Thirteen individuals with disabilities have participated in the 2023 UGM Independent Admission Test (UM-CBT).
“Out of the 39,533 participants this year, 13 participants with disabilities took the test at UGM campuses in Yogyakarta and Jakarta,” said Vice-Rector for Education and Learning, Professor Wening Udasmoro, at UGM, on Monday (3/7).
The vice-rector explained that twelve took the test at the Yogyakarta campus on July 1, 3, and 4, 2023, while one took it at the Jakarta campus on July 6, 2023. The thirteen participants with disabilities consist of one with visual impairment, one with low vision, five with physical disabilities, and six with hard of hearing.
Professor Udasmoro said that UGM provided support and facilities to participants with disabilities during the test. For participants with visual impairment and low vision, UGM provided tools such as screen readers and interpreters to facilitate their understanding of the test questions.
Adequate access and suitable rooms were also provided for participants with physical disabilities to facilitate their mobility to and within the examination rooms.
The Peduli Difabel Student Activity Unit coordinated with the participants to meet their needs before the examination. The unit accompanied the participants to the examination rooms on the test day.
Inside, participants with disabilities received assistance during document checking and examination support for those requiring it, such as those with visual impairment, low vision, and hard of hearing.
“The facilitation provided to participants with disabilities is a manifestation of UGM’s strong commitment to becoming an inclusive campus that is friendly to people with disabilities,” she explained.
Professor Udasmoro stated that these efforts were made to support the delivery of sustainable development goals, especially in ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. These also strengthen an inclusive and peaceful society for sustainable development and provide access to justice for all community members.
In addition to facilitating participants with disabilities, the professor added that UGM also prepared health teams at each examination location, including sites in cities outside Yogyakarta.
Alban, a UM-CBT participant with low vision from Yogyakarta, acknowledged the assistance provided by UGM. Having a companion and giving special devices during the examination, such as screen readers and accessible locations for participants with disabilities, were helpful.
“It’s great that UGM assists participants with disabilities. Perhaps in the future, the screen reader tools can be enhanced to read specific images, especially for mathematics questions, as it is somewhat challenging to understand when a companion reads the questions,” he said.
Gozfrita, a hard-of-hearing participant from Palangkaraya, expressed a similar sentiment. She completed the examination smoothly and benefited from the assistance provided by UGM until the end of the process.
The UM-CBT started on June 21, 2023, and ended on July 8, 2023. The examination was held in six cities in Indonesia: Pekanbaru, Balikpapan, Medan, Makassar, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta.
Out of the 39,533 UM-CBT participants, 30,791 took the examination in Yogyakarta, 5,507 in Jakarta, 1,200 in Pekanbaru, 1,195 in Medan, 371 in Balikpapan, and 470 in Makassar.
A total of 25,192 participants took the exam in science and technology, 13,225 participants in social sciences and humanities, and 1,116 participants in both fields. UM-CBT results will be announced on July 13, 2023.
Author: Ika
Photographer: Donnie