Students with disabilities rarely get a university education in Indonesia. But the State Islamic University in Yogyakarta is leading the country with a new initiative in inclusive education for what they called the “diffable” – those with different abilities.

A group of Indonesians who studied Social Work at McGill were inspired by the Canadian model to establish a Centre for Disabilities Studies and Services at the State Islamic University Sunan Kalijga (UIN Suka) in Yogyakarta, the first of its kind in the country.

The Centre, which opened in 2007, provides services for 29 blind students studying in degree programs.  Services include adapted computers and student volunteers who assist on campus and in the classroom.  It is also a base for developing awareness of inclusive education and to implement changes at the university to accommodate the students, such as creating a specialized collection of e-books.  The Centre has plans to expand to include students with other kinds of disabilities.

This initiative could  have a large long-term impact in Indonesia.  UIN Suka, the oldest university in the Islamic Higher Education system, has a significant influence on attitudes and practices in Indonesia.  Professors write newspaper articles and deliver speeches to diverse groups, locally and nationally in addition to their role as teachers and researchers.  Their promotion of inclusion education is important.  UIN students and alumni who maintain strong links to their communities are also effective advocates of social justice.

Marion Steff, who completed her PhD in Education in 2009, will be working at UIN Suka from August 2009 to July 2010 in response to the university’s request to AHED for a disabilities specialist.  This, she says, is her dream.  She has been waiting to finish her doctorate so that she can work abroad and add to her experience and knowledge in her field.