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Creating Space for Every Student: Why Inclusive Education Matters at UPH

As higher education becomes increasingly diverse, creating meaningful learning opportunities requires more than providing access. It also means building an environment where students with different needs can participate, develop their abilities, and contribute to the communities around them. At Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH), this commitment continues to take shape through the establishment of the Disability Services and Studies Unit (Unit Layanan dan Kajian Disabilitas/ULKD), officially inaugurated on September 7, 2026, at the UPH Lippo Village Campus, Tangerang.

The establishment of ULKD marks an important step in UPH’s efforts to strengthen a more inclusive academic environment, one that is responsive to the diverse needs of its students. As a unit that integrates service and research functions, ULKD provides consultation and support, individual needs assessments, recommendations for appropriate accommodations, and capacity building for faculty members and university staff. Its work also contributes to the development of policies and practices that strengthen accessibility across the university, including in physical and digital environments, learning processes, and university services.

For UPH, inclusion is not only about responding to barriers after they emerge. It also means understanding how different students experience learning and participation, and creating systems that can accommodate those differences. Through research and studies, ULKD contributes to this effort, including through approaches such as Universal Design for Learning, which seeks to create learning experiences that can respond to diverse student needs.

“ULKD is expected not only to respond to students’ needs, but also to help prevent barriers from emerging, strengthen institutional systems, and ensure that every student has a fair opportunity to learn, grow, and participate,” said Eric Jobiliong, Ph.D., Vice President of Academics, Research and Innovation at UPH.

The importance of this approach was also reflected during the seminar “Embracing Diversity, Strengthening Inclusion,” held as part of the ULKD inauguration. Prof. Frieda Mangunsong, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Universitas Indonesia, emphasized that inclusion should move beyond accommodation toward meaningful participation. Students with disabilities may require different forms of support to engage with learning and demonstrate their abilities, and understanding those needs requires looking beyond diagnostic labels to how individual conditions affect learning and participation.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Endang Rochyadi, M.Pd., Professor at the Faculty of Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, highlighted the importance of developing governance and service ecosystems that are responsive to students with disabilities. Creating an inclusive university, he noted, requires the involvement of the wider academic community, from understanding students’ needs and identifying barriers to determining appropriate support and adapting learning processes.

These perspectives point to a broader understanding of inclusion in higher education. Accessibility is not simply about removing barriers to entry; it is also about creating the conditions for students to participate meaningfully once they are part of the academic community. This requires collaboration across institutions and disciplines, including with government institutions, higher education institutions, organizations representing persons with disabilities, professional organizations, industry, and other partners.