History

Center for Disability Services, later known as Center for Disability Studies and Services, is an institution under Brawijaya University which provides services for persons with disabilities. CDS UB was established in 19 March 2012. CDS UB was established on March 19, 2012. This was motivated by a situation where there is no access to higher education for persons with disabilities, even though the right to non-discriminatory education is protected by the Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution and international conventions.

Due to limited access to higher education for persons with disabilities, less than one percent of persons with disabilities have undergraduate degrees. In Indonesia, the education model for persons with disabilities is still segregative, providing special education through special schools. This model separates people with disabilities from non-disabled in different environments, so that after the study people with disabilities are not ready to blend in with a wider environment.

Access, admission, and requirement, to higher education is also difficult for persons with disabilities because some universities require them to be “physically and mentally healthy” (sehat jasmani dan rohani). This also happened at Universitas Brawijaya where previously there were no accessibile facilities and infrastructure. There was also little knowledge of the campus community about disability issues, even one of the philosophies of Brawijaya's identity contained in the symbol and logo of UB is dynamic, universal, and just.