Reimagining Disability Rights in Higher Education Through Cross-Cultural Collaboration
By Dr George Koutsouris, 24 July 2025
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Indonesia visiting one of Indonesia’s leading public universities, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, located in the heart of Yogyakarta that is a vibrant, university-filled city nestled in the centre of Java. It wasn’t just a professional trip. It was an eye-opening, cross-cultural journey that deepened my understanding of inclusion, challenged my assumptions, and reminded me why international research collaborations matter so much.
From Online Encounter to On-the-Ground Engagement
This partnership began quite organically. We first connected during an online event organised by the British Council Indonesia. After the session, I received an email from a group of academics at the university in Yogyakarta—renowned for its inclusive education practices—inviting Exeter to explore a potential collaboration. That initial conversation quickly grew into a joint research project on disability rights and inclusion in higher education, co-developed across both countries.
Our teams work in parallel; the Indonesian team leads the data collection and contextual analysis in their region, while we mirror the same activities in England. It allows us to learn from one another while respecting the local nuances of our respective systems.
Understanding Through Presence
Although Zoom meetings and emails have kept the project going, nothing compares to being physically present in your collaborator’s world. The visit to Yogyakarta was about immersing myself in the local academic environment, understanding how inclusion is lived, practised, and felt.
What struck me most was the warmth and intentional inclusivity that permeated the university culture. Whether in the classroom, among staff, or during community events, you could sense a collective commitment to supporting each other. It was not just policy. It was embedded in everyday interactions. One moment that stood out was witnessing how calmly a classroom responded to a student displaying hyperactivity. In England, such situations often become formalised quickly but there, the human, community-driven approach really supported the student.
Contrasts and Commonalities
There are clear differences between our disability support systems. In the UK, we have structured, formal support frameworks. We have an accessibility centre, disability disclosure mechanisms, individual support plans, and dedicated funding. These systems are valuable, especially for domestic students, and offer clear pathways for support.
Indonesia, in contrast, has less formalised infrastructure. Disclosure rates are generally low. Sometimes only a handful of students across large institutions identify as disabled. This could be due to stigma, lack of awareness or recognition of disability. Yet, paradoxically, the sense of inclusion in the Indonesian university I visited felt natural and sincere. There was a strong community ethos, one that sees inclusion as collective caring rather than bureaucratic process.
This is reflected across their community. I had the opportunity to attend a cultural event at the university and the beautiful music and lyrics of the songs reflected deep values of community, participation, and belonging. It was moving and inspiring, and it made me reflect on how differently we talk about inclusion back home. In the UK, inclusion is often about access. In Indonesia, it's also about togetherness.
Building a Global Conversation Around Disability Rights
Our collaboration is still in its early phases, with data collection underway in both countries. But what’s already clear is that this partnership holds great promise. Our findings will hopefully enable us to influence national policy conversations around disability inclusion. By looking at these two very different contexts side by side, we are better able to understand the strengths, gaps, and future possibilities in both countries.
