Sky is the limit. It seems that this is the principle held firmly by Callan Rahmadyvi Triyunanto, a deaf student from the Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya. Last semester, Callan successfully completed the Internship and Certified Independent Study program, at that time, he chose the online news site detikcom as his study location.
Callan is the first deaf student to pass MSIB. The selection was not a special selection. He followed the registration process like other participants. During his internship, Callan worked in the Content Writer division at detikEdu, which ended last June. “I took part in the general selection, there is no special path for the disabled in MSIB. This means that I have to compete with students from all campuses and from various regions in Indonesia,” he explained via text message.
The work that Callan had to complete was not different from other interns. In terms of deadlines, he admitted that he was treated the same as other interns. In fact, he said, he had to complete 5 news stories every day. Not only behind the desk, Callan was also required to go out into the field, like journalists in general.
One of the most memorable experiences, according to Callan, was when he was on duty at the 2024 Indonesian Biodiversity Week event. At this event, Callan wrote about rhinos, Komodo dragons and their conservation. As a result, he received a positive response. “There is rarely an opportunity to interview the Directorate General directly, and they also just found out that there is a deaf journalist,” explained this student from Jakarta.
How did he do it? Callan asked questions in writing, and was answered in the same way by his sources, until finally he published several articles. In addition to this event, he also once covered the Voice of Colors painting exhibition live. He then produced an exhibition review entitled “Capturing the Voices of Deaf Friends Through the Paintings” Voices of Colors “, in Jakarta last April. This exhibition was also attended by Zulfiana Rofiátul Asiyah, a deaf friend from the Faculty of Cultural Studies.
The most interesting thing during the internship, according to Callan, was that detikcom was willing to accept people with disabilities. “They actually want us to take advantage of this opportunity, meaning, they want us to pursue what we want to achieve,” explained the man who aspires to become a lecturer. In fact, according to Callan, detikcom also understands disability awareness, so there are no significant obstacles when carrying out assignments, including coordination.
“detikcom changed the communication method, from the online meetings usually to group coordination so that I can easily follow the flow. In fact, my mentor who is also UB alumni was finally moved to learn sign language. Several MSIB friends are also interested in learning sign language,” he said.
He also gave a positive response to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for being willing to accept deaf journalists. “This support was also shown by the Directorate General, and I am happy to have the opportunity to cover the KLHK, even until the afternoon!”, he explained.
Not only covering, but Callan was also covered by detikcom, as the first Deaf Friend to intern at the Independent campus at detikcom. “So far, TV stations or news rarely cover disability, I want to help detikcom so that they can cover and build disability awareness. Hopefully, detikcom can be a place for the disabled. Because there are many great disability activists, one of whom is Surya Sahetapy,” he said to detikEdu.
Callan’s concern as a deaf friend made him establish Kelas Isyarat, a sign language education platform on Instagram. Through Kelas Isyarat or Sign Language Class, Callan and several other deaf friends provide free sign language classes. Although there are only two of them, Kelas Isyarat has educated at least 29 volunteers since its inception.
His love for Universitas Brawijaya made Callan want to dedicate himself as an educator. During college, he also often became a practicum assistant in the Basic Journalism course. “From this practicum, I finally fell in love with being a lecturer, and always took the time to assist students, finally, there were many interesting stories,” said Callan.
Even though he is deaf, Callan did not encounter any obstacles. “In fact, when the practicum children found out that I was a deaf friend, a few weeks later, they learned sign language. In fact, I didn’t ask! In fact, I always said that if they wanted to consult, just chat, but this was their own will. I don’t know where they learned it, but the use of sign language is correct!” he explained.
This semester, Callan is continuing his studies. He is determined to continue his studies at UB with concentration of mass media. Continuing his dream as a lecturer and journalist, which he said he had dreamed of since in the 3rd semester.
“UB helped me a lot, in pursuing education and career. From practicum assistant to MSIB, which is still relevant to the position during the internship. “I already love UB that much,” he concluded. (VQ/ UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
