Story of a Deaf Disabled Person Hearing Takbiran for the First Time: My World Was Once Very Silent

A deaf disabled person from Padang, West Sumatra (Sumbar), Tekad Isra (29), has a very strong determination to improve her life. Isra was willing to migrate to become a participant in training at the Sentra Terpadu Inten Soeweno (STIS), Cibinong, Bogor Regency, under the auspices of the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos). “I don’t want to go home before I can bring money for my parents,” Isra stated in a written statement on Sunday (22/3/2026). Isra left home and her two parents for one goal: to become independent. A graduate of SLB YPPLB Padang in 2016, she has been deaf since birth. Since childhood, she lived in a silent world, relying on sight and sign language to understand her surroundings. However, her limitations did not stop her. Isra is known as a diligent and disciplined individual. In the training environment, she undertook every activity earnestly, from workshops to dormitory life. Isra also actively helped fellow deaf participants, especially in overcoming communication difficulties. As an only child, Isra wants to repay her parents’ struggles. Her father works as a labourer, while her mother runs a small shop. Family support became a strong reason for her to keep moving forward, even though she had to migrate far away. Before joining the training, Isra had worked at a shopping centre as a warehouse staff handling stocktaking in Padang City. That experience became her initial foundation, while also strengthening her desire to obtain a better and more stable job. Her journey to this point was not short. Isra had to wait for three years to get the opportunity to join vocational training in the implementation of social rehabilitation and vocational training for persons with disabilities. Isra then took the contact centre major, while preparing herself to enter the workforce. The turning point came when Isra received hearing aid assistance from STIS Kemensos. For the first time, she began to recognise sounds, something she previously only understood through movements and expressions. “From usually only being able to see movements, now communication is smoother,” Isra said. That change had a significant impact. Isra became more confident, more active in training, and able to follow every process more optimally. Finally, on 13 March 2026, the news she had been waiting for arrived. Isra was declared a graduate as a cleaning service candidate at Mandiri Contact Center. For Isra, that was not just a graduation. It was an answer to her long wait, from three years of waiting for opportunities, from the determination she held since leaving home. She is scheduled to start working on 1 April 2026. A new step marking the beginning of her independence. However, before that, Isra chose to stay at STIS during Eid al-Fitr. That decision was not without reason. She wants to truly return home with results, not just stories. The night of Eid al-Fitr became an unforgettable moment. Amid the echoes of takbir filling the sky, Isra experienced something she had only imagined before. “My world was once very silent. But now, for the first time in my life, I can hear the sound of takbiran,” she concluded.