Breaking the Barriers: Shaping Disability‐Responsive Public Service Through Policy and Community Capacities in Lamongan Regency, Indonesia

ABSTRACT Public services often fail persons with disabilities due to persistent structural barriers. This study examines the navigation of these challenges in Lamongan Regency, Indonesia, through collaboration between state policy and disability community capacity. By drawing on 27 semi‐structured interviews with government and community representatives, this research analyzes inclusive services development at the Lamongan Public Service Mall. The findings demonstrate that critical government capacities, including analytical, operational, and political capacities, are contingent upon an organized disability community possessing strong advocacy skills. This research extends policy capacity theory by demonstrating that state capacity is not a self‐contained attribute but realized through a symbiotic relationship with community capacity, thereby challenging state‐centric models. Based on these insights, the study recommends that local governments institutionalize participatory design channels to overcome operational blind spots. Furthermore, it suggests that civil society organizations should evolve advocacy strategies from raising visibility to technical service monitoring.