Panji Surya Putra Sahetapy

Surya has recently graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with a Bachelor of Science in International and Global Studies. Over the past few years, he has worked as a research assistant at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) Research Center on Culture and Language, which focuses on access to health care for the Deaf community in the United States and for NTID’s Center on Access Technology and Center for Educational Outreach. Within Indonesia, Surya has been active in advocating for the rights of Deaf persons and persons with disability, including through his engagement with the Indonesian Association for the Welfare of the Deaf, the Indonesian Sign Language Interpreter Service Centre and the Indonesian Sign Language Centre. Surya is also a co-founder of Handai Tuli, which aims to facilitate greater understanding between the Hearing and Deaf communities. His vision is to ensure equality for persons with disability, including in Indonesia, where he believes there is still much room for improvement.