Trained for 9 Months by MoSA, This Person with Disability is Optimistic About the Future
SURAKARTA (15 December 2022) - A man with one leg walks using crutches. Together with two friends with disabilities, he approached the pile of boxes and unpacked the contents.
Their hands moved deftly assembling it piece by piece into a ready-to-use wheelchair. There are three types of wheelchairs that they assemble, namely adaptive wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, and multipurpose wheelchairs.
Physical conditions do not prevent Widia Surya -- the man with crutches, from moving actively and productively. Together with his two colleagues, his hand movements looked agile and full of motivation.
Surya mastered the skills of assembling wheelchairs, not at a glance. He was trained at "Prof. Dr. Soeharso" Integrated Center in Surakarta for 9 months. The 35-year-old man attended technical guidance and skills guidance at the center in the field of electronics. After passing the guidance, the man from Madiun chose to assemble wheelchairs.
Continuously mastering it, makes the fingers and hands of the three disabled people feel like they have life. Move here and there. In one day, Surya can assemble 2 – 3 wheelchairs with varying levels of difficulty.
This work is carried out every Monday to Friday, 8 am to 3 pm. Sometimes, until 5 pm if there are more assembly orders than usual.
Make no mistake, Surya and his colleagues work professionally. This means that there is profit behind his hard work. The incentives received by Surya and other wheelchair assemblers range from IDR 150,000 - to IDR 300,000 per unit, depending on the level of difficulty.
"While being guided here, I felt comfortable. The supervisors and employees here accepted and guided me well. One day, I hope to have my own business," said Surya, who lost his leg in the accident.
He wants to be independent and start an entrepreneur. However, he has not enough capital. He still wants to collect the money from working at the center first.
Surya is one of those people with disabilities who wants his life to have meaning. In line with the direction of Minister of Social Affairs, Tri Rismaharini, who said that Indonesian Government has taken concrete steps to fulfill and protect Disability Rights with the issuance of Law Number 8 of 2016 on Persons with Disabilities.
"This provision marks an important movement in Indonesia to place people with disabilities not as objects receiving assistance, but as subjects who have rights and are actively involved in decision-making related to their own needs," said Minister of Social Affairs.
As a form of implementation of Law Number 8 of 2016 states that people with disabilities have employment and entrepreneurial rights to work in government and the private sector, Ministry of Social Affairs continues to involve the role of people with disabilities.
People with disabilities, whether physical disabilities, mental disabilities, or sensory disabilities, have the same abilities as people without disabilities. What is needed is space to prove that they show their potential. People with disabilities will also prove their ability to produce something useful and profitable.
"Prof. Dr. Soeharso" Integrated Center in Surakarta, even though it has become a multi-service center, used to be a place to guide people with physical disabilities and make assistive devices for people with disabilities, such as wheelchairs, prosthetic legs, and so on.
"Now, Soeharso Integrated Center is also a place that has good accessibility, with disability-friendly facilities and infrastructure, such as road ramps, mobility to the dormitory, and other places using roads that can be passed by wheelchairs and disability-friendly toilets," explained Muchtar, one of the supervisors. at Soeharso Center.
In commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (HDI) 2022, Surya advised friends with disabilities to remain enthusiastic, not to give up easily and give up hope. He also expressed his gratitude to Integrated Center "Prof. Dr. Soeharso" in Surakarta who had guided him so that he could be empowered, and independent
"My plans in the future, of course, want to live a life like ordinary people, such as getting married and having children," he concluded.