Inclusive Job Market: Is it Possible?

Difable who are members of the Indonesian Women's Disability Association (HWDI) Makassar were trained to play basketball in wheelchair, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Tuesday (17/1). The activity initiated by HWDI in cooperation with Bali Sports Foundation was to introduce a number of sports that can be done also by people with disabilities to keep fit and have recreation while satisfying their interests and developing their talents. PHOTOS FROM ANTARA / Dewi Fajriani / foc / 17.

His body appear small, the muscles of his legs and pelvis are weakened by Becker muscular dystrophy disease, forcing him to sit in a wheelchair since childhood. However, who would have thought, this 30-year-old man has an average income reached 2000 US dollars per month or equivalent to Rp 27, 1 million? He is Habibie Afsyah, a young entrepreneur in the field of online marketing.

"I chose the world of internet marketing because basically I have been very much exposed  to computers and the internet," Habibie said as quoted from Kompas.com, November 30, 2017.

Habibie started his business in 2007, after completing an advanced marketing course in Singapore. From there, he managed to get the first honor after successfully selling the PlayStation 3 game worth 24 dollar US. By the year 2010, he started to exist in Google AdSense in addition to his online store.

Habibie's success story shows that the disability conditions do not limit people to work, as they can even have better success than the average person.  Expert Staff for Disability in the National Development Planning Agency, Marthella Rivera Sirait said every person with disabilities is able to work in accordance with their special conditions.

“Those with physical disability, for example, have a good sensory ability that help them do almost  all types of  work," Thella said during a discussion on the subject “Disability Does not Mean Inability,”  on a recent, mid-May Monday.

Thella gave examples of the work done by people with physical disabilities, including those in the garment industry, administrative work, teaching professions,  call centers, and  in service centers for electronic devices. Blind people usually have better memory and communication skills, enabling them to work in the field of telemarketing, or as therapists, customer service officers, writers,  or teachers.

Many of those with hearing impairment, according to Thella, work as financial analysts, designers, IT people, online marketers, as they have usually good visual ability and ability to focus. People with Intellectual disability usually have a high endurance to do repetitive work, making them highly suitable to do packaging or cleaning work. Those with mental disability do not require specially modified  access as long as they do work that can be done independently, for example as artists, animators, technicians, and others.

So, according to Thella, people with disabilities do not have to worry about getting a job as long as they know their ability and have confidence. Moreover, she said, the government has guaranteed the right of people with disabilities to work under Law No. 8 Year 2016 on Persons with Disabilities and the Law on Manpower.

"The government, SOEs and LOEs are required to employ at least 2 percent of people with disabilities from the total number of their workers, while private companies are required to do the same employ at the proportion of 1 percent," Thella said.

Thella's opinion is shared by a deaf activist, Surya Sahetapy. He said suitable work for difable depends on their ability. For example, if a person has a bachelor’s degree in accounting, he or she can become a corporate accountant. But the most important is access to work environments that support people with disabilities.

Unfortunately, Surya said, many companies cannot accept people with disabilities or are afraid their employees will not be able to meet the target. This is because they have not been fully informed that difable can work like ordinary people if they are supported by good accessibility.

Addressing this, educational consultant and net activist, Mimi Mariani Lusli said that difable should not hesitate to articulate their needs to the company. Access to develop an inclusive work environment does not have require new facilities as the existing one can be modified to provide support to difable. Office desks, for example, can be modified to accommodate wheelchair users.

Understanding of the concept of inclusiveness, according to Mimi, will not only provide the difable with ease and support but also protect them from being unfavorably stigmatized by the employer or other colleagues. Difable are often regarded as being the burden of the company.

“Actually it is just the same: Difable may sometimes come late to work, but so do those without disabilities.” Do not judge them ungrateful for their job and accuse them as lazy. You can just warn them: ‘If you come late three consecutive days, so your salary will be deducted',” said Mimi.

Another problem, according to Bappenas expert Marthella Sirait, many companies are still hesitant because of the fear that providing access to facilities will cost them a lot. The solution, she said, is that difable should communicate this and find the most suitable solution.

Thella gave an example on how one of her colleagues, a person with physical disability who work as a writer, has to face difficulty climbing up the stairs because  the building where they work is not equipped with elevator. She then negotiated with the employer that if she was allowed to work from home she would be willing to take up a more ambitious target. The company agreed because this solution was mutually beneficial.

Ultimately, disability is part of the diversity within the workforce. Once industry has welcome difable, more employment opportunities will be available for them and the economic gap between difableand non-difable can be reduced.

Solutions to the interindividual and inter-regional economic disparity  are always  discussed in the Indonesia Development Forum. In 2018, the IDF will adopt the theme 'Pathways to Tackle Regional Disparities Across the Archipelago'. IDF 2018 was initiated by Bappenas and supported by the Australian Government through the Knowledge Sector Initiative with the aim of supporting the acceleration of development in Indonesia in a more equitable and sustainable manner, based on science, experience and facts. **