SDG 10.6.9 Disability Access Scheme

Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) operates, as a body, a disability access scheme that makes it possible for people with disabilities to apply to, study at, work at and visit the University on equal terms. The scheme is anchored in Rector’s Decree No. 40A/R/2025 of 28 May 2025, which established a Technical Implementation Unit for Disability Services (Unit Pelaksana Teknis Layanan Disabilitas) accountable to the Rector, under the national framework on reasonable accommodation for learners with disabilities. It is reinforced by Rector’s Circular No. 1c/Rek/UIII/SE.01/1/2025 on Strengthening an Inclusive and Anti-Discriminatory Campus, which guarantees the rights of people with disabilities and requires disability-friendly programmes, services and facilities in every work unit. The scheme covers every stage of access: entry, through non-discriminatory admission, encouragement to apply, verification of needs and accommodation in selection, and funded places under the affirmative LPDP scheme for persons with disabilities; study and work, through reasonable accommodation, the Disability Services Unit and psychological support; the built environment, through ramps, lifts, accessible toilets and wayfinding; and campus culture, through awareness and capacity building. It applies to prospective and enrolled students, academic and administrative staff, and visitors (Table 1).

Table 1. Disability access scheme at a glance.

1. Formal Basis of the Scheme

1.1. Rector’s Decree No. 40A/R/2025

The scheme rests on an explicit legal instrument rather than discretionary practice. On 28 May 2025 the Rector issued Decree No. 40A/R/2025 establishing the Technical Implementation Unit for Disability Services. The decree creates a standing unit placed under and accountable to the Rector, with a Head, a Secretary and implementing staff, and assigns it the following tasks:

1. preparing operational work plans for disability services;

2. formulating technical policy on disability services;

3. drafting the norms, standards, procedures and criteria for service delivery;

4. delivering and managing disability services, including training and advocacy, cooperation, assessment and competency development;

5. evaluating and reporting on disability services; and

6. reporting the results of its work to the Rector. All costs of implementing the decree are charged to the University budget, a standing allocation of resources rather than a one-off measure. The decree takes into account Government Regulation No. 13 of 2020 on Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Disabilities and Minister of Religious Affairs Regulation No. 1 of 2024 on Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Disabilities in education units under the Ministry, together with the University Statute and Rector’s Regulation No. 3 of 2025 on the Organisation and Work Procedures of units below the Rector. This places the scheme within enforceable national obligations.

Public access: https://jdih.uiii.ac.id/detail/457

1.2. Rector’s Circular No. 1c/Rek/UIII/SE.01/1/2025

The Circular, issued on 2 January 2025 and binding on all work units, lecturers, staff and students, makes access for people with disabilities a duty of the whole University. It declares UIII an inclusive campus that provides equal opportunities, access and services regardless of physical ability; requires every work unit to develop disability-friendly programmes and services; guarantees the rights of vulnerable groups including people with disabilities; requires disability-friendly facilities in all faculty buildings and work units; and designates the Disability Services Unit to receive complaints, provide assistance and follow up cases.

Public access: https://jdih.uiii.ac.id/detail/474

2. Access at Entry

2.1. Non-discriminatory admission and encouragement to apply

Rector’s Regulation No. 17 of 2021 on New Student Admissions requires admission without distinction of disability or minority status (Art. 3(d)). The admissions portal tells every applicant that they have “a right to equal treatment without discrimination”, and the admissions guidance for 2025/2026 explicitly encourages individuals with disabilities to apply.

2.2. Verification of needs and accommodation in selection

Applicants with disabilities can request accommodation during selection. Their condition is verified through medical and psychological assessment by certified professionals, so that the University can plan the support needed for the document review, interview and, once admitted, for study. However, during the 2025 selection cycle, there were 0 (zero) applicants who explicitly requested these accommodations.

2.3. Funded places and removal of cost barriers

The affirmative scheme of the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) opens funded places at UIII for persons with disabilities, together with underprivileged applicants and Papuan students. Applicants in financial need, including applicants with disabilities, may also request a waiver of the application fee of IDR 750,000 or USD 50 (Rector’s Regulation No. 17 of 2021, Art. 14(3)).

Public access: https://admissions.uiii.ac.id/home/en; https://uiii.ac.id/admissions/application-fee-waiver

3. Access in Study and Work

Once admitted or employed, people with disabilities are supported by two units established in 2025. The Disability Services Unit coordinates reasonable accommodation and assistance, and receives and follows up complaints. The Counselling and Mental Health Services (CMHS), established by Rector’s Decree No. 40/R/2025 on the same day, provides confidential individual, crisis and career counselling, in person and online, to students and staff, including those with psychosocial disabilities. In its QS World University Rankings: Sustainability submission UIII reported disability access schemes with mentoring and targeted support, accommodation for persons with disabilities and a reasonable adjustment policy. Therefore, in 2025, the reasonable accommodations provided included confidential individual counseling, crisis support, and flexible online sessions. A total of 14 beneficiaries received these targeted psychosocial support and accommodations through the Counselling and Mental Health Services (CMHS).

Public access: https://cmhs.uiii.ac.id/

4. Physical Access

The built environment is part of the scheme. All operational buildings have accessible toilets, ramps, tactile guiding paths and accessible parking, and all multi-storey buildings have lifts (see indicator 10.6.7). Examples:

4.1. Step-free routes

At the central approach between the main plaza and the faculty building, an inclined ramp runs alongside the broad staircase and provides a continuous step-free route to the entrance, within the main flow of campus movement rather than in a separate or inconvenient location.

4.2. Lifts

Passenger lifts serve every floor of the multi-storey academic buildings, with call panels and floor indicators that can be reached from a seated position, so that classrooms, offices and study spaces on every level are within reach of staff and students with mobility limitations.

4.3. Accessible toilets and wayfinding

Designated accessible toilets have stainless-steel grab bars on both sides of the toilet, a side-mounted hand spray within reach and clear floor space for a wheelchair. Overhead signs name the accessible toilet, show the direction and give the room code, so that visitors unfamiliar with a building can find it independently.

Table 2. Physical access provisions, 2025.

5. Awareness and Capacity Building

Training and advocacy are statutory tasks of the Disability Services Unit, because lasting access depends on a community that understands why accommodations matter and how to support those who rely on them. In 2025:

1. on 30 April 2025 the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Climate Talk brought Farhan Helmy, President of the Disability and Elderly Movement of Indonesia (DILANS), to speak on the rights of persons with disabilities and older people in climate adaptation;

2. on 20 August 2025 the Faculty of Education founded the Center for Global and Transformative Education with an Inclusive Education Research Unit;

3. on 5 December 2025 CMHS held a Workshop on Mental Health First Aid for students and staff, reducing stigma around psychosocial disability;

4. in November 2025 a Faculty of Education lecturer spoke on neurodiversity at a school in Bogor.

5. In December 2025, UIII conducted a capacity-building and awareness workshop titled 'Mental Health First Aid' organized by the Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS as part of Disability Services Unit. The session equipped students, faculty, and staff with practical skills to identify early indicators of psychological distress, manage anxiety attacks, and provide compassionate initial support. This initiative marks the launch of a structured series aimed at enhancing community capability, reducing stigma, and fostering a supportive environment for individuals facing psychosocial challenge.

Public link: https://uiii.ac.id/next-stop-student-well-being-how-uiii-treats-its-students-and-sets-a-new-standard/

6. Development of the Scheme

UIII continues to widen the scheme. UIII and the National Commission for Disabilities (KND) agreed to draft a memorandum of understanding, to provide accommodations during selection and study such as sign-language interpreters and adaptive interviews, to support candidates with English proficiency tests, and to run outreach in disability communities, so that the LPDP affirmative quota for candidates with disabilities is better used.

Public access: https://academic.uiii.ac.id/?p=207

SDGs Relevance: Quality Education (4.5, 4.a), Decent Work (8.5), Reduced Inequalities (10.2, 10.3)

7. Summary of the Disability Access Scheme

Table 3. Components of the scheme and public evidence.

References

[1] Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. Rector’s Decree No. 40A/R/2025 on the Establishment of the Technical Implementation Unit for Disability Services. Depok, 28 May 2025. https://jdih.uiii.ac.id/detail/457

[2] Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. Rector’s Circular No. 1c/Rek/UIII/SE.01/1/2025 on Strengthening an Inclusive and Anti-Discriminatory Campus. Depok, 2 January 2025. https://jdih.uiii.ac.id/detail/474

[3] Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. Rector’s Decree No. 40/R/2025 on the Establishment of the Technical Implementation Unit for Counselling and Mental Health Services. Depok, 28 May 2025.

[4] Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. Rector’s Regulation No. 17 of 2021 on New Student Admissions. https://jdih.uiii.ac.id/detail/235

[5] Government of Indonesia. Government Regulation No. 13 of 2020 on Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Disabilities.

[6] Ministry of Religious Affairs. Minister of Religious Affairs Regulation No. 1 of 2024 on Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Disabilities.

[7] UIII Admissions Portal. https://admissions.uiii.ac.id/home/en

[8] Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. UIII SDG 10 Report 2025: Reduced Inequalities.

[9] Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. Laporan QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2027 (Social Impact).