Aceh – Indonesia, Although Pidie Regency Qanun Number 4 of 2024 on the Implementation, Protection, and Fulfillment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was passed by the Pidie DPRK and enacted on November 25, 2024, the development, budget, and program policies of the Pidie Regency Government show no real commitment to fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities.

sinarpidie.co — Mahdalena, 44, a resident of Gampong Paya, Pidie District, was packing customer order packages at a 4 x 10 meter shophouse located on the side of the Banda Aceh-Medan National Highway in Gampong Lampeudue Tunong, Pidie District, Pidie, on Tuesday afternoon, September 29, 2026.
 
Living with a physical disability, she rents the shophouse for IDR 15 million every two years. In that very shop, Mahdalena operates an online store named All Olhsop. Through this online shop, she sells various types of items, including cakes, clothing, drink bottles, shallots, and chilies.

“On some days, I sell about five products. On other days, none at all. But it’s enough to cover the shop rent,” said the 2000 graduate of MAN 1 Sigli on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
 
Initially, Mahdalena bought items from several e-commerce platforms, as well as stores in Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe City.
 
“Then, I resell those items through posts on social media, such as TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Transactions are done via bank transfer, or cash if the item is picked up directly at the shop,” she said. “If a buyer is interested in an item I posted on social media, I will deliver it directly to them by motorcycle. But that’s only for buyers living nearby.”
 
Amidst her busy schedule, she also leads the Gampong Paya Sejahtera Inclusive Community Self-Help Group (KSM). Established in 2018, the KSM has 24 members, six of whom are women with disabilities.
 
“The KSM’s agenda includes holding regular monthly meetings at the pavilion in front of my house and collecting monthly dues of IDR 20,000 per member. In recent years, the monthly dues have stalled because the members’ businesses aren’t doing well. They don’t have the income to pay the dues,” Mahdalena said.

In addition, Mahdalena said that through the Gampong Paya Sejahtera Inclusive KSM, her group also conducts advocacy and socialization regarding the rights of persons with disabilities within the community.
 
“We once held a meeting with residents at the Gampong Paya meunasah. In that meeting, we asked parents who have children with disabilities not to be afraid to acknowledge their children’s disabilities and not to hide them at home. Children with disabilities must go out and play just like other children,” Mahdalena stated.
 
Mahdalena added that another priority for the KSM is advocating for accessible public infrastructure that is friendly toward persons with disabilities and vulnerable women.
 
“Such as providing wheelchairs in public places and handrails for women with disabilities and elderly women. This remains an issue because accessible public facilities for persons with disabilities are still extremely scarce in Pidie,” Mahdalena said.
 
Members of this KSM run various businesses, such as selling assorted cakes, melinjo crackers, tailoring, operating online shops, and providing catering services. “Most of the capital for these businesses comes from member contributions managed through a savings and loan scheme,” she said.

Currently, the Paya Sejahtera Inclusive KSM she leads has transformed into the Paya Sejahtera Inclusive Cooperative. “This cooperative is already registered with the Pidie Regency Industry, Trade, Cooperatives, and SMEs Agency (Disperindagkop-UKM),” Mahdalena explained.
 
Mahdalena hopes the government will provide capital support, training, and production tools for the members of the Paya Sejahtera Inclusive Cooperative.
 
The Paya Sejahtera Inclusive KSM, which has now become the Paya Sejahtera Inclusive Cooperative, is one of dozens of KSMs mentored by the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Center for Activity and Social Development of Aceh Community (PASKA).
 
Executive Director of PASKA Aceh, Farida Haryani, said that persons with disabilities in Pidie not only lack access to disability-friendly public facilities, but they also lack access to business capital through People’s Business Loans (KUR) at banks operating in Pidie as well as KUR at Pegadaian.
 
“Banks are hesitant to grant KUR to persons with disabilities because they assume persons with disabilities cannot afford to pay loan installments,” Farida said on Friday, October 2, 2026.
 
According to Farida, after Pidie Regency Qanun Number 4 of 2024 on the Implementation, Protection, and Fulfillment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was passed by the Pidie DPRK and enacted on November 25, 2024, the Pidie Regency Government, through Disperindagkop-UKM Pidie, once budgeted and distributed business assistance for several inclusive KSMs in Pidie worth IDR 20 million per KSM.
 
“The assistance was provided for two years, specifically in 2024 and 2025. However, in 2026, it was reported that this business assistance was discontinued. The reason given was a lack of budget,” Farida noted. “Baitul Mal should also prioritize capital assistance for businesses run by persons with disabilities.”

The Pidie Vocational Training Center (BLK), a Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) under the Pidie Manpower and Transmigration Agency (Disnakertrans), also lacks inclusive vocational training programs for persons with disabilities.
 
Head of the Pidie BLK UPTD, Muhammad Rizal, mentioned that the Pidie BLK has only been active since May 1, 2026. “The primary focus of this BLK is job training for school dropouts. However, so far, we have never restricted participants attending the training, whether for persons with disabilities or non-disabled individuals,” Muhammad Rizal said on Friday, October 2, 2026.
 
These training courses include computer assembly, graphic design, bread and cake making, as well as crafting kopiah riman and kopiah meukutob.

“The duration of the training varies, ranging from 18 to 25 days. Registration for the training is opened online,” Rizal explained.

Pidie Regency Qanun Number 4 of 2024 on the Implementation, Protection, and Fulfillment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities regulates the fulfillment and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, including the right to receive job training and decent, non-discriminatory employment opportunities; mainstreaming disability rights in regional planning and budgeting; and providing accessibility in public facilities and services. []

This coverage was produced in collaboration with the Indonesian Justice and Peace Foundation (YKPI).