People with disabilities are often overlooked, especially when seeking a job or running businesses from the ground up. Many of them also encounter challenges in starting and maintaining businesses, especially during times of uncertainty.

However, these MSME owners and employees seize the opportunity to rise and strive despite being differently abled, resulting in a magnificent sales increase by adapting to digital platforms such as Tokopedia.

"Tokopedia continues to provide the widest possible avenue for local MSMEs, including [those that employ or are run by] people with disabilities, to create opportunities through the use of technology so that they can rise together and restore the national economy," said Ekhel Chandra Wijaya, Tokopedia's external communications senior lead.

The Able Art increases the value of artwork made by artists with disabilities

Sadikin Pard, one of the disabled artists in The Able Art

Passionate about social issues, Tommy Budianto founded The Able Art in Pasuruan in 2017. Tommy helps reproduce paintings by disabled artists into various products, such as hijabs, bags, pouches and much more, to be sold offline and online.

"The Able Art was established to empower disabled artists to continue to perform so they can earn a steady income. We want every piece of art to have social value for the people of Indonesia," explained Tommy.

Tommy has collaborated with artists with disabilities from a number of regions, including Jakarta, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Malang and Bali. To get high-quality reproductions of paintings, Tommy often goes directly to the artists' studios.

"At the beginning, before joining Tokopedia, our sales only reached about 10 to 20 percent. Now that it utilizes Tokopedia, The Able Art can send an average of 100 orders a month to various regions of Indonesia, including Papua," said Tommy.

Building Toko Lariz as the main source of family income

Suhartini, owner of Toko Lariz, originally in Semarang, on Tokopedia

Suhartini, the owner of a warung kelontong traditional market stall called Toko Lariz in Semarang and who has a disability, joined the Mitra Tokopedia ecosystem in 2019. This allowed Suhartini to stock basic food products through a simple application without leaving the house.

The Mitra Tokopedia application also enables Suhartini to add variants of digital products to her store, such as phone credit, data packages, electricity tokens and state-owned tap water company (PDAM) credit, increasing her income.

"Since joining Mitra Tokopedia, my stall has been getting more and more popular. It's also very easy to refill the stall's stock because I don't have to leave the house. By selling digital products, my turnover has doubled," said Suhartini.

The shop has now become the primary source of her family's income. "Physical limitations are not a barrier for me. With technology, anything is possible. I want to continue to prove that having disabilities with minimal capital can also create opportunities," concluded Suhartini.

These MSMEs are proof that people with disabilities can strive for and achieve success amid the pandemic.