Our Projects
Tenggara Strategics provides valuable perspectives on what matters most to our clients. Through our collaborations with clients, we grow our sectoral knowledge and skills as well as create positive changes and improvements by transforming our insights into concrete actions.
Collaborative Action Plans: Advancing Inclusive Higher Education and Workplace for Persons with Disabilities
Pijar Foundation director of public policy Cazadira Fediva Tamzil (from left to right), Deaf activist Adhi Kusumo Bharoto, Nahdlatul Ulama University’s (UNU) Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (Gedsi) director Wiwin Siti Aminah Rohmawati, Yayasan Mitra Netra public relations Aria Indrawati, Microsoft Indonesia CFO and diversity/inclusion lead Krishna Worotikan, Nippon Foundation executive director Ichiro Kabasawa, and National Commission on Disabilities deputy chairman Deka Kurniawan pose for photo during the launch of a Collaborative Action Plan to accelerate persons with disabilities inclusion in higher education and formal employment in Jakarta. (Photo by Tenggara Strategics)
Persons with disabilities are explicitly prioritized in President Prabowo Subianto’s Asta Cita vision, highlighting their critical role in Indonesia’s future development. Additionally, Law No. 8 of 2016 provides a legal framework to ensure their access to higher education and formal employment, reinforcing the broader goal of disability inclusion as a driver of equitable economic growth.
Despite these efforts, participation remains low. In 2022, only 2.8% of persons with disabilities were enrolled in higher education, and by 2023, just 1% were employed in formal jobs. This white paper, Collaborative Action Plans: Advancing Inclusive Higher Education and Workplace for Persons with Disabilities, calls for a fundamental shift from a charity-based to a human rights-based approach to disability. This transformation would empower persons with disabilities to play an active role in shaping inclusion policies, programs, and participation.
To drive meaningful change, stakeholders must strengthen monitoring systems and expand the implementation of existing policies. The National Commission on Disabilities (KND), a key institution, is responsible for ensuring that disability governance is upheld across higher education and employment sectors. To fulfill this role effectively, its capacity must be reinforced.
Promoting greater inclusion requires stakeholders to fully understand and uphold their legal mandates. Key regulatory measures include ensuring reasonable accommodations, preventing discrimination, establishing disability service units in higher education institutions, and implementing incentive structures to encourage employers to hire persons with disabilities. Strengthening these measures is essential to creating a more inclusive and equitable society.
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