Community service activities targeting Indonesian disabled cooperative members are carried out at the Indonesian Disabled Syariah Cooperative, namely on Jalan Raden Wijaya No. 129f, Semambung, Sawotratap, Gedangan District, Sidoarjo Regency. This activity is the first activity carried out to help disabled cooperative members improve their businesses amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and reduce the level of inequality, especially for disabled groups. This activity involved people with disabilities, the UNAIR academic community in Indonesia, namely Economics Lecturers at the Faculty of Economics and Business and several Economics students. The activity was attended by 21 members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative in two waves of activities.
Community service activities are carried out through several stages involving members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative. The first stage of community service is an internal team meeting. At this stage, the team designs step by step what will be implemented in community service. The team analyzed what marketplace platforms can be applied to members of the Indonesian Disabled Cooperative, what is the mechanism for implementing training in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, what capacity members must attend and receive training so that they can still implement health protocols and activities run efficiently.
Before carrying out community service directly at the location, namely the Indonesian Disability Syariah Cooperative, the internal team and partners coordinated. This coordination stage is carried out online from the start of implementation to the end. This is due to restrictions on people's movement due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though the activity is carried out online, it is guaranteed that the activity will still run well. Both teams and partners can coordinate directly through the social media groups provided.
In the initial stage of coordination, the team conveyed the objectives of this community service activity. This coordination was carried out via Google Meeting, attended by 18 participants from the internal team and members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative. Apart from conveying the objectives of community service activities, this meeting also conveyed plans for implementing community service that would be implemented. Not only from the internal team, the administrators and members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative also conveyed several business conditions in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the conditions of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative members, and several ideas that they wanted to realize through this community service.
The third stage in this community service activity is providing education on the importance of knowledge about online buying and selling to members of the Indonesian Disabled Cooperative. Providing this education was continued with direct training activities for members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative. This activity was carried out in two waves to adjust the availability of places and implement health protocols. In addition, activities with a limited number of members taking part in training tend to be more efficient. Members can receive training in more depth and freely express their curiosity.
The first wave of training on using digital platforms was held on Sunday, September 12 2021. In the first wave of training, 10 members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative participated. The 10 members consist of members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative who are blind and physically impaired. The opening was carried out by providing education on the importance of utilizing current digital platforms to increase the volume of business that has been carried out. After providing education regarding the benefits of digital platforms, cooperative members were also given an explanation regarding what they would do that day, namely trying to create e-mail, marketplace accounts, and how to make online transactions. Next, groups were divided according to members' experience in implementing digital platforms to carry out buying and selling transactions.
At the first wave meeting, members were divided into 4 groups accompanied by 4 coaches, namely Economics students. The 4 groups are divided into 2 groups that have been able to make purchases via digital platforms and 2 groups that have not been able to make transactions, whether buying or selling via digital platforms. For groups who cannot carry out transactions, whether buying or selling, training begins by creating an email account to register as an e-commerce application user. Meanwhile, groups that have been able to carry out transactions, namely buying through e-commerce applications, continue with providing training to open a shop on the application so they can sell.
Apart from training in the form of stages of selling via digital platforms, members are also given a direct overview of the practice. Members are given knowledge about product packaging so that it is neat, attractive and safe so that the product can arrive at the buyer well and remain intact as ordered. Coaches also provide guidance on how to send goods to buyers and receive results from sellers online.
In this activity, members are not only trained on how to sell and buy via digital platforms. Members are also given the freedom to consult regarding tips so that the goods sold can be sold via e-commerce. Some members also asked what weaknesses or difficulties they would face by implementing a digital platform to sell their goods. Not only the members, the community service team also learned how to survive and develop the business amidst all the limitations faced by members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative.
The second wave of training on using digital platforms for members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative was attended by 11 members. This activity was held on Sunday, September 19 2021 at the Indonesian Disability Cooperative. In the second wave or second day, 3 blind people and 7 physically disabled people participated. The activities carried out in the second wave were not much different from the first wave. Members are given a briefing first, then continue with direct training and practice sessions. Next, members were divided into 3 groups, namely 1 group specifically for the blind, and 2 groups for the physically impaired. All members take part in transaction training, both buying and selling via digital platforms.
For blind group members, training can be implemented by using the “accessibility” mode in the settings on each member's mobile phone. Members of this group prioritize listening and pay special attention because of the many features in the e-commerce application they use. Coaches in groups of blind people place more emphasis on members' understanding of existing features and how to carry out transactions that rely on the sense of hearing. Not much different from disabled members, blind members are also trained in buying and selling via this digital platform. The stages given are also no different from other members.
In another group whose members are disabled people are taught to carry out buying and selling transactions online. Members who have never had the application and do not have the application will be directed to download the application first and continue with the application registration stage. The stages given to this group were no different from the group training in the first wave. Members are taught the basics, namely creating an email, registering on the application they are using, training on purchasing the products they want and need, and training on selling their business products.
Each member of wave one and wave two of training on using this digital platform was given an e-wallet to make transactions. The aim of providing an e-wallet is to directly practice buying and selling transactions. In the end, members not only gain knowledge but can also practice it directly on the spot. For sales training, members sell products according to the business they own so that later members can also practice directly if there is a purchase from them.
This community service activity does not only stop at the two waves of training that have been held. Members and coaches also have a group via WhatsApp to monitor the progress of their business and a place to conduct online consultations. Apart from that, the internal team and members of the Indonesian Disability Cooperative also have a group via WhatsApp as a place for coordination, consultation and gradual monitoring. After two waves of training carried out directly, several cooperative members were also observed contacting the coach to ask several questions regarding the transactions carried out.
