Learning disabilities: Creating inclusive educational environment in higher education

Learning disabilities are considered as invisible disabilities. The Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, with support from the ILO and Yayasan Peduli Anak Spesial (YPAS), examined ways to create inclusive tertiary education institutions and to optimize the potentials of students with learning disabilities.

News | Jakarta, Indonesia | 26 March 2021
Evan P. Manuel Situmorang, 25 years old, just looks like any other young workers. As an IT programme at PT Metrodata Electronics, he is always busy in front of his laptop. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been working from home and communicating his works through phones and emails.


It has been a long journey for Evan to be able to work independently. As a person with attention deficit disorder (ADD), he has difficulties to stay focus that make him difficult to follow instructions, keep up with the assignments and have social interaction.

I hope, therefore, people focus on what we can do and not focus what we can’t do due to ADD."

Evan P. Manuel Situmorang, an IT officer
“When I was a child until I was in the junior high school, I was not able to talk to other people. I did not know how interact. After I undertook sessions with a psychologist, I can interact with my environment,” told Evan.

He studied and graduated from Swiss German University in Tangerang, Banten where he had an opportunity to spend one semester in German. “For the first time I lived independently and I enjoyed my life there. I hope, therefore, people focus on what we can do and not focus what we can’t do due to ADD,” he added, sharing his experience before 400 participants viewing the webinar about learning disabilities on 22 March.

It is the priority of the Ministry of Education and Culture to continue improving the quality and innovation of the education, including the higher education."

Nizam, Director General for Higher Education
The webinar, “Students with Learning Disabilities in Universities: Implications and Opportunities of Optimizing Their Potentials”, was conducted by the Directorate for Higher-Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture with support from the ILO and Yayasan Peduli Anak Spesial (YPAS), a foundation for special children. The webinar aimed to create inclusive tertiary education institutions and to optimize the potentials of students with learning disabilities.

We need to create an environment for people with learning disabilities to comfortably open up their status by promoting inclusivity through disability confident employers, demanded skills training for labour market and legislations that promote job matching."

Esteban Tromel, ILO’s Senior Disability Specialist
“We greatly welcome this opportunity as a way to broaden our knowledge about people with learning disabilities so that we can provide needed support and educational environment. It is the priority of the Ministry of Education and Culture to continue improving the quality and innovation of the education, including the higher education,” said Nizam, Director General for Higher Education.

Esteban Tromel, ILO’s Senior Disability Specialist, congratulated Indonesia for its effort to create an inclusive environment at higher-education organizations, particularly for issues related to learning disabilities. For many, neuro diversity, which includes learning disabilities, is still considered as a new concept.

“They are still invisible and hidden. Therefore, we need to create an environment for people with learning disabilities to comfortably open up their status by promoting inclusivity through disability confident employers, demanded skills training for labour market and legislations that promote job matching,” he said.

Understanding the needs of students with learning disabilities

ADD is one of the forms of learning disabilities that are also known as hidden disabilities. Ages Soerjana, Counsellor of Talent School of Yayasan Peduli Anak Spesial (YPAS), a foundation for special children, explained about learning disabilities such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia and Dysgraphia.

“People with learning disabilities look like any other people, yet they may struggle as much as people with obvious disabilities. They also have good education, talent and skills. However, for example people with ADD, they have difficulty paying attention and staying in task. It means that workers with ADD need to have clear instructions in writing or with visual,” she explained.

We conduct regular seminars for heads of faculties and staff about these issues, including for guest lecturers, involve classmates to help assisting them and raising the awareness to prevent bullying and coordinate with parents provide us with better understanding about them."

Julius Andi Nugroho, a lecturer for art and design and a student counselor of Tarumanegara University
Sharing the experience of Tarumanegara University to create inclusive educational environment, Julius Andi Nugroho, a lecturer for art and design and a student counselor, said that the university has developed a mechanism to adapt with the needs of students with learning disabilities. The mechanism has involved the roles of heads of university and faculties, parents and students, particularly classmates of the students with learning disabilities.

“To date we have eight students with learning disabilities and we have involved all relevant parties to create supportive learning environment. We conduct regular seminars for heads of faculties and staff about these issues, including for guest lecturers, involve classmates to help assisting them and raising the awareness to prevent bullying and coordinate with parents provide us with better understanding about them,” explained Julius.

There is a 3 percent-quota for universities for people with disabilities. Thus, the system acts as the voice and the face of students with learning disabilities."

Dr. Jayanthi Narayan, Expert on Special Education from India
Learning from the experience of India, Dr. Jayanthi Narayan, Expert on Special Education, stated that the 2016 Indian Education Act covers 21 types of disabilities, including learning disabilities. The country has also developed commissionaires for disability in all regions with judicial power to make an immediate decision needed related to education and disability, including learning disabilities.

Young people, when they are 14 years old and diagnosed with learning disabilities, are allowed to drop subjects that are difficult for them to follow and could choose other subjects that could optimize their potential. “There is a 3 percent-quota for universities for people with disabilities. Thus, the system acts as the voice and the face of students with learning disabilities,” stated Jayanthi.

In addition to the supportive learning environment, Joko Yuwono, Disability Service Unit from State University of Sebelas Maret (UNS) in Surakarta, explained about the role of the Disability Service Unit at the university to assist students with disabilities, including students with learning disabilities, overcoming challenges that they face during their study and the need to provide the employment support.

We need to map their competencies and capabilities to be connected with the demands of the companies."

Joko Yuwono, Disability Service Unit from State University of Sebelas Maret (UNS) in Surakarta
“The majority of students with learning disabilities still face challenges in finding jobs after graduating from the university. We need to map their competencies and capabilities to be connected with the demands of the companies,” he added.

The webinar was concluded with the discussion about the inclusion of these types of invisible disabilities into government’s policies and programme developments that would complemented the government’s existing regulations on education services for people with disabilities. One of the mechanism that could be optimized was the establishment of Disability Service Unit in universities nationwide.

“Individuals with learning disabilities with their own specific characteristics of special needs have the right to get good education and participate in the world of work according to their abilities and competencies. They also have the right for having independence in their lives,” concluded Tendy Gunawan, ILO’s programme officer for equal employment.