People with disabilities often face challenges in accessing adequate financial resources and education. A survey by Menembus Batas in January 2024 revealed that 55.3 percent of respondents with disabilities had never heard of, or deeply studied, financial literacy concerning financial products, even though many were aware of the importance of financial management.

Aleta Hanafi, Brand & Communication Division head at OCBC, stated, "Everyone Can #FinanciallyFit: Disability Shines Without Limits is part of our CSR [corporate social responsibility] program in the education pillar, where we believe that the right financial literacy knowledge will help each individual achieve their financial life goals."

"We are also collaborating with non-profit organizations and disability communities to continuously enrich and perfect the best financial education programs for people with disabilities," she added.

In line with Financial Services Authority’s (OJK) national strategy to encourage companies to strengthen strategic alliances with various parties to directly provide financial education to the disabled community, a Financial Education Board Game program was implemented with OCBC volunteers at a special needs high school (SMALB) in Jakarta. This inspired OCBC to develop ruangmenyala.com, a disability-friendly platform.

"We believe that financial literacy approaches don't have to be boring. Through ruangmenyala.com, people with disabilities can start their #FinanciallyFit journey through workshops, webinars and educational materials designed to meet their needs by combining technology and appropriate teaching methodologies," said Amir Widjaya, executive director Marketing & Lifestyle Business at OCBC.

Amir said ruangmenyala.com was an ecosystem built to provide financial literacy access for all. Launched in 2021, ruangmenyala.com now has 141,577 members. Besides RuangMenyala educational classes, OCBC also offers guidance from financial coaches, supported by unlimited free access to RuangMenyala, its Financial Check-Up service and education on various financial products. This way, people with disabilities can also benefit from OCBC’s NYALA products and services to save, invest and maintain their lifestyle to achieve their financial goals.

This year, RuangMenyala's development focuses on reaching people with disabilities to learn personal financial management basics such as budgeting, debt management, investment and future planning through:

• Regular online and face-to-face classes with sign language interpreters for easy access,
• Educational videos with sign language translation and subtitles to help viewers understand financial management concepts better,
• #FinanciallyFit audiobooks from the book 12 PILLARS OF #FINANCIALLYFIT, catering to the needs of visually impaired individuals.

Angkie Yudistia, a special staff member to the President, sociopreneur and author who attended the event, appreciated the program, stating, "People with disabilities, being a vulnerable group with low literacy rates, have not yet become a primary focus of education. This is due to the challenges in providing financial literacy to hard-to-reach segments, even with digitalization, such as individuals not affiliated with certain organizations or communities. According to a January 2024 survey by Menembus Batas, many lack financial knowledge. The key is collaboration between the government and private sector to provide open access. Financial health is vital not only for personal achievement but also for realizing the vision of Golden Indonesia 2045."

Dante Rigmalia, chairperson of the National Disability Commission (KND), emphasized that the KND ensured and monitored the implementation of respect, protection and fulfillment of the rights of people with disabilities. KND continues to monitor, evaluate and actively advocate and cooperate across sectors, including disability organizations, to ensure equal access to education for them.

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