The University of Adelaide Visits UB to Share Disability Services Experience

Professors and students of The University of Adelaide visited the Universitas Brawijaya Center for Disability Services (SLD UB) to explore further how the practice of higher education disability services in Indonesia, Thursday (13/7/2023). The group, which had also previously visited the Department of Psychology, was welcomed by SLD administrators, students with disabilities, and volunteers on the 2nd floor of the Disability Services House.

"The interesting things we can find here, after I was here a few years ago before the pandemic. Disability services are very important and there are many things we can learn from the Indonesian campus," said Professor Deborah Turnbull, a representative from The University of Adelaide.

Head of UB Center for Disability Services Zubaidah Ningsih AS, Ph.D said how disability services at UB take place on a daily basis. Zubaidah explained from the historical aspect, the context of the existence of disability services in higher education, to each type of service and its challenges so far.

"Mentoring services are the most intense here. Volunteers play a big role in this service. Many things are very unexpected, especially when students with disabilities participate in outside activities such as the current internship program," Zubaidah explained.

In this meeting, several students with various disabilities were present to welcome students and professors from The University of Adelaide. Each of them introduced themselves one by one. They also shared how their college experience had been.

"I may not look like a person with disability, but I actually have a mental disability," said Dani, a student from the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, as he introduced himself in English.

Afif, one of the students with visual disabilities who also recently graduated from the Department of Psychology, practiced how he uses a screen reader to access information and teaching materials.

"That's how my friends with visual impairments and I use devices to access information and read books. So teaching material files must be accessible at UB," said Afif, translated into English by a volunteer.

Meanwhile, Fathur admitted that he was greatly helped by the volunteers because they were the ones who spoke the sign language to Deaf students.

Graciella Pranata, a volunteer and a Psychology student, was very busy at this event. She translated sign language as well as Indonesian to English, or vice versa. Personally, as a volunteer, she was also asked questions by Professor Turnbull about her motivation to get involved in disability services.

"I know many things related to disability issues here. It supports what I learned in Psychology," she said.

At the end of the visit, students from The University of Adelaide learned sign language with their Deaf students. Simple sign language such as the alphabet and greeting signs were learned together with the guidance of Deaf students and sign language interpreters.

"American Sign Language, which I know, relies on one hand like the Indonesian Sign Language System here. Well, we use more Indonesian Sign Language (Bisindo), it's different," Fathur explained.