YOUR LIMITATION CAN”T LIMIT YOURSELF

Slamet Widodo sells iced milk tea on his modified motorcycle.

Your Limitation Can’NOt Limit Yourself

by Alhinsa and Try K

In front of ATM center, west side of Prakoso building, we can see a unique motorcycle that is modified with a wheelchair. The motorcycle is used by a “super” man named Slamet Widodo, to sell his special iced milk tea. Milk tea is a famous Indonesian beverage. It is made by blending tea and milk together. Nowadays, it is a favorite drink around teenagers and students. In Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), we can easily find iced milk tea added with jelly.

Slamet Widodo when he was three years old, he was infected by polio virus which made his legs paralyzed. He used to do all his activities on his wheelchair. He came from Gunung Kidul, Jogjakarta. He moved to Surakarta because he wanted to get an education in YPAC (a school for disabled people). He studied there for nine years until his middle school. Unfortunately, at that time the school did not provide the high school, so his parents decided to enroll him at a public high school, SMA Negeri 5 Surakarta.

His disability did not inhibit him to study at university. After graduating from high school, he entered the Special Education Department, at the Faculty of Teachers Training and Education (FKIP), UNS. He has the motivation to inspire the other disabled people to get the higher education. He said that the program study is matched well with his background and his goals. Although he is disabled, he finished his study and got the Bachelor of Education degree.

On the other hand, his condition could not support his goal to be a teacher. He was forced to give up his dream because almost the school institutions that he had been applied for, could not accept him due to his disability. However, he believed that he could do something else. He wants people to be more open-minded about disabled people. Seven months ago, he opened his own business “iced milk tea”. He proves that the disabled people are independent and can produce something.

His disability could not limit his desire to be productive. Every day he sells around 150 cups of iced milk tea. He said that the income from selling the milk tea had been enough to cover his family needs and pay his two children’s school tuition, Talitha Nadaa’ Jannatul Firdaus and Khoirul Azzam Nasywa Al - Firdaus. His business has motivated UNS students to be an entrepreneur by reselling his products. He already has two resellers from FKIP and Faculty of Mathematics and Science (FMIPA) students. Every day they can sell 200 cups of milk tea. His business was built by the trust. He priories the resellers from UNS students because he can trust them. “When they resell my products, I allow them to take the tea first and pay to me after the tea was sold,” he said.

A lot of people love his milk tea. His customers are various from the academic community of UNS. Not only students, moreover the rector of UNS, his former teacher in the college, Ravik Karsidi, had ever bought his iced milk tea. One of his customer, Aprella, a student of UNS, said that she often bought the milk tea because of the variant flavors of the milk tea that were offered by Widodo. “So many milk tea out there, but his milk tea is different. He is the first who sells the milk tea in four different tastes; original, thai tea, choco, and green tea. It is good because I won’t get bored of them.”

He tries to change the stereotype about disabled people. People should more appreciate and respect other people who have the disability. On the other hand, disabled people should be braver and confident to express and do something without any hesitation about what other people said. “This life is a mandate. God trusts us to live in this life.” he added, “Protect it. He knows what you need. So, do the best as you can and He will give you more than what you have done.”