Kartunet - Law No. 8 of 2016 concerning Persons with Disabilities has mandated a disability employment quota of 1% for private companies and 2% for government agencies/state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Unfortunately, a decade later, this quota often remains a mere formality. Many companies are still hesitant to recruit visually impaired individuals due to various assumptions and myths. In response, the Ministry of Manpower (Kemenaker) RI, through its Directorate of Special Manpower Placement Development, is now taking proactive steps to create a truly inclusive and sustainable work ecosystem.
Debunking the "Expensive Accommodation" Myth
A primary concern often raised by many companies is the fear of high costs (cost) for providing accommodation for visually impaired individuals. Companies often assume they must provide special infrastructure or very expensive smart laptop devices.
This assumption is strongly refuted by the Director of Special Manpower Placement Development at Kemenaker, Ms. Anggun Sintana. Based on her ministry's experience in hosting visually impaired interns, providing suitable accommodation is not synonymous with high costs. Often, the adjustments needed are very simple. Many visually impaired individuals are already independent and use their own laptops for work. This aligns with the technical reality that visually impaired people use the same standard computers as sighted workers generally do, only requiring the free installation of screen reader software (screen reader).
More Than Just Quotas, It's About Career Development
Another equally important issue concerns the fate of workers with disabilities post-rekrutmen. Many visually impaired individuals are employed in formal sectors (such as banking or media) but get stuck for years in entry-level positions, for example, only as call center officers. Moreover, many of them are trapped in contract employee status without clarity.
Kemenaker emphasizes that workers with disabilities should not merely be seen as a symbol of corporate compliance with the law. Kemenaker now highlights the importance of job status certainty, social security protection, and opportunities for workers with disabilities to grow and have a career path (career path).
Competency-Based Recruitment, Not Disability Type
Many training and job vacancies explicitly state prohibitions for certain types of disabilities, for example, with the condition "Not for Visually Impaired." This practice clearly ignores the fact that visually impaired individuals possess diverse competencies and are ready to compete.
Field evidence proves that if judged purely by their abilities, the professions for visually impaired individuals are now virtually limitless. Visually impaired graduates have successfully held strategic and highly demanding positions. For example, Muhamad Adi Nugraha (Nugi) has proven himself working as a Back-end Programmer at BAZNAS, responsible for database management. There are also Juwita and Dhani, who work as Content Writers in the digital creative industry, and Wikan, who has a successful career at the international organization UNICEF. They are living proof that recruitment must be based on possessed competencies (match between supply and demand), not on their disability label.
Optimizing ULD and the National Inclusion Movement
As a forward-looking solution, Kemenaker is designing a "National Inclusion Movement" to foster comprehensive disability awareness (disability awareness) in the workplace. Kemenaker will also continue to optimize the role of the Disability Service Unit (ULD) for Employment, as mandated by Government Regulation No. 60 of 2020, to ensure this institution functions optimally as a bridge between job seekers with disabilities and companies.
Conclusion
As emphasized by Kemenaker, persons with disabilities are not a burden but a highly valuable Human Resources (HR) investment. When companies open up opportunities and the world of work becomes more inclusive, Indonesia's manpower development will also become stronger, and no citizen will be left behind (no one left behind).
References:
- "Visually Impaired Want to Work But Are Hindered — This is What the Ministry of Manpower Says | MEDIA PERTUNI" (YouTube).
- Indonesian Blind Union (Pertuni). Guide to Recruitment and Placement of Visually Impaired Workers.
- The Nippon Foundation & ICEVI. Transition to Employment: A Path to Success for People with Visual Impairment.
- Law No. 8 of 2016 concerning Persons with Disabilities.