Guaranteed access to inclusive and equal education is the key to improving quality of life. Having access to quality education is a right of all people without any exceptions. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put the education as one of the main goals in point 4: Quality Education, along with the target to eliminate discrimination in education for vulnerable groups, one of which is diffabled people. By guaranteeing equal access to education for diffabled people, we hope that global development can lead to the realisation of point 10: Reduced Inequalities. Pusat Bahasa UGM (UGM Language Center) has the honour to participate in the efforts to eradicate discrimination against disabled groups in education in the AcEPT test that was held on July 10, 2024.
Fatkhurrohman, visually impaired, participated in the AcEPT test on that day. The day before the test, the 24-year-old man went to UGM Language Center’s office to notify us of his condition. Knowing that a participant is diffabled, AcEPT testing operators team immediately made changes to the system, including preparing a special room, searching for an officer to read the questions, and arranging new schedule with additional time. Although this was the first time he took the AcEPT test at UGM Language Center, Fathur said he was very happy and felt that the facilities provided are really helpful, especially because the officer from UGM Language Center read the English test questions fluently and smoothly, according to him. For visually impaired people like him, the reading skills of the officers greatly make the test easier.
On the other hand, Fathur told us that test organisers should pay more attention to the types and forms of questions used so that they can facilitate diffabled participants. For example, for visually diffabled people, questions in the form of graphs and tables can be adjusted. Previously, UGM Language Center had received teman Tuli (Deaf friends) as AcEPT test participants. The AcEPT testing operators team adjusted the questions used and eliminated the Listening session specifically for teman Tuli who participated in the test.
Whatever the result he gets, Fathur told us that he will study more to take another English proficiency test again. This UIN Sunan Kalijaga’s graduate hopes that in the future there will be more and more institutions that are diffabled-friendly and implement inclusivity values. UGM Language Centre, as an agent that actively strives for inclusivity and equity in education, will always open its doors to diffabled friends who want to use our services.