Zulfadhli Aldiansyah, 32, who is better known as Aldi, is disabled. He has had cerebral palsy or nerve and muscle disorders since birth. However, in his daily life, he does not want people to pity him.
By
Zulkarnaini
·4 minutes read
Zulfadhli Aldiansyah, 32, who is better known as Aldi, is disabled. He has had cerebral palsy or nerve and muscle disorders since birth. However, in his daily life, he does not want people to pity him, he always wants to be independent and is actively fighting for equality for people with disabilities.
KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI
Zulfadhli Aldiansyah
One night in early October, Aldi walked through a crowd of visitors at a coffee shop in the city of Banda Aceh. With confidence, Aldi took the microphone. Then, with a voice that stuttered, he began to crack a joke like a standup comedian. "I don’t speak clearly. People think I am venting, even though I am joking," Aldi said.
Visitors recorded Aldi\'s action. "Last year, I was rejected by a girl, I wanted to kill myself by standing on the highway. There was a car approaching. The driver said, ‘Bro, if you want to beg, don’t be here. I told him, ‘I want to kill myself, you know!” said Adi, who was greeted with laughter from the audience.
As a person with cerebral palsy, Aldi cannot speak fluently and cannot walk normally. His hands don\'t work properly either.
Nevertheless, Aldi is a cheerful person. He is very confident when appearing in public, sometimes singing, joking and reading poetry in many activities. When people look at him with pity, he laughs at himself. "Stand up comedians [joking] must dare to laugh at themselves. [You] must be creative," said Aldi during an interview at the office of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Aceh, Tuesday (22/10/2019).
That afternoon, Aldi was eager to speak about his life journey. Occasionally, he fixed his seat. His extensive interaction resulted in him learning many things from a number of communities in Aceh. He often attended various events, such as tree planting, disaster simulation and other social activities. He wants to show people that the disabled can get along and contribute to others.
ARSIP PRIBADI
Aldi campaigned for the environment in Banda Aceh on July 2019.
Not infrequently, Aldi has been a speaker at discussions to fight for the fulfillment of the rights of persons with disabilities. "Friends with disabilities, please don\'t feel inferior and don\'t despair. Come on, we are fighting together to fulfill the rights of persons with disabilities," he said.
For him, disability rights have not been fully fulfilled. Many disabled people have difficulty finding work because rarely do companies open special disability opportunities. As a result, many people with disabilities become beggars. "I am sad to see people with disabilities become beggars, we should be able to be independent and creative," he said.
I am sad to see people with disabilities become beggars.
For his persistence in campaigning for the fulfillment of the rights of people with disabilities, in 2017 he was named the Disability Ambassador of the City of Banda Aceh.
Social media
Aldi is the second of four children who have had cerebral palsy since birth. He experienced slow growth and development. When children his age were running, Aldi was unable to stand up. Until the age of 8, he was still unable to stand and walk. When he wanted to go out of the house, he was carried by his mother.,
After years of therapy, only at the age of 9 was Aldi able to walk even though he continued to stumble and fall. However, he has a strong will to walk. "At the age of 15, I was able to walk smoothly. When it came to speaking, I was able to speak well at 19 years old," he said.
PERSONAL ARCHIVE
Zulfadhli Aldiansyah
Adolescence was not a happy time for Aldi. He was left out and often was the target of bullying. His friends often made fun of him by walking while dragging one foot. However, he faced it patiently.At the age of 25, Aldi graduated from the Banda Aceh Special School for the Disabled (SLB). After that, Aldi joined a women\'s NGO. He often went to villages to meet residents. Aldi came across people living in poverty, poor health and those who were victims of violence.
As he gets older, Aldi had started to think about earning a living. Initially, he was concerned about who would want to hire him. Eventually, he had an acquaintance who entrusted him to manage a coffee shop’s social media account.
Aldi also began managing personal social media accounts. Now the number of followers of the Instagram account @ al- di_dj87 is 14,600.
Aldi also provides promotional services or endorses products through social media. Products that have been promoted include culinary, fitness center, perfume, clothes and outreach activities. He earns Rp 700,000 to Rp 1 million a month. He uses the money for social activities.
Zulfadhli Aldiansyah
Born: Banda Aceh, 6 July 1987
Education: Special School for the Disabled Bukesra Banda Aceh.
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