Skip to main content
Kinanty Andini uses a video camera.
Kinanty Andini is channeling her passion for art into video.

News

‘Videos Are Like Art to Me’

When she was four years old, DJP Fellow Kinanty Andini drew all over the walls of her mother’s house. Now she’s using her creativity to make films that fight against mental health stigmas.

November 7, 2022

JAKARTA, Indonesia – During her 2022 fellowship with the Disability Justice Project, Kinanty Andini decided to make a film about workplace discrimination against Indonesian workers with psychosocial disabilities. While she focused her video on two women who were fired after their employers found out about their mental health conditions, the inspiration behind the story was Andini’s own lived experience. 

“I had a job two years ago. … I hid the fact that I had psychosocial issues,” says Andini. “And I experienced it too – that my employer found out that I’m a person with a psychosocial disability. And they fired me.” 

As a child, Andini was passionate about art. She even had a habit of drawing all over the walls of her family’s home in Indonesia. 

“I used to make the walls of my house into a giant canvas,” says Andini. “Thankfully, my mother never scolded me for ruining her beautiful house. Instead, she gave me a lot of papers, drawing books, and a box of pencils. She said, ‘It’s okay to be creative, but you have to be creative in the right way.’”

During her fellowship with the DJP, Andini has been channeling her love for visual art into making films about disability rights issues. One of the problems she wants to address most is the stigmatization of mental health conditions.

A film by Delainey LaHood-Burns. Video includes audio descriptions. Click here for descriptive transcript.

“The issue I focus on the most is stigma,” says Andini, “or you can call it labels for people with psychosocial disabilities that are created by society. Because most of the discrimination against us is based on those stigmas.”

According to Andini, the consequences of being stigmatized are serious in Indonesia. She says people with psychosocial disabilities experience everything from bullying in school and workplace discrimination to “pasung.” Currently banned in Indonesia, pasung is the practice of restraining individuals who have psychosocial disabilities using shackles. According to Andini, along with reports by Human Rights Watch and other organizations, it’s still widely used across the country today. 

An illustration by Kinanty Andini of the top 5 stigmas experienced by persons with psychosocial disability.
A digital illustration by Kinanty Andini about the stigmas attached to psychosocial disabilities.

Pasung is just one topic that Andini is thinking about addressing in the future through her videos and visual art. She says the ultimate goal of her work is to show society who people with psychosocial disabilities are – beyond the stigmas attached to their condition.

“The world should get rid of any negative stigma against us from their minds,” says Kinanty, “and begin to see us as humans. Yes, the same human beings like them. We have feelings. We can think. We can work, too.”

Delainey LaHood-Burns is a digital content producer based in New Hampshire and a contributor to the Disability Justice Project. @2022 Disability Justice Project. All rights reserved.

News From the Global Frontlines of Disability Justice

Jean Baribwira, a Rwandan man with a physical disability, wears flip-flops on his feet to walk.

‘People like Me Can Dare to Dream of Standing Upright’

Rwanda’s decision to cover prosthetic and orthotic services under national health insurance is being hailed as a milestone for disability rights. Advocates say it marks a shift toward greater inclusion and access to essential mobility aids. “This is more than a health policy,” says Jean Baribwira. “It is dignity, inclusion, and hope.” For many, the change represents long-overdue recognition of mobility as a basic right.

Read more about ‘People like Me Can Dare to Dream of Standing Upright’

Douglas Izu, a Deaf Nigerian man, signs to the camera. An image of the nation of Nigeria is behind him.

More Than Words

In Nigeria, native sign languages like Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo Sign Language are far more than communication tools. They are living expressions of Deaf identity and culture. While often dismissed as unsophisticated or “pidgin,” these local variants foster deep connection, creativity, and self-expression among Deaf communities, particularly those left out of formal education. “It isn’t something one can learn online,” says Douglas Izu. “One learns it through deep immersion in the adolescent Deaf community.”

Read more about More Than Words

John Shodiya, a DeafBlind man, poses for a photo. He is wearing a red, short-sleeve polo shirt and red glasses.

From Isolation to Advocacy

Nigeria’s DeafBlind community has long lacked recognition, but the launch of the Deaf-Blind Inclusive and Advocacy Network marks a turning point. Led by activist Solomon Okelola, the group seeks to address communication barriers and a lack of support. Among those affected is John Shodiya, who once thrived in the Deaf community but struggled with belonging after losing his sight.

Read more about From Isolation to Advocacy

An image of USAID grain bags with a red X over them.

Disability Aid Disrupted

The Trump administration’s 90-day pause on USAID funding has had far-reaching consequences, particularly for disabled people and organizations worldwide, including members of the Disability Justice Project (DJP) community. Activists from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda report severe disruptions, deepening challenges for marginalized communities, especially disabled people facing conflict, poverty, and structural discrimination.

Read more about Disability Aid Disrupted

Jean de Dieu Uwikunda kneels next to one of his paintings.

A Life’s Work

After losing his sight, artist Jean de Dieu Uwikunda found new ways to create, using a flashlight at night to outline objects and distinguishing colors by their scents. His story, along with that of DeafBlind sports coach Jean Marie Furaha, is rare in Rwanda. While over 446,000 Rwandans have disabilities, a 2019 study found that only 52 percent of working-age disabled adults were employed, compared to 71 percent of their non-disabled counterparts.

Read more about A Life’s Work

Lakshmi Lohar sews clothes in Nepal.

‘I Won’t Give Up My Rights Anymore’

After a life-altering accident, Lakshmi Lohar struggled with fear and stigma in her rural Nepalese community. In 2023, she found a lifeline through KOSHISH National Mental Health Self-Help Organization, which helped her develop social connections and access vocational training in tailoring. Today, Lakshmi is reclaiming her independence and shaping a future beyond the limitations once placed on her. “I won’t give up my rights anymore,” she says, “just like I learned in the meetings.”

Read more about ‘I Won’t Give Up My Rights Anymore’