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Unesa.ac.id, SURABAYA - Behind the various service innovations and excellence of UNESA in the field of disability, there is the role of volunteers that cannot be forgotten. Volunteers are usually students majoring in Special Education (PLB) who are always present at every activity that involves people with disabilities. Their tasks are many and quite vital.
Of course, there are many interesting experiences and stories from the volunteers. One of them is experienced by Fathurrahman Sitorus. The student majoring in PLB FIP UNESA has dedicated himself as a volunteer since 2020. Initially he wanted to add experience and learn a lot about how to interact with friends with disabilities.
When she became a volunteer, she said, she was often involved in helping disabled friends in the learning process, assisting during the TEP (Test of English Proficiency), making competitions on disability day and carrying out community service activities to raise awareness about children with special needs.
On his journey as a volunteer, he has learned many lessons. Can be more patient and understanding of others. Then also learn to devote themselves to facilitate the affairs of others. "I don't know why I feel proud of myself," he said.
In addition, he is also increasingly aware of and understands how to interact with people with disabilities. “Like when accompanying the visually impaired, there is a special way to guide. During a pandemic, how to talk to the deaf must open a mask or use a special mask to make it easier for them to read their lips and we support it with sign language," he said.
His duty to help the learning process of students with special needs is carried out on an ongoing basis every year. In order to facilitate understanding and interaction procedures, after recruiting volunteers, the UNESA Disability Service Study Center (PSLD) held a training by inviting professors in the field of inclusion, lecturers, students with disabilities, communities and alumni to share experiences and stories.
A similar experience also came from Tuti Mulyani. He is a student and a blind person. As a volunteer, he is tasked with assisting other students with disabilities in accessing various campus services. One of them is being a liaison for friends with disabilities during the TEP implementation.
"I am tasked with confirming and explaining the mechanism for implementing TEP to friends with disabilities, as well as introducing online education services at UNESA, such as vi-learn, google classroom and others," he explained.
According to him, helping and facilitating other people's affairs basically feels like he is making his own business easier. That way, there is a sense of relief and happiness that is not found elsewhere. “Besides that, I can also motivate other friends with disabilities to keep learning and developing themselves. Because we have the same opportunities and rights to succeed. I always invite them to prove to the world that we are capable,” he added. [UNESA PR]
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