ because they do have the best business school in Asia Pacific (according to one of the rating of the world’s higher education). UQ business school compete quite closely with other top-ranking business schools in the world. Moreover, not all top-ranking business schools have entrepreneurship and innovation as their majors or have produced high-quality journals on entrepreneurship. Other strong reasons why I chose UQ over any other Australian university is because they had established modern facilities in their campuses. These facilities are proven to be extremely accessible and supportive towards all of my activities as a student with a disability. Complementing these modern physical structures, are the Disability Support Service unit in the Student Service. Glen, from the unit really working hard to provide students with change-cloth table in the University. Thanks to the new change-table he managed to provide, we now can change clothes on campus unassisted. Furthermore, the student service is also not only about people with disabilities. You can consult them about anything, even private things that you could not bring yourself to discuss it with your parents or your peers. They are the professional to help you come up with appropriate solution to your problem.

 

One other important note: before my departure to Australia, I got a specific allocation of funds from the Australian government namely Disability Support Agreement (DSA). Budget provided will manifest into electric wheelchair, commodes wheelchair, and others, including a special mattress for patients with Spinal Cord Injury, health consultations, and manual wheelchair training.

 

Having said that, adapting with the new life in Brisbane is still quite intriguing at first. Studying at UQ and stayed in Brisbane, initially presents challenges for persons with disabilities. Fortunately, my wife’s one semester earlier set off in accordance with her intake in AAS was very beneficial to me in some way related to my situation as a person with disabilities.

 

  1. Finding an accessible accommodation. It is not easy to find a place to stay that is both accessible and also affordable within our student allowance (STIPPEND). When I was about to arrive, the available options were only one housing unit by UQ housing that were already rented out, and modern apartments which were expensive. Thanks to God, my wife and our super helpful Student Contact Officer were able to find an apartment which was both accessible for my wheelchair and not too expensive. Our Student Contact Officer, Ms. Claudia Morales, drove around with my wife for two weeks to find the right property. One address at a time, in the midst of my wife’s mid exam preparation week, they were dwelling the Brisbane areas. They eventually managed to find our first accommodation in the Carmody Rd.

 

The good news after that was: my application for the UQ housing for students with disabilities were replied and accepted, which allowed my wife and I to stay there in the next semester. It is a big house with ramps, accessible bathroom, kitchen, and clothesline. All furnished and ready to live in. More good news after that is for the second semester in 2017 or at early 2018, there will be a second house for students with disabilities available. It is now still in completion, not far from my current UQ housing house.

 

  1. The Contour of the land is hilly. In the early days of our stay at Carmody Rd, my commute from and to Uni were a wonderful time to be remembered. Our house was “only” about 1.4 km from the campus. However, due to its hilly terrain, we had to take a detour that makes traveling by wheelchair to campus took around 45 minutes. Our house does get passed by buses heading to and from Uni on weekdays, but they only pass once an hour and only until 6pm. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, all praise to God. We could not imagine if we had to live further away from Uni or in a much steeper area. We enjoyed the good times of exercising not too long because in about a month or two, we got an electric wheelchair rental as part of DSA from the Australian government. All praise to God.

 

  1. The Climate. For students who come from tropical countries such as Indonesia, adapting to the spring or autumn are easy. The difference is not too contrast. But adapting to winter for ones who arrive in July and adapting to the summer for ones come in January, will be a very exciting experience. Winter in Queensland can be as low as 7 degrees Celsius, while summer can reach from 39 degrees Celsius in Brisbane or 48 degrees Celsius in New South Wales. Climate can certainly get anticipated and preparations did not need to be too much. There is no need to fill your suitcase with too many jackets because here you can find a lot of stores that sell wonderful jackets and they are not so expensive either. We just need to get used to use sunblock or sunscreen whenever we were out under the blaring sun.

 

However, all the above is only temporary and occurs only in the early days of our stay in Brisbane. In this third-largest-city in Australia, we are very grateful to find a lot of things that immediately change our viewpoints and insights about our neighboring country, Australia.

 

  1. Independency and Accessibility. People with disabilities can explore most places in Brisbane and even the whole Australia. I could take a bus, train, and ferry to visit any place almost anywhere I want. Every public space is accessible and convenient to use. The awareness of Brisbane’s citizens to prioritize the interests of the elderly or persons with disabilities are very high. My independence living is also made possible by the DSA that I received, so that I am able to use the electric wheelchair to overcome the hilly contours of Brisbane and any other cities in Australia.

 

  1. Safe, orderly, and environmentally conscious living. We have a very speed-restricted traffic, but we rarely have traffic jams. It is so hard to earn a driving license and there are speed cameras everywhere. There are only few dare breaking the law because it could mean losing your hard earn driving license. For the non-driving people and pedestrian, there is always the public transport system. There is also always a button to allow pedestrians to cross the road, a ramp that enable wheelchair users and other persons with disabilities to safely travel on the pavement, and garbage bin in every nook and crannies in Brisbane. Wildlife such as birds, lizards, turtles, flying foxes, and even possums can live in peace alongside people.

 

  1. The hospitality and the sincerity of the people of Brisbane. I find Brisbane people to be a lot kinder, thoughtful, sympathetic, than other big city’s people such as in Sydney and Melbourne. We were lucky enough to meet and interact with people who are always eager to help others. Once or twice we were offered to hitchhike a ride in their car when my wife and I were still using manual wheelchair in Carmody Rd. When we refuse their help, sometimes they just get off from their car and help my wife push my wheelchair up the hill. I also once offered the only raincoat belonging to an elderly woman when she was going to get-off from the bus, because she was worried that I could get ill from the pouring rain at that time. And many-many more. I believe it will be the thing we miss the most from Brisbane and may God rewarded the people of Brisbane with more of His goodness and kindness. Aamiin.

 

  1. Inspiring and remarkable friends and lecturers. During my study, I have met more remarkable friends from different nations. There is no border for building your network and friendship. Not only friends, some of the teachers in UQ were exceptional. All of the lecturers are required to have their materials updated and aligned with today’s issues and tomorrow’s next big thing. Really interesting stuff. Some of the lecturers could really motivate you to really put your 110 percent commitment for your task at hand. Other lecturer could make you dig deeper inside your thoughts and discover that there is more about you than what you think you know about yourself. Mind-blowing.

 

  1. Sincere support from professionals. No less support was coming from Ms. Joanne Webber from DFAT from the beginning, MS. Raisa Vitti from AAI, Ms. Joanne Ede, Ms. Shauna Bull, and Peter from Spinal Life Australia, Kevin Ross from Aidacare, Peter Hare, Peter Mills, and Dion Reweti from WickedWheelchairs, and many more. All praise to God for allowing our meeting with them which has added a lot of insight into our minds and hearts. Health is also not something to worry about. We can have membership or join clubs for the swimming pool, gym, tennis court, badminton court, basketball court, football, and so on. UQ clinic is located within the Uni and most of the cost incurred are covered by your Overseas Student Health Cover.

 

  1. Freedom and encouragement to grow. I wrote this writing during my last semester in UQ. Previously I was too afraid of juggling too many things at one semester and getting bad mark as the result. But this semester I have only three coursework left and I am planning to attend and join as much community engagement program and workshop as I can. It is free and it will increase if not will add new more skill and knowledge. Tutorials were also available if you came from AAS. You just need to ask your Student Contact Officer. You can also enroll to English classes or academic writing classes for free if you like, when you feel that you are having problem absorbing the class’ lectures or problem in completing your written assignments, just go to the ICTE building or student service building. They will let you know the closest schedule they have. Another thing that is supposed to come first if you are a religious student: you are free to practice your belief and religion. As a Muslim, I find UQ to be very open, accommodative, and supportive for my religion. We can always pray in the Multi Faith Chaplaincy Building, join any learning/class activities, and have any Islamic celebration day such as Eid Fitr and Eid al-Adha in one of the venue in UQ.

 

To wrap things up, please do not limit your self-belief from getting whatever your dream in the future. Your disabilities and your self-story cannot stop you from achieving great things.  You will find a lot of exciting new things here in UQ, or in Australia in general. You are meant to achieve great things or die trying. Just do it one step at a time. And let’s not put your personal interest as your goal, but create a dream that will change not just your future but also everyone’s you care about. Start now.