Ciptono

By creating a school experience and a new curriculum that values and develops the talents of special needs students, Ciptono is changing both the public’s perception of such individuals and their own self-images. Ciptono prefers to refer to such persons as differently-abled or “diffabled”—thereby suggesting their roles as contributors to society—is engaged in related advocacy work, and plans to construct a House of Inspiration to display the talents of diffabled people in an uplifting way.

In a school for diffabled students he founded in 2002, and continues to direct in Semarang, the capital city of Central Java Province, Ciptono has transformed the usual curriculum for special needs students in Indonesia by the inclusion of training in vocational and entrepreneurial skills as an important supplement to academic learning. In a radical departure from what other special needs schools in Indonesia are doing, Ciptono and his colleagues tailor each student’s course of study to his/her individual preferences and competencies. Once these are identified, students are placed in courses selected from a variety of fields. All students also receive training in entrepreneurial skills, to enable them to monetize their skills, and build pathways to economic independence.

In addition to their coursework in academic, vocational, and entrepreneurial skills, students’ benefit from a range of therapies provided at the schools, that will soon be supplemented by a home therapy initiative in which parents are trained to provide therapy for their children.

As a consequence of the many innovations that Ciptono has introduced, the school in Semarang is now producing self-confident graduates who are demonstrating that they can function effectively and independently in the workplace. Ciptono’s work in the school and the wide-ranging advocacy efforts in which he is engaged, have also attracted considerable attention in the media, and he has hosted visiting delegations from several other special education schools in Indonesia and other Asian countries. In addition, several faculty members from special education schools in Indonesia have undertaken internships in the Semarang school in order to observe Ciptono’s innovations, with the aim of replicating them in their schools.

Indonesia is home to an estimated 1.5 million diffabled children, and this number is projected to increase rapidly over the next decade due to the general aging of mothers creating more high-risk pregnancies and better diagnosis of disabilities. The rising population of diffabled children, coupled with limited educational programs serving the diffabled, means that many are left with unmet needs. Even for the diffabled that do complete an education, many remain economically dependent on their families, with little ability to provide for themselves.

Widely held attitudes have marginalized and excluded the diffabled from participation in society. Parents often view diffabled children as a shame to the family and a burden on society. Many such children do not attend school, in part because embarrassed parents strive to keep them hidden from society, and in part because of the lagging supply of schools serving children with special needs.

Gaining a foothold in the economy is difficult for those with special needs. Potential employers and the general public often discount the diffabled, assuming they have few talents of economic or other value. In addition, government policy to support employment of the diffabled is more symbolic than effective. A modest policy requiring company workforces to consist of 1 percent of diffabled individuals has not been widely adopted or enforced. An overall lack of jobs and a lack of adequate preparation for employment opportunities further compound the problem.

Ciptono’s K-12 school provides for the needs of over four hundred blind, deaf, autistic, or otherwise diffabled students, in ways that deviate sharply from traditional schools. Curriculums are based on the individual competencies and needs of each child, while blending vocational and entrepreneurial training (which accounts for 70 percent of the curriculum by the time a student reaches high school) with academic learning.

Individual competencies are discovered by letting the student have the freedom to do what they want—whether it is drawing, singing, embroidering, or something else. After a period of monitoring by teachers, a student’s curriculum is tailored to the child’s unique intelligence. Students can receive vocational training in a variety of fields including culinary arts, carpentry, automotive, beauty and fashion, IT, performing arts, agriculture, handicrafts, and electronics.

With the training, the school helps students to create business opportunities, such as teaching them to open a small kiosk to provide hairdressing services, helping them to form a singing group that can perform at cafes, or teaching them to create and sell handicrafts. Prior to graduation, students at the high school have a chance to complete a more intensive internship that is designed to hone the entrepreneurial skills needed to independently operate a profitable business. From this experience, students gain self-confidence while learning the skills they will need to become independent.

As another key component of the curriculum, Ciptono operates a comprehensive therapy program. This program is offered during school and is staffed by teachers and accredited therapists. Through partnerships, Ciptono has also received pro bono help from psychologists and doctors. Working with the Special School Development Center, a part of the Central Java Ministry of Education Office, Ciptono facilitated therapy trainings for over two hundred teachers in Central Java. Students benefit from receiving many types of therapy including occupational, music, physical, speech, applied behavior analysis, acupressure, social, and developmental therapy.

As there are so many students, and because students only spend four to five hours at school daily, Ciptono recognized that the students may not be receiving enough therapy. To solve this, he is equiping families to provide basic therapy for their children at home. After proper training, families can provide basic speech, physical, music, social, and development therapy. Ciptono has used a parent’s forum to promote the idea, which will soon be followed up with a three-day training program for parents.

Ciptono also uses the curriculum to help students embrace the diversity common to Indonesian life. Both Islamic and Christian holidays are explored, prepared for, and celebrated together. By showing pictures of common religious celebrations, and teaching students to make toys reflective of these events, Ciptono is helping students to understand and respect religious faiths other than their own, through symbolism they can easily understand.

Ciptono’s model is nearly self-sustaining. Ventures started by students earn revenue, and after reinvesting some of the venture’s profits back into the business, the remainder is split between income for the students, and funding for the school. Ciptono is also making adjustments to serve more students. To accommodate the increasing demand for enrollment at his school, Ciptono altered the schedule, creating a morning and an afternoon program for the students, which doubled the available spaces. Having authored a best-selling biography to increase interest in his work, he brings new opportunities to those diffabled, and he uses the royalties to further fund his work.

Leveraging frequent public speaking invitations and media requests, Ciptono creates awareness for the diffabled, highlighting students and their abilities in his presentations. This outreach method has given his students the chance to inspire police officers, corporations, women’s organizations, religious organizations, and other groups. To further his local outreach, Ciptono is working on a Rumah Inspirasi (House of Inspiration). The physical structure would exhibit and sell the works of the diffabled, while providing a chance for the diffabled and non-diffabled to socialize together, creating a more inclusive community environment. The House will be staffed by the diffabled, and will help both the public and the diffabled view diffabilities in a positive light; a paradigm shift for Indonesia. Currently, Ciptono is pursuing support for the House of Inspiration from corporate social responsibility funds.

Ciptono’s plan to staff the House of Inspiration with diffabled employees reflects his approach within his own school, where he developed and successfully implemented a policy mandating that 20 percent of the staff be people with diffabilities. Schools from other provinces have also adopted this approach. To help institutionalize the practice, Ciptono advocates that the government provide salary assistance and incentives for schools implementing such policies.

In addition to generating broad public awareness for issues surrounding the education of the diffabled, Ciptono also operates a program for schools interested in replicating his work and provides site visits for interested parties. Ciptono’s school welcomes fifty to sixty delegations annually from interested schools, and to date, delegations from fifteen different countries have visited the program. In addition to site visits, the school also operates a ten-day internship program for teachers to learn the curriculum. Teachers that participate in the internship generally bring two students to both practice the instruction process, and to familiarize their students with the learning process. With funding from the central government, Ciptono’s school has hosted as many as four hundred student-teacher pairs. In addition, Ciptono is actively working with the Division of Educational Ministry at the provincial level, hoping to use his school as a center of learning, and replicate his model through publicly funded schools.

For schools looking to fully replicate the program, Ciptono and the school enter into an MOU regarding teacher training, and other key components of curriculum implementation. Currently ten schools are engaged in the replication process, including schools from Borneo and other islands beyond Java.

When Ciptono was just three, his mother passed away. Shortly thereafter, his father remarried and left, leaving Ciptono in the care of his grandmother. Ciptono’s grandmother taught him the Islamic principle that a man is valued based on his contributions to society. He took this message to heart. During high school, Ciptono participated in activities such as mobilizing donations for the sick, and organizing micro businesses to raise money for a youth fund.

After high school, Ciptono wanted to continue helping people and applied to medical school, but was rejected. Charting a different course, he enrolled in the Teacher Institute in Yogyakarta, majoring in special education. After graduation, he joined the faculty at a special school in Salatiga, and later in Semarang. Noting that many of the facilities for diffabled children were inadequate, Ciptono launched a special school on his own, moving from a community hall, to a garage, and finally to a new building where his school currently operates.