Couple with Hearing and Speech Disabilities Finally Build the Future Together

Mate is something mysterious and difficult to predict as true love that comes into a person's life because a match can come from anywhere. As experienced by the couple with hearing and speech disabilities, Salma (22) and Asnawi (22) who recently married on November 24, 2019, last year. This pair previously underwent social rehabilitation services together at the “Meohai” Kendari Deaf Sensory Disability Social Rehabilitation Workshop (LRSPDSRW), Kendari, from 2016 to 2018.

After completing her education at SLBMP Unaaha, Konawe Regency, Salma was registered by their parents to get social rehabilitation services at LRSPDSRW "Meohai" Kendari. The results of the assessment by the rehabilitation service officer stated that Salma had the ability to hear above 90 decibels or was in the category of severe deaf speech.

Unlike Salma, Asnawi is better able to communicate normally even though he's imperfect. Like Salma, Asnawi studied only at the SLBMP level. The results of the rehabilitation service officer's assessment stated that Asnawi had a mild hearing impairment.

During their social rehabilitation period at LRSPDSRW "Meohai" Kendari, Salma and Asnawi were the beneficiaries who were more prominent than other beneficiaries. Salma and Asnawi's make-up talents are channeled through the vocational/make-up skills they had during their time at LRSPDSRW "Meohai" Kendari. Both of them often lead the beneficiary's activities. At the end of December 2018, they were terminated by bringing skills and social assistance provided by the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs through LRSPDSRW "Meohai" Kendari. Social Assistance is used as capital to open a business in accordance with the vocational education he has done.

Thanks to Social Assistance from the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs, Salma then established a salon business, right on the side of the main road of Asao Village, Abuki District, Kab. Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi. Salma began to be busy starting her salon business with confidence and with the hope of earning her own income without depending on her parents anymore. As a result, in just 2 months, Salma Salon became famous and had many customers. Within a month, Salma can earn a net income of IDR2 million to IDR3 million. Moreover, when the harvest season arrives, Salma Salon will be flooded with customers because the people of Abuki Subdistrict have a habit of styling their hair either for trimming, polishing, or rebounding during the harvest season.

There are also those who ask for facials to make them prettier. If there is a wedding celebration, the people of Abuki Subdistrict will ask Salma to help make up the face of the bride and groom's family. "Salma is indeed mute and cannot speak, but we like the way she makes up, trims, cuts, or styles her hair, the results are good, neat, and satisfying," said Salma's neighbor, who often becomes a customer at Salma Salon. Thanks to her salon business, Salma now has her own savings, and part of the proceeds from her business is given to her parents.

In another place, precisely on the axis of the Musi River road, Watampone, Bone Regency, South Sulawesi, Muhammad Asnawi, who is more familiarly called Asnawi, also founded a similar business with Salma. The salon business that Asnawi pioneered was also thanks to Social Assistance from the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs. Salon Asnawi is also as famous as Salon Salma. From the results of his salon's business, in a month Asnawi is able to make a profit of 2 million to 3 million. From this result, he saved part of it and used it to pay in installments for the motorbike. Within a year, Asnawi was able to pay off his motorcycle installments.

Wedding Agreement

On 24 November 2019, Sri Salma Minarni and Asnawi held their wedding in Asao Village, Abuki Subdistrict. Konawe Regency (Salma's hometown) which was attended by almost all former beneficiaries of LRSPDSRW "Meohai" Kendari. The wedding event was viral on the Youtube channel where more than 5,000 views were watched with the title 'Wedding of People with Hearing and Speech Disabilities'.

Unlike other mute children, when pronouncing the marriage vows (consent Kabul) guided by the Chief, Asnawi uttered the sentence "I accept the marriage of Sri Salma Miharni Binti Laga Miharja with a set of prayer tools paid in cash for Allah's sake", smoothly without a hitch, despite the sentence sounded less than perfect. After saying the consent to Kabul, suddenly the family and community who witnessed the procession of the consent Kabul simultaneously shouted the word "SAH" (valid) accompanied by applause and tears of emotion from the parents of the bride and groom, family, neighbors, and friends.

After marriage, Asnawi still commutes to Konawe-Bone for the sake of running his salon business in Watampone City. From late November 2019 to early January 2020, Asnawi often went back and forth between Konawe - Bone using a motorbike. However, since mid-January 2020, Asnawi then decided to stay in Konawe in order to look after Salma who was pregnant. Asnawi decided to help the Salma Salon business and in last January Salon Salma became famous because it was owned by a couple with Hearing and Speech Disabilities.