Creating an inclusive work environment for persons with disabilities is not just about providing additional facilities—it requires a comprehensive understanding of their diverse and specific needs. Practical accommodations impact not only comfort but also productivity and employee loyalty.

Here are several comprehensive strategies companies can implement to provide appropriate workplace accommodations:

1. Understand the Legal Framework as a Foundation

The first step is understanding the regulations that serve as both a legal and ethical guide. Indonesia’s Law No. 8 of 2016 on Persons with Disabilities, along with relevant guidelines from the Ministry of Manpower, requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations. This includes physical accessibility, accessible information, and reasonable adjustments to the job process. These legal frameworks serve as the foundation for internal policies.

2. Increase Literacy on Types of Disabilities and Their Implications at Work

Each type of disability has different needs. Understanding these differences is key to providing the right accommodations. Some examples include:

  • Blind/Low Vision: screen readers, accessible digital documents or applications, and tactile indicators like guiding blocks in the workplace.

  • Physical disabilities: adjustable desks, ramps, and accessible elevators.

  • Deaf/Hard of Hearing: sign language interpreters, written texts, or visual aids.

  • Intellectual or psychosocial disabilities: clear communication, structured routines, and social support from colleagues.

This knowledge helps prevent generic solutions and ensures accommodations are tailored and effective.

3. Engage in Open Communication with Employees with Disabilities

Avoid making assumptions. Instead, have open conversations with employees about what they need to work optimally. Consistent communication builds trust and fosters a responsive workplace. Often, the best solutions come from simply listening to employees’ lived experiences.

4. Conduct Individual and Structured Accessibility Assessments

Each person has unique needs. Personalized assessments can be conducted through:

  • One-on-one interviews

  • Needs surveys

  • Workplace observation

The results should be well-documented and analyzed as a foundation for designing targeted and effective accommodations.

5. Invest in Inclusion Training for HR and Management

Workshops and training on disability inclusion can equip HR teams and managers with practical skills, such as designing inclusive recruitment processes, providing sensitive feedback, and building diverse teams. These efforts help foster a more adaptive and non-exclusive organizational culture.

6. Pilot and Validate Accommodations

Before applying accommodations on a larger scale, test them with the intended users. Gather direct feedback: Does the tool or facility truly help? Are there any challenges?

For example, an application designed to be accessible might not yet work well with screen readers due to technical barriers. Testing helps avoid waste and ensures efficiency.

7. Conduct Regular Evaluation and Adjustment

Employee needs can change over time due to advancements in technology, shifts in job roles, or changes in individual health. Conduct regular evaluations (e.g., every six months) to ensure accommodations remain relevant and effective. Involve employees with disabilities in the process to keep their voices central to every decision.

Workplace accommodation is not about giving special treatment, but about ensuring equal access for everyone to perform at their best. Companies that implement accommodations effectively not only comply with the law but also demonstrate leadership in promoting diversity, innovation, and employee well-being.

Join DNetwork in creating a more inclusive work environment through educational programs on how to provide appropriate accommodations for employees with disabilities.

Together, let’s build a fairer, more adaptive, and inclusive workplace.

#WorkplaceInclusion #AccommodationStrategies #DisabilityInclusion #DNetworkForCompanies

🌟 Hi DNetwork Friends!
Are you preparing to enter the workforce? If so, there are two important things you must master, especially as a person with a disability. These two essentials are hard skills and soft skills. You may have heard of them before, but do you truly understand what they mean and why they matter?

Let’s talk about them together.

Understanding Hard Skills and Soft Skills

Hard skills are technical abilities that you can learn through training, courses, school, or hands-on experience. These skills are usually directly related to specific jobs and can be measured or proven. For example: fast and accurate typing, operating a computer, sewing, repairing electronic devices, graphic design, accounting, or coding.
In other words, hard skills are proof that you have the technical competence needed to perform specific tasks at work.

Meanwhile, soft skills are non-technical abilities related to how you behave, think, and interact with others. These include communication, teamwork, discipline, positive thinking, and mental resilience in facing pressure or challenges.
Unlike hard skills, which are measurable, soft skills are harder to observe directly, but their impact in the workplace is significant. Soft skills help you grow, adapt, and work effectively in a professional environment.

Why Are Both Important?

Having hard skills alone isn’t enough. Many people are technically skilled but struggle to grow because they can’t collaborate, lack confidence, or have poor communication skills.
On the other hand, having only soft skills also isn’t sufficient if you don’t yet have the technical abilities required for a specific job.

That’s why a balance between hard and soft skills is so important. They complement each other and together shape you into someone who is ready for work and growth. Hard skills make you competent; soft skills make you adaptable.

Theory Isn’t Enough

As a person with a disability, understanding the theory alone is not enough. You also need to experience the real working world, because many things can only be learned through practice.
When you enter the workplace, you’ll encounter real-life situations that you may have never faced before.
You’ll learn to overcome self-doubt. If you’ve mostly interacted within disability-only environments—like schools or communities—you might feel awkward or insecure in a professional setting. But by experiencing the workplace firsthand, you’ll grow stronger mentally.

You’ll also learn how to communicate with colleagues and supervisors. Workplace communication is often different from casual social settings. You’ll learn to be more professional, respect time and structure, and understand workplace culture.
You'll face real challenges—things you won’t encounter in simulations or training sessions. These challenges build your resilience and adaptability. And sometimes, it’s through these experiences that you discover hidden potential within yourself.

Start with Small Steps

Now that you understand the importance of skills and real experience, it’s time to move forward.
You can start by joining job training programs that match your interests and talents. When you choose something you're passionate about, learning feels more enjoyable and relevant—whether it’s tech, customer service, crafts, or the arts.

Next, try to get an internship, even a short one. Internships are gateways to the real professional world. You'll get to understand work rhythms, learn responsibility, and practice socialising with coworkers in real situations. This experience is extremely valuable, even if you're still learning.

You can also get involved in communities and professional networks. A community like DNetwork is not just a place to share information, but a place to grow together. You can learn from others who’ve been on this path, find mentors, or even discover job and training opportunities.

Most importantly, don’t wait to be perfect to start. Begin building your career now. Try freelance work, join small projects, or volunteer in community activities. Don’t be afraid to fail—failure is not the end, but a part of the learning journey.

You’re Not Alone

DNetwork is here to support you every step of the way. We believe that every person with a disability has the potential to succeed—if given the right opportunities and support. An inclusive workforce is our shared right.

📲 Discover training, internships, and the latest job info at DNetwork.
💡 Start small, and believe that every step you take matters.

#DNetwork #PeopleWithDisabilitiesCanWork #HardSkillSoftSkill #InclusiveCareer #DisabilityTraining #DisabilityInternship #OpportunitiesForAll #InclusionIsReal

Photo caption: Screenshot from one of the Aku Mampu webinar series.

 

The “I Can” program initiated by DNetwork - the Disability Network focuses on helping people with disabilities to develop skills according to current career opportunities. Through “I Can”, we want to ensure that participants are qualified to get quality jobs, more resilient in the face of an ever-changing job market, and have the entrepreneurial mindset and creativity to survive in all situations.

Supported by the Australian Direct Aid Program since 2018 and also the Inspirasia Foundation, the “I Can” program series consists of mindset training, skill training (English, Digital Business, Content Writing), and entrepreneurial training and support in Aku Cab Do Business. More than 200 people with disabilities also participated in the I Can program series which was carried out from January to May 2022. Among them there are 6 businesses that have also been given training and capital through I Can Do Bussiness.

I Can Digital Marketing
As part of Digital Marketing, we decided to adapt the training to focus on digital business consultants. This intensive training is part of the priority in the education program. The goal is that the selected training participants can take part in internship after completing the training program. As it leads to a hands-on internship program, this is in line with our mission to increase employment rates for people with disabilities.


We also held a webinar for MSMEs to acknowledge them by “Hiring Their First Disabled Employee” and tell them that we are running a Digital Business program for people with disabilities and can be invited to contribute and give them experience in their own company. A total of 7 participants were selected for internships in companies to become their digital business consultants.


Each session was attended by approximately 40 participants and they were very enthusiastic, shown by the way they asked questions, shared experiences, etc. At the end of the session, we also shared their internship experiences and we created a shareable module which contains a summary of the entire training session. This is done to ensure the sustainability of the impact of our program; we want knowledge to reach more people than just those who attend training sessions on Zoom.

I Can Speak English
The number of applicants for this program is quite large; more than 100 people. We have 20 participants selected for a three-month English course, which is taught by a certified English teacher in Indonesia from After School English. The participants were placed in three different groups, each group consisting of participants with the same type of disability and the same level of understanding of English. This is done to ensure the effectiveness of the whole learning process. Participants are required to take an English test before the session starts and at the end of the program they will do it again, so that we can see the improvement in their English skills. Due to the high demand for special classes for Deaf Friends, we decided to open one and provide Sign Language Translator for all sessions.

I Can Write Content
This training starts in April 2022 and we need friends with disabilities. In this training, we focus more on citizen journalism training where the trainees can write journalistic articles that are not only creative and informative but also have economic value. In this training, we collaborated with BaleBengong.com, Bali's leading citizen journalism platform. From this training, participants also get the opportunity to become freelance contributors both on the BaleBengong platform and also as freelance contributors for DNetwork.

I Can Work in the Digital Age
This training is provided to support the ability of friends with disabilities to be able to compete in the digital job market. The material we provide is related to Job Potential as a Freelancer, Applying Basic Communication Skills, Self-Management and Improving Professional Attitudes, Exploring Equal Rights of Workers, and Preparing Job Applications and Interview Tests.

We believe that if friends with disabilities can be given training that suits the needs of today's companies, their potential to be absorbed in the job market will also be greater. This will certainly be a good starting line, both in understanding the requirements to enter the workforce and deciding to become a freelancer. In this activity, DNetwork hopes that the training participants will have high hopes and enthusiasm for creativity.

I Can Do Business
To accommodate the need to improve the entrepreneurial skills of business owners with disabilities, we held a series of entrepreneurship support sessions. The response from the community was very positive. We have over 100 applicants and we held four sessions with BEDO (Bali Export Development Organization), an Indonesian organization focused on maximizing local Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, to discuss the following themes:
Entrepreneurial Mindset, Business Planning and Prototyping, Brand and Product Development, Marketing 101, Financial Literacy

After getting the five workshops, the training participants were assigned to make a financial business plan and the best 6 were selected to get seed funding. A total of 6 selected people received business capital assistance/seed funding of Rp. 2,000,000 who can develop their business for the better. Not only that, the participants were also given mentoring sessions to finalize their business plans to be more effective and sustainable.