AIL UNAIR Achievements

The UNAIR AIL Unit has recorded a number of significant achievements in its efforts to create an education environment that is friendly to students with special needs. Some of the achievements of the UNAIR AIL Unit include:

1. Since 2018, every year, UNAIR's AIL Unit has recruited student volunteers to serve as MBK assistants during campus activities, such as assisting with accessibility and mobility; providing assistance during lectures, final project guidance, or library activities; as well as assistance during the graduation process. In 2023, these mentoring activities were published in a paper presented at the 2023 ASAIHL Conference in Tokyo, titled Assisting students with disabilities: Volunteer experience in Universitas Airlangga. The results of this qualitative study show that volunteer assistance activities not only have a positive impact on the participation and comfort of MBK, but also serve as a learning medium for volunteers in empathizing with social issues that arise around them and providing inspiration that develops resilience.
2. Along with the recruitment of volunteer assistants, the UNAIR AIL Unit held a training session aimed at equipping volunteers with sufficient knowledge and skills to assist friends with disabilities on campus. Through this training, volunteers gain an understanding of inclusive education, types of disabilities, interaction ethics, and appropriate assistance methods in academic and non-academic/extracurricular activities.
3. The AIL UNAIR unit also holds incidental activities that raise issues surrounding inclusive education in higher education, such as the “Unair Inclusion Day 2021” webinar. This webinar not only served as an educational medium for the academic community, but also as a forum for discussion and collaboration between academics, practitioners, and disability organizations. With the participation of participants from various backgrounds, this activity contributed to raising collective awareness of the importance of creating an inclusive, equitable, and non-discriminatory learning environment.
4. Through collaboration with Airlangga University Library, the UNAIR AIL Unit has initiated the provision of assistive technology to facilitate access to information for MBK, which is centered in the Narayana Room on the 1st floor of the UNAIR Campus B Library. Some of the assistive technology facilities available include zoom max, talking computers, and zoom magnifiers. There are also touch screen computers with NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) software. A study of MBK activities in utilizing this assistive technology was presented by the UNAIR AIL Unit at the International Conference on Disability Rights (ICDR 2023) in Yogyakarta and published in the proceedings with the paper title Assistive technology adoption and impact on academic success: A case study of university library resources for students with disabilities.
5. The UNAIR AIL Unit continues to strive to establish partnerships with other institutions engaged in the field of disability and inclusion. In 2024, together with a number of ULDs from other universities, the UNAIR AIL Unit joined the Consortium for Inclusive Education in Higher Education formed by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Technology, and Vocational Education.