Transcript for Out of Their Hands

The video starts with slow piano music.

Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Due to limited education and employment opportunities, only half of all Indonesians with disabilities are employed.” On the bottom left of the screen, black text says, “Institute for Economic and Social Research | Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia.”

Fade to black text on the same yellow screen that says, “For Indonesians who are blind or low vision, the options are even more limited.”

Fade to Sadiah, an Indonesian woman wearing a green hijab, sitting on a gray couch and speaking to the camera in Bahasa Indonesia: “My name is Sadiah. I am visually impaired.”

Cut to pull-out shot of Sadiah kneeling and massaging the foot of a client who lays on a gray mattress on the floor. 

Cut to a pull-out shot of Sadiah massaging the back of the client, who is an Indonesian man. Sadiah’s voiceover continues, “I am a housewife and work as a masseur. I only have a very simple place.”

Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “The tradition of blind masseurs in Indonesia has existed for centuries, but now these practitioners face heavy competition from larger massage parlors and spas.”

Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “COVID-19 has only intensified these inequities as customers worry about social distancing and prefer to book appointments online.”

Cut to a pull-out shot of a sign in Bahasa Indonesia advertising the Rohim Blind Massage Parlor.

Cut to Sadiah sitting in the room, “Before the pandemic, I had already experienced a decrease in income.”

Cut to a pull-out shot of a sign in Bahasa Indonesia advertising the Rohim Blind Massage Parlor. Sadiah’s voiceover continues, “For example, if in the past I could massage three or four patients in one day, for now, in one day or one week I can only get three patients, which is very lucky.”

Cut to Sadiah speaking, “Especially during the pandemic, in the past two years.”

Cut to the sun rising over a deserted commercial street. Some birds fly across the street and land on the left sidewalk.

Cut to Sadiah speaking, “We masseurs, especially me, really had no patients who wanted to visit or use my services or our services for blind masseurs.”

Cut to a close-up shot of an Indonesian man pressing buttons on a large speaker strapped to his chest while a song plays from the speakers. He stands in a room.

Cut to Sutoro, the man with the speaker, singing into a microphone hanging from a cord around his head. Sutoro has gray hair and wears a red-and-gold shirt. In Bahasa Indonesia, his voiceover says, “My name is Sutoro.”

Cut to a blue-and-white sign in Bahasa Indonesia advertising the Blind Massage Parlor Assisted by West Jakarta Social Sub-Department. Sutoro’s speakers play a song in the background.

Cut to Sutoro massaging a client’s leg as they lay on a multi-colored massage table. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “And my profession is a masseur or doing massages.” Music playing from Sutoro’s speakers fades into emotional piano music. 

Cut to Sutoro standing in front of a white wall and speaking to the camera: “But because of the situation and condition.”

Cut to Sutoro wearing sunglasses and using a white cane to walk on an edge of a busy street. A speaker is strapped to his chest, and several motorcyclists move by the street. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “I ended up changing professions.”

Cut to Sutoro standing in the room, “Namely, in the morning I go to the market to carry out activities to become a street artist or busking.”

Cut to Sutoro singing into his microphone and adjusting his speaker in a room. 

Cut to a photo of an Indonesian woman wearing a green hijab and carrying many bags of crackers along the side of a road. An Indonesian boy, wearing a camouflage baseball cap, walks with her on the left. Cars and motorcyclists move by the road. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “In the afternoon, I sell crackers around.”

Cut to a push-in shot of Sutoro massaging a client’s leg on a multi-colored massage table. His voiceover continues, “Because the massage profession is not sufficient for daily needs.”

Cut to a masseuse who is an Indonesian woman with black hair in a pulled-back hairstyle. She massages a white woman’s legs on a luxurious massage table overlooking the ocean. The client smiles as she receives her massage.

Cut to a close-up shot of a masseuse massaging a client’s feet. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “Because now there are lots of sighted people doing massages.”

Cut to Sutoro speaking, “And now there are lots of massage places whose places are more luxurious because they have money.”

Cut to the Indonesian woman massaging another client’s back on a massage table. The client is a white woman wearing a bikini. The sun sets over trees and a bungalow in the background. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “So the massage profession of the blind is eliminated.”

Cut to a push-in shot of a busy market in Jakarta and motorcyclists parked by the market stalls. Two identical high-rise buildings are in the background. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “So I was forced to switch professions.”

Cut to Sutoro speaking, “Being a street artist is actually quite a challenge.”

Cut to several pedestrians and motorcyclists brushing past a busker, who is blind, in a busy market. The busker, an Indonesian man with short graying hair, holds a white cane. A microphone whose cord is around his neck, and a speaker is strapped to his chest. Motorcyclists honk and pedestrians speak in the background. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “In the market, the barriers are clearly the passing of motorbikes.” 

Cut to Sutoro speaking, “So we have to be really careful because there are quite a lot of motorbikes pacing back and forth.”

Cut to the busker, who is blind, in the crowded market.

Cut to a cracker seller, an Indonesian woman wearing a beige hijab, sitting on the side of a busy road with many bags of crackers. The seller eats out of one of the bags. An Indonesian girl with long black hair sits next to the woman while a cyclist and motorcyclist move by on the street. 

Cut to another cracker seller, an Indonesian woman with black hair in a pulled-back hairstyle, sitting on the side of a busy road. Several cracker bags hang on a brown stick in front of her, and several motorcyclists move by the street. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “When selling crackers, it’s not only blind people who sell them, now even sighted people sell them.”

Cut to the second cracker seller sitting on the side of a busy road at night. Cars and motorcyclists move by the street. Sutoro’s voiceover continues, “So it’s getting lonely, and I often throw them away because they don’t sell.”

Cut to Sutoro speaking, “So the crackers end up being wasted.”

Cut to a busker, an Indonesian man with short black hair, singing into a microphone from a curb at night and holding a white cane. Motorcyclists move by the street, and traffic noises are in the background.

Cut to Eka Setiawan, a middle-aged Indonesian man with short black hair. Setiawan wears a gray shirt, sits in front of a yellow wall, and speaks to the camera in Bahasa Indonesia: “I am Eka Setiawan.”

Cut to Setiawan wearing a white prayer cap, white earbuds, and speaking through a PA system at a large meeting. Most women at the meeting wear black hijabs, and most men have short black hair. One woman has black hair, and one man wears a blue-and-white prayer cap. All the meeting attendees wear face masks. Setiawan’s voiceover continues, “I am a blind activist who fights for the rights of people with disabilities.”

Cut to Setiawan standing in front of the yellow wall, “Since Indonesia ratified the UNCRPD in 2011 with Law 19 of 2011 which then domesticated the Law on Persons with Disabilities, Indonesia issued a disability law in 2016.”

Cut to a screenshot of black text on a white screen that says, “PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA | LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA NUMBER 8 OF 2016 CONCERNING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES,” in Bahasa Indonesia. 

Cut to Setiawan speaking, “Until today, the existing conditions still make it difficult for people with disabilities.”

Cut to a busker, an Indonesian man wearing a black baseball cap. The man sings into a microphone whose cord is around his neck, and a speaker is strapped to his chest. He walks from car to car on a busy road, and traffic noises are in the background. Setiawan’s voiceover continues, “Especially the visually impaired, to carry out their profession.”

Cut to Sadiah massaging a client’s leg on a gray mattress. 

Cut to Setiawan speaking, “And incidentally most of the visually impaired still work as masseurs.”

Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “In South Korea, only people who are legally blind are allowed to become professional masseurs.”

Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Indonesian activists have advocated for a similar law in their country to protect the livelihoods of those who are blind or low vision.”

Cut to Setiawan speaking, “In the current situation, the profession of a masseur for the blind does not seem to be a promising profession.”

Cut to a close-up shot of Sutoro massaging a client’s leg on a multi-colored massage table. 

Cut to pull-out shot of a white towel on a fancy massage table in a massage parlor. Tiny green lights line one section of the floor in front of the massage table. 

Cut to Setiawan speaking, “The massage profession has been cultivated by many non-disabled people whose packaging can certainly be much better and with much stronger capital, putting blind friends into the massage profession.”

Cut to a busker, an Indonesian man with black hair in a pulled-back hairstyle, singing into a microphone on a busy street at a market. Pedestrians and motorcyclists move by him, and music plays from a speaker.

Cut to an Indonesian woman, wearing a beige hijab, stopping to give money to a busker at a busy market. The busker, an Indonesian man, wears a blue cap and uses a white cane. A motorcyclist passes closely by the busker, and some people at the market wear face masks. Setiawan’s voiceover speaking, “Inevitably, blind friends change professions.”

Cut to Setiawan speaking, “I am sure that blind friends understand that the work they do is risky work.”

Cut to an Indonesian woman wearing a brown hijab and holding a white cane on a busy street. She sings into a microphone whose cord is around her neck, and a speaker is strapped to her chest. Setiawan’s voiceover continues, “But there are not many professional choices that can be made by blind friends. The advocacy needs to be continued.”

Cut to Setiawan speaking, “The hope that can be conveyed to all parties is that opportunities for friends with disabilities or blind people as masseurs must indeed be opened as widely as possible.”

Cut to an Indonesian woman wearing a white hijab. She stops a busker, an Indonesian man with black hair in a pulled-back hairstyle, to put money in his bag at a busy market. Music plays from a speaker.

Cut to Setiawan speaking, “And can actually be managed better. For example, in the world of tourism, the world of hospitality.”

Cut to an aerial shot of a luxury hotel in Indonesia. A large pool and trees surround the hotel.

Cut to Eka speaking, “So that blind people have better opportunities in their profession as masseurs.”

Fade to black text with a yellow border on a black screen that says, “Copyright – @2022 PPUA Disabilitas. All rights reserved.” 

Fade to black text with a yellow border on a black screen that says, “Made with support from the Disability Justice Project and Disability Rights Fund.” The Disability Justice Project logo is a large yellow “D” with a black play button in the middle to signify video storytelling, and white text says “Disability Justice Project” on the bottom left. The Disability Rights Fund logo – a white box with black text that says, “Disability Rights Fund” – is on the bottom right of the screen.

The emotional piano music fades out.