Equal employment opportunity

Turning people with intellectual disabilities into entrepreneurs

People with disabilities, including people with intellectual disabilities, often lack of information on how to identify a business idea or to start a business. The ILO initiated the first entrepreneurship training for both students with intellectual disabilities and their parents.

News | Jakarta, Indonesia | 03 September 2018
Students and parents participating in the entrepreneurship training
Confidence beamed from the faces of Tobi Haris Sulaeman, Dianika Zahrah and Angga Kusuma, students of school for special need students of Asih Budi 2 in Jakarta, when they shared their future business ideas. “I want to start my own juice business,” shared Tobi with a smile, while Dianika was more interested in opening clothing business and Angga in starting his screen printing business.

They might have different business ideas, yet they shared the same hopes: To have their own incomes, to help their parents and to make their family happy. They also shared the same enthusiasms in participating in the four-day entrepreneurship training, “Generate Your Business Idea Training”.

Our goal is to make people with intellectual disabilities productive and independent. Therefore, in line with this training programme, the Special Olympics Indonesia is planning to establish a business centre to accommodate products and services produced and developed by people with intellectual disabilities to be promoted and marketed."

Iskandar Adisaputra, Secretary General of the Special Olympics Indonesia
The first of its kinds, this entrepreneurship training was held from 27 – 30 August and involved not only students but also their parents, as business partners. A total of 20 participants—ten students and their parents—explored business ideas and learnt how to initiated and managed businesses.

“Our goal is to make people with intellectual disabilities productive and independent. Therefore, in line with this training programme, the Special Olympics Indonesia is planning to establish a business centre to accommodate products and services produced and developed by people with intellectual disabilities to be promoted and marketed,” stated Iskandar Adisaputra, Secretary General of the Special Olympics Indonesia.

This entrepreneurship training is very beneficial for both students and parents. With strong support from the parents, I believe the students would be able to better realize their business ideas."

Puji Astuti, Deputy of Advisory Board of Asih Budi Foundation
Meanwhile Puji Astuti, Deputy of Advisory Board of Asih Budi Foundation, highlighted the importance role of parents as business companions and partners. “This entrepreneurship training is very beneficial for both students and parents. With strong support from the parents, I believe the students would be able to better realize their business ideas,” she said.

This participatory training combined in-class session and practical exercises using the ILO’s Generate Your Business Idea (GYB) modules. The training provided step by step tutorials for participating students and parents to know about basic requirements needed to be an entrepreneur, identify potential sources of business ideas and to pursue the best idea to start their own businesses.

“The training assists potential entrepreneurs to have entrepreneurship capabilities and helps the participants to have strong, applicable business idea before starting their own businesses,” said Tendy, Gunawan, the ILO’s programme officer who was also the facilitator of the training.

I am grateful that my son has a chance to participate in the training. The training has built his self-confidence and has given hopes that he could be independent by owning his business and/or being a more skillful worker in a business that we would build together."

Hanni HK, one of the teachers and parents involved in the training
With joy and enthusiasm, the students actively involved in the training sessions, supported by their parents. They explored business ideas based on skills they had learnt at school. All the participants were part of the business centre and skills training programme of Asih Budi. After graduating from the high-school programme, they took part in the skills training programme for three years on housekeeping, screen printing, sewing and food processing.

“I am grateful that my son has a chance to participate in the training. The training has built his self-confidence and has given hopes that he could be independent by owning his business and/or being a more skillful worker in a business that we would build together,” said Hanni HK, one of the teachers and parents involved in the training.

The business is not only for my child’s future but also for my retirement. This is a valuable opportunity for both of us."

Dyah Hapsari, one of the parents
She also appreciated the adjustments made during the training to be more suitable for the participating students. “I know that it is not easy to explain business ideas or business activities to these students. However, I really appreciated all the practical games, illustrations and easy explanations that have encouraged them to be active and to be fully involved in the training process,” Hanni added.

Meanwhile, Dyah Hapsari added that as a parent, she hoped that after the training, she would be able to apply what she had learnt to build her family business. “The business is not only for my child’s future but also for my retirement. This is a valuable opportunity for both of us,” she concluded.