Australian Performer to Celebrate Achievement With Disabilities in Jakarta

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - To mark the International Day of People with Disabilities the Australian Embassy here is to host the Music for All program featuring Australian performer Emma Bennison.

CEO of Australia s arts and disability peak body Arts Access Australia, Bennison who has been blind since birth, visited SLBA Pembina School in Cilandak, Jakarta Wednesday to perform with visually impaired students, according to the Australian Embassy on its official website on Wednesday.

The highlight of her visit will be a collaborative musical recital with renowned Indonesian pianist and composer, Ananda Sukarlan. She will also meet with Indonesian arts organisations to discuss potential collaborations with Arts Access Australia.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson said Emma Bennison is a great inspiration, most particularly for young people struggling to overcome the barriers to full and equal access to the arts as audiences, artists and arts and cultural leaders.

"The Music for All program is part of Australias wider support for the Government of Indonesias work in increasing access for people with disabilities to public services and social assistance," Ambassador Grigson said.

Australia and Indonesia work together on a range of initiatives to empower people with disability. These include a sign language interpretation service in Indonesian courts, supporting disability groups to improve access to electoral processes and programs to reduce violence against women with disability.

Australia has also recently awarded scholarships to 22 Indonesian disability rights advocates to undertake an Australia Awards Short Course at Sydney University on Organisational Leadership and Management Practices.

The theme for this years International Day of Persons with Disabilities is Inclusion Matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities.(WDY)