The minister said in a statement obtained here, Saturday, the development of the assistance devices is aimed at encouraging people with disabilities' self-reliance.
"We have created five devices for them. The idea came from me and was executed by ranks at the ministry. In fact, the assembly also involved some disabled persons. We must support them to become independent, at least in their own environment," the minister emphasized.
She made the statement at the National Working Meeting of the Muhammadiyah Social Welfare Development Council (MPKS) Center for Development (PP) in Yogyakarta on August 11.
The five devices are adaptive walking sticks for visual disabilities, adaptive wheelchairs for people with cerebral palsy, tricycles for physical disabilities, wristbands for the deaf and speech disabled (Gruwi), and wristbands for mental disabilities (Grita).
Since Rismaharini gave the mandate to produce these devices, the procurement of the devices had become the ministry's priority.
The minister then explained the assistive devices she created for blind people which have the ability to read water, fire, and poison gas sensors, the stick -- which is called adaptive guidance stick -- will voice a sound as a danger signal when it picks up signals from these objects.
Apart from adaptive walking sticks, she also came up with the idea of adaptive wheelchairs for people with cerebral palsy to help them stand with a number of modifications.
Rismaharini also expressed her wish to see disabled people empowered, therefore she created a three-wheeled vehicle device to help physical disabilities work.
Earlier, she also launched two innovative bracelets for the deaf (Gruwi) and the mentally disabled (Grita). Both function as a response and early warning system for vulnerable situations that might threaten their safety.
However, the minister conveyed that her efforts to support disabled people sometimes do not align with their willingness. Therefore, the minister must persuade them to utilize the device.
She informed that the aids had been distributed to various regions to accelerate disabled people's independence, including adaptive guiding sticks handed over by the Minister of Social Affairs to nine blind persons assisted by MPKS PP Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta.
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Translator: Devi Nindy S R, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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