UM Surabaya Lecturer Creates Dikta Care Eating Application and Innovation Tools for Children with Disabilities

Lecturers at Muhamamdiyah University Surabaya (UM Surabaya) have launched an innovative application and tool for people with physical disabilities under the name Dikta Care. This innovative application and tool was implemented on Wednesday (23/09/2023) to Special Schools (SLB) Foundation for Children with Disabilities (YPAC) Surabaya City as partners through the Community Partnership Empowerment (PKM) grant program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in 2023. This service program was initiated by three lecturers namely Mundakir as chairman, Idham Choliq and Lukman Hakim as members.

The head of the Community Service Team, Mundakir, said that this application and innovation tool were created based on research conducted on efforts to increase the independence of children with physical disabilities. The application link can be accessed at the following link https://www.diktacare.com/

"That the service agenda stems from partner problems regarding the lack of materials and supporting tools that support the independence of children with disabilities to carry out activities such as eating," he said.

Idham Choliq as a team member explained in more detail about Dikta Care's applications and innovation tools. According to him, the Dikta Care application can be accessed via an Android cellphone, where the contents of this application are in the form of learning modules and videos about increasing daily activities (activity daily of living) such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, and writing activities.

In this application, caregivers can also monitor the level of independence of children with disabilities. Monitoring is carried out after children with disabilities have received training in delinquent cutlery innovations that have been made according to their needs.

“Between the application and this innovative eating tool, it is a unit to increase their independence in carrying out eating activities. So, the application is used to increase caregiver knowledge and monitor student hygiene. The eating innovation tool is for training to increase independence, "said Idham.

Meanwhile, the Principal of SLB YPAC Surabaya Isrumilah said that so far teachers have not been optimal in giving lessons about independence in carrying out ADLs.

"Yes, just at a glance during class times, so indeed most of them are not able to be independent, especially eating," said Isrumilah

He expressed his gratitude to the Service Team for providing facilities in the form of cutlery applications and innovations for his students who really needed it.

“This service program is very appropriate according to our needs so far. With this program, we hope that students here can increase their independence, especially in eating activities, because it is a fundamental thing in their lives so they don't always depend on their parents," he concluded.