Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies Volume 12 Issue 2 2025, 203-219 org/10.
21776/ub.
Research paper Factors Supporting the Academic Success of Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Universities Eva Meizara Puspita Dewi .
Faculty of Psychology.
Universitas Negeri Makassar.
Indonesia Ahmad Razak .
Faculty of Psychology.
Universitas Negeri Makassar.
Indonesia Basti Tetteng .
Faculty of Psychology.
Universitas Negeri Makassar.
Indonesia Asmiati .
Faculty of Psychology.
Universitas Negeri Makassar.
Indonesia Riza Amalia .
Universitas Muhammadiyah Sampit Kalimantan Tengah.
Indonesia Abstract A multitude of factors exert inCuence on the learning process of students with disabilities in higher education.
The present study aims to ascertain the factors that facilitate the academic success of students with disabilities in inclusive universities.
In this study, researchers employed a qualitative approach.
The data for this study was collected using two methods: questionnaires and interviews.
The present study involved thirty-seven students with disabilities, including those with visual impairments, physical disabilities, mental disabilities, and deafness.
These students have been identiAed as those with disabilities who demonstrate excellence in both academic and non-academic domains.
The attainment of success is the result of dedication and application, often with the assistance of others.
The Andings of this study suggest that two factors are instrumental in determining the academic achievement of students with disabilities in inclusive universities: internal and external factors.
Internal factors are those which are intrinsic to the student with disabilities, and may include motivation, self-conAdence, locus of control, mental strength, adaptability, intellectual ability, and communication skills.
Externallyderived factors are factors that originate from external sources, speciAcally support from others, facilities and infrastructure, and learning tools.
Article history Received: 2/11/2024 Revised: 24/9/2025 Accepted: 3/11/2025 Keywords Academic achievement.
Universities.
Inclusive Higher Education.
Students with disabilities 1 Research background Education is the key to individual development for social progress.
By providing education to children, we help them prepare for the future, develop their potential, and contribute to social and economic development.
Education has the potential to reduce poverty and inequality.
By giving children access to proper education, we help reduce the social and economic disparities that exist in society.
Countries that invest in children's education tend to be more developed and sustainable because good Eva Meizara Puspita Dewi meizara@unm.
A 2025 The Author.
Published by Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License .
org/licenses/by-nc/4.
0/).
204 | Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies education can help improve economic competitiveness, promote active participation in society, and help create a more stable society.
The legal basis for stating that every child has the right to school comes from various international treaties and laws as well as national laws.
Law No.
20/2003 on the National Education System: This law is an amendment to the previous law that further emphasizes the importance of education for children and their right to it.
It underscores the importance of education for children and emphasizes only getting proper education, in accordance with human rights principles that protect children's rights.
Students are individuals whose average age is 18-24 years old who are studying in higher Universities or campuses as one of the levels of education are obliged to provide the services needed by students.
In general, individuals who become students on campus are physically and mentally healthy individuals who do not need special services or media to support the teaching and learning process on campus.
However, there are individuals who need special services or media to support their lives because they are a group of people with disabilities .
pecial need.
Not a few people with disabilities who want to enter as students on campus to optimize their abilities.
Inclusive education is an educational concept that is expected to optimize the abilities of students with disabilities.
Inclusive education views that children with special needs are not seen as a form of deAciency but are understood as different physical conditions that can conduct activities in diverse ways and achievements (Isrowiyanti, 2.
Inclusive education guarantees equality and social justice, opening opportunities for children with special needs to receive quality education so that individuals can develop their potential and contribute to society.
For students with disabilities, it is different.
Their priority is to And a college that provides infrastructure services that are in accordance with their specialty, then determine whether there is a Aeld of study they want, so students with disabilities are certainly faced with few and very limited choices (Karellou, 2.
Not all universities in Indonesia are ready to launch an inclusion program, only well-known campuses have succeeded in getting an award from the central government as a campus that cares about special college students, including the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.
Universitas Negeri Jakarta.
Universitas Negeri Surabaya.
Universitas Indonesia.
Universitas Negeri Semarang.
Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November.
Universitas Airlangga and UIN Sunan Kalijaga (Lolytasari, 2.
Andayani and Afandi .
, stated that inclusive education in Indonesia universities has been regulated by the Ministry of Education and Culture Regulation No.
46 of 2014 concerning Special Education.
This regulation describes the concepts, objectives, infrastructure, learning programs and educators that must be fulAlled by universities in implementing inclusive education.
However, most universities have not become disability-friendly places due to facilities that do not support the needs of people with disabilities (Morgado.
Cortes-Vega.
Lopez-Gavira.
Alvarez & Morina, 2.
At present, some people with disabilities who are students in higher education still receive discriminatory treatment (Andayani & Afandi, 2.
This causes individuals Factors Supporting the Academic Success of Students with Disabilities A | 205 with disabilities to have difficulty adjusting to their learning environment due to inadequate social support and infrastructure that is difficult for students with special needs to access.
In fact, through inclusive education in higher education, students with disabilities are expected to learn, participate and be seen as valuable individuals (Morgado, et al.
, 2.
On an idealistic level, the right of every individual to an equal and inclusive education is a principle that is upheld.
This includes students with disabilities, who have the right to access higher education without discrimination.
The principles of human rights, equality and non-discrimination should make inclusive education in higher education a fundamental right that should be granted.
Higher education is one of the educational environments that plays a key role in realizing inclusive education.
In recent years, the issue of inclusive education in higher education has become an increasingly relevant and important topic of discussion because after high school where will they go? The implementation of education in higher education has many challenges, both related to the wrong paradigm of society on individuals with disabilities, inadequate campus management and human resources, and campus facilities that are not yet inclusive (Muhibbin, 2.
Perceptions of inclusive education in higher education are also not all In addition, there is no curriculum that is tailored to the needs of students so that teachers, assistive technology, and lecture diktats are unable to facilitate the speciAcities of individuals with disabilities (Andayani & Ro'fah, 2.
Likewise, the facilities available at universities are not disability-friendly, such as road construction that does not support the use of wheelchairs on campus (Ajisukmo, 2.
In its implementation, the government is still serious about inclusive education at the school level and has not yet reached universities.
However, some universities have tried to do it well because they consciously and seriously feel that inclusive education is important to implement so that they continue to make improvements and optimal services for students with disabilities.
The results also make students with disabilities able to learn optimally according to academic demands and become ready to work after On the other hand, there are still many universities that are less conAdent in implementing inclusive education because they feel they do not have the readiness both in terms of mental/psychological and facilities.
In fact, unconsciously there are students with disabilities in every university, but they are not well detected so that it becomes a separate problem for both university managers, teaching lecturers and students with disabilities.
Therefore, a serious study is needed so that a comprehensive policy can be taken for the implementation of inclusive education in higher education.
Actually, the government has strengthened the implementation of inclusive education in higher education by issuing Law No.
8/2016 concerning Persons with Disabilities, where there are 3 articles, namely: Article 42: Every higher education provider must facilitate the establishment of a disability service unit.
Article 44: Universities that organize teacher education are required to include courses on inclusive education in the curriculum.
Article 97: The Government and Regional Governments are obliged to guarantee infrastructure that is easily accessible to persons with disabilities.
Several research publications in higher education show that the achievement of students with disabilities varies between high and low levels of academic achievement.
206 | Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies Research by Foreman.
Dempsey.
Robinson, and Manning .
shows that the average academic performance of disabled students is signiAcantly lower than non-disabled Students with disabilities also completed college longer, and the proportion of dropouts was also higher.
Psychologically, students with disabilities lack conAdence, feel unsuccessful in their studies (McKenzie & Schweitzer, 2.
, and feel isolated (Shevlin.
Kenny & McNeela, 2.
Research by the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities .
shows that the GPA (Grade Point Averag.
of disabled students is lower than non-disabled, more dropouts and more absences from But other research studies (Horn & Berktold, 1.
show that academic achievement in the form of GPA of students with disabilities is not different from nondisabled students.
Some studies even found that the academic achievement of disabled students is higher than non-disabled ones (Willett, 2002.
Jorgensen, et al.
The highest academic achievement was occupied by people with emotional disorders, while the lowest was occupied by autistic students.
Overall, it shows that the academic achievement of fourteen students with disabilities whose achievement is low is only 4% of the students with high grades.
2 Research question This study addresses Ave research questions: .
Which internal factors .
motivation, self-conAdence, locus of control, mental strength, adaptability, intellectual ability, and communicatio.
are most strongly associated with academic success among students with disabilities? .
Which external factors .
, family, peers, lecturers, facilities and infrastructure, and assistive/learning tool.
facilitate success? .
How are inclusive policies implemented at the university level, and which institutional supports .
eadership, internal regulations.
Cexible academic systems, and lecturer trainin.
enable or hinder implementation? .
Where do gaps persist between policy and practice, including accessibility, adaptive pedagogy, and availability of assistive technologies? .
What role do social support and campus/community networks play in studentsAo day-to-day navigation of coursework and assessment? 3 Method In this study, the type of research used is qualitative research.
According to Creswell .
qualitative research is a means to explore and understand the meaning of social problems from individuals or groups.
The subjects in this study were students with disabilities in inclusive universities who had academic achievement with a minimum GPA of 3.
ndicated by their Anal transcrip.
Data collection techniques in this study were conducted using questionnaires .
pen and close.
, and interviews.
Qualitative data analysis in this study was carried out by following the steps proposed by Creswell .
, namely.
preparing the data that has been obtained, reading the data as a whole.
coding all data.
applying the coding process to describe the setting, participants, categories, and themes to be analysed.
how descriptions and themes will be restated in the report.
Data veriAcation was conducted using triangulation, namely by interviewing several research subjects.
Factors Supporting the Academic Success of Students with Disabilities A | 207 4 Results and discussion 1 Description of Research Subjects There were thirty-seven students with disabilities involved in this study, and they had four types of disabilities: blind .
%), physically disabled .
%), mentally disabled .
%), and the lowest was deaf .
%).
They came from nineteen different universities with the three largest percentages coming from Universitas Negeri Makassar .
%).
Universitas Hasanuddin .
%), and Universitas Muhammadiyah Mahakarya Aceh .
%).
They came from twenty different study programs with the largest percentage coming from special education study programs .
%).
They are also divided into 3 groups based on the range of GPA scores obtained, namely, students with disabilities with a GPA range 00 .
%), students with disabilities with a GPA range of 3.
%), and students with disabilities with a GPA range of 3.
%).
GPA 2,75-3,00
GPA 3,01-3,50
GPA 3,51-4,00
Figure 1.
GPA scores of students with disabilities 2 Results 1 Overview of students with disabilities in completing the demands of their lectures in higher education so that they have optimal academic achievement There were thirty-seven students with disabilities involved in this study with four different types of disabilities, namely persons with visual disabilities, persons with physical disabilities, persons with mental disabilities, and Deaf.
Most of them came from special education study programs .
%).
They have a wide variety of GPA scores with the highest percentage being in the 3.
0 GPA range .
%).
In addition to getting a GPA with good grades, they also have other achievements, namely becoming 208 | Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies paralympic national judo athletes, achieving in the Aelds of literature, music and recitation, participating in student exchanges abroad, winning national graphic design competitions, winning cooking competitions, and being active in various organizations for people with disabilities.
The achievements they have are not obtained just like that, but through a process that requires effort and strong determination, as well as support from others, so that they are able to face various problems that exist, such as inadequate facilities, difficulty accessing reference materials, miscommunication and others.
The results of this study reveal that the factors that inCuence the success of students with disabilities in meeting their academic demands are derived from their own efforts .
%), support from others Help/support from others Own efforts Figure 2.
Success factors In completing their studies, students with disabilities must have leadership skills, a strong mentality and be able to communicate well.
They must be able to adapt to the campus environment, not feel inferior or have self-conAdence and be sociable.
They must also be able to use computers and other assistive technologies used in the learning process.
Which of course must be supported by special learning facilities.
And assistance facilities that help students with disabilities to be able to take part in lecture activities like other students.
With policy assistance, completing education will certainly be easier for everyone without exception of students with disabilities.
Students with disabilities can complete their studies with support from the surrounding environment, both from family, friends, and of course from the campus.
People with disabilities who are facilitated optimally, with appropriate learning methods, will be able to optimize their abilities and complete their studies.
Because students with disabilities also have the enthusiasm, motivation to learn and pursue goals, and desire to empower They have the same abilities although with different accommodations.
Factors Supporting the Academic Success of Students with Disabilities A | 209 Students with disabilities must also meet with lecturers and educational personnel to communicate their conditions.
They must be able to utilize existing facilities and infrastructure, learn to follow directions and guidance from lecturers, and communicate their limitations to the disability service unit on campus.
They must be able to overcome all challenges by working together with the university and obeying the rules on campus.
Join a support group or volunteer companion for students with disabilities and have friends who can provide assistance.
2 Supporting factors that make students with disabilities able to achieve academic achievement in inclusive universities This study found two factors that support the success of students with disabilities in their academic achievement, namely internal factors and external factors.
Internal factors are factors that come from within students with disabilities, namely motivation, self-conAdence, locus of control, mental strength, adaptability, intellectual ability, and communication skills.
While external factors are factors that come from outside students with disabilities, namely support from others, facilities and infrastructure, and the learning environment.
1 Support from Other People The results of this study found that the support of other people, namely parents or family, peers, and lecturers will help students with disabilities in completing their studies and can obtain optimal academic achievement.
2 Facilities and Infrastructure The results of this study found that students with disabilities need facilities and infrastructure that can help optimize their potential, such as accessible roads, laboratories, special rooms, ivory blocks for the visually impaired, brail book libraries, and wheelchair lanes to accommodate physically disabled friends.
Monitors connected to a web captioner for voice-to-text transitions.
Embossed maps for directions, tools for practice, and translators.
In addition, teaching staff, counselling facilities and a quiet room are needed.
3 Learning Tools The results of this study found that students with disabilities in developing their potential need adaptive and accessible learning devices, space settings, learning media and applications, screen readers, and a modiAed curriculum.
Computers that use special applications and language translators, as well as other written media that can help students with disabilities to access knowledge information optimally.
3 Discussion 1 An overview of students with disabilities in completing the demands of their lectures in higher education so that they have optimal academic achievement Everyone has the right to education, including students with disabilities.
Inclusive education is one of the efforts made by the government to provide equal rights for 210 | Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies students with disabilities to obtain knowledge and bachelor's degrees in higher Students with disabilities are individuals who are studying in higher education and have physical, mental, sensory, or cognitive limitations that affect their ability to learn and participate in the academic environment (Morina & Biagiotti, 2.
Despite their limitations, students with disabilities also could obtain academic The results of this study found that students with disabilities were also able to obtain academic achievement in college.
Many of them get a GPA with high grades and are active in activities that produce achievements.
Some of them participated in student exchanges abroad, won national graphic design competitions, excelled in literature, music and recitation, became national paralympic judo athletes, won cooking competitions, and were active in various organizations for people with disabilities.
These achievements are certainly not obtained just like that, but through a process that requires a lot of effort, so that they are able to deal with various problems that arise during the learning process, such as miscommunication, difficulty accessing reference materials, and inadequate facilities.
According to Budhathoki .
, various problems are often faced by students with disabilities in completing their academic demands in higher education, namely inaccessible infrastructure, unfriendly teaching and learning environments, material, and pedagogy educators, limited institutional support, limited cooperative friends, and performance assessment systems.
Furthermore, according to Morina .
, the problems often faced by students with disabilities in higher education are negative attitudes from lecturers towards students with disabilities, inability to access information and technology, and policies that are not always implemented properly, such as scheduling exams that are not adjusted to the needs of students with disabilities.
Despite this, students with disabilities often show great perseverance and tenacity in completing their studies.
They feel they have to work harder than other students because they have to manage their limitations while completing their academic work.
They also feel they must have adaptability, mental strength, conAdence, leadership, and communication skills.
The results of this study found that the factor that contributed most to the success of students with disabilities in obtaining academic achievement was derived from their own efforts 62%, while the support factor from others only contributed 38%.
According to Morina and Biagiotti .
, there are 2 factors that play an important role in the academic success of students with disabilities in higher education, namely, personal factors that exist in oneself .
, and factors that come from outside .
Internal factors include self-advocacy, self-awareness, self-determination, selfdiscipline, self-esteem, and executive functioning.
Furthermore, external factors include family support, disability support services, support from staff and faculty, and social support from peers.
Morina and Biagiotti .
suggested that social support is a key factor in the academic success of students with disabilities.
According to Aliedan.
Elshaer.
Zayed.
Elrayah and Moustafa .
university disability service support, family support, and peer support have an impact on the quality of life of students with disabilities in higher education.
According to De Los Santos.
Kupczynski and Mundy .
students with disabilities need access to adequate adaptive technology, effective support systems, collaboration between Factors Supporting the Academic Success of Students with Disabilities A | 211 faculty, staff, and students' ability to adapt to academic challenges and learning In addition.
Volodin.
Blagireva and Chudinsky .
suggested other factors that have the potential to affect the academic performance of students with disabilities, namely the way of learning, year of study, age, gender, nosological disability group, previous education, place of residence before university, availability of adaptation and rehabilitation facilities, adaptation of students in the Arst year of study, coeducation of people with disabilities and health limitations, percentage of individual lessons, percentage of lessons in small groups, percentage of lessons in large groups, and family parenting.
2 Supporting factors that make disabled students able to achieve academic achievement in higher education The results of this study found that there are two supporting factors that make students with disabilities able to excel in college, namely internal factors, and external factors.
According to Morina and Biagiotti .
with the right support from internal and external factors, students with disabilities can successfully complete the demands of their lectures and achieve optimal academic performance.
The following is a further explanation of internal and external factors:
1 Internal Factors According to Morina and Biagiotti .
internal factors are factors that come from the students themselves.
The results of this study found seven internal factors, namely motivation, self-conAdence, locus of control, mental strength, adaptability, intellectual ability, and communication skills.
Further explanation of the seven internal factors can be seen as follows:
1 Motivation Motivation is a psychological drive that can affect the direction, intensity, and persistence of a person's behaviour related to learning.
This study found that motivation to study is one of the factors that affect the academic achievement of students with Motivation can affect the academic achievement of students with disabilities because it can increase the enthusiasm for learning and perseverance in facing the academic challenges faced.
According to De Los Santos.
Kupczynski and Mundy .
high motivation can help students with disabilities to stay focused and strive to achieve their academic goals.
According to Deci and Ryan .
students with disabilities who have high motivation and clear goals in pursuing education will tend to be more successful in overcoming obstacles and achieving high academic 2 Self-conAdence The results of this study found that self-conAdence is one of the factors that can affect the academic achievement of students with disabilities.
According to Morina and Biagiotti .
self-conAdence can affect the academic achievement of students with disabilities by helping them to believe in their own abilities, thus increasing motivation and perseverance in pursuing their academic goals.
Meanwhile, according to Bandura .
strong self-conAdence can help students face challenges better.
Students with 212 | Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies disabilities who have self-conAdence will feel able to face academic challenges and will be more involved in learning activities.
3 Locus of Control The results of this study found that locus of control is one of the factors that can affect the academic achievement of students with disabilities.
This is in line with the results of Anderson's .
research which shows the relationship between locus of control and various behaviours that increase the likelihood of academic success.
According to Rotter .
locus of control is an individual's belief about how much inCuence they have on events in their lives.
The locus of control is divided into two, namely external locus of control and internal locus of control (Rotter, 1.
Individuals with an external locus of control believe that luck or external forces will determine the outcome of their lives.
Research results from Chapman and Boersma .
showed that these children tend to see their academic success as a result of external factors rather than their own efforts or abilities.
Individuals with internal locus of control believe that they have control over their own efforts and actions.
People with internal locus of control actively seek information and use it better than those with external locus of control.
When making decisions people with internal locus of control will consider the information they gather more than social pressure.
According to Bishara and Kaplan .
people with internal locus of control and those with external locus of control will differ from each other in their academic performance.
People with internal locus of control show a more effective learning process and higher achievement than people with external locus of control.
According to Achadiyah and Laily .
internal locus of control can improve learning outcomes.
Students with internal locus of control tend to have higher academic achievement because they believe that their efforts have a direct impact on the results they achieve.
In addition.
Pinger .
also found a positive correlation between internal locus of control and academic achievement, namely the more internalized the locus of control, the higher the level of academic achievement.
4 Mental Strength This study found that one of the factors that can affect the academic performance of students with disabilities is a strong mental state.
Students with a strong mentality tend to be better able to manage stress, maintain physical and mental health, and be committed to achieving their academic goals.
De Los Santos.
Kupczynski and Mundy .
suggested that a strong mentality can affect the academic performance of students with disabilities because it can increase motivation, perseverance, and focus in facing the academic challenges faced.
5 Adaptability According to Bidang.
Erawan and Sary .
adaptability is a way to adjust to the This study found that adaptability is one of the factors that can affect the academic achievement of students with disabilities.
According to De Los Santos.
Kupczynski and Mundy .
students who are able to adapt to academic challenges and the existing learning environment tend to be better able to overcome obstacles and achieve their academic goals.
Factors Supporting the Academic Success of Students with Disabilities A | 213 6 Intellectual Ability According to Latifah .
intellectual ability is the ability needed to conduct mental Intellectual ability includes the capacity to perform various cognitive tasks.
The results of this study found that intellectual ability is one of the factors that can affect the academic achievement of students with disabilities.
Students with high intellectual abilities can provide an advantage in understanding subject matter, completing academic tasks, and facing exams better, which in turn can contribute to their academic success (De Los Santos.
Kupczynski & Mundy, 2.
7 Communication Skills Nurhadi and Kurniawan .
suggest that communication is an activity of conveying messages conducted directly or indirectly, from one person to another, with the aim of informing, changing behaviour, attitudes, and opinions.
This study found that communication skills are one of the factors that can affect the academic success of students with disabilities.
Communication allows them to interact with lecturers, peers, and university staff, which can help in understanding the material, collaboration, and getting the necessary support.
Effective communication and collaboration between faculty, staff, and students can contribute to the academic success of students with disabilities (De Los Santos.
Kupczynski & Mundy, 2.
2 External Factors According to Morina and Biagiotti .
internal factors are factors that include various aspects that come from outside themselves and affect student academic achievement.
The results of this study found three external factors, namely support from others, facilities and infrastructure, and learning tools.
1 Support from Others This study found that support from others, namely parents or family, friends, and lecturers, can affect the academic success of students with disabilities.
This is in line with the opinion of De Los Santos.
Kupczynski and Mundy .
who suggest that support from others, such as friends, family, and study groups, can help students with disabilities in achieving better academic performance.
Studies show that social support can help reduce stress, physical and psychological problems, and increase the chance of academic success for students with disabilities.
2 Facilities and Infrastructure This research found that many campuses are still not equipped with disability-friendly infrastructure, such as wheelchair ramps, elevators, and special learning devices.
According to De Los Santos.
Kupczynski and Mundy .
inadequate facilities and infrastructure, such as lack of access to adaptive technology, can make the learning process and academic success of students with disabilities more difficult.
This barrier is in line with the Andings of Abdullah and Waheed .
who suggested that the lack of adequate facilities is one of the main challenges in implementing inclusive education in higher education.
3 Learning Tools This research found the need to provide specialized learning media or devices that suit the needs of students with disabilities.
The use of technology and adaptive learning 214 | Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies tools is needed to optimize the role of inclusive campuses.
According to De Los Santos.
Kupczynski and Mundy .
, learning tools can affect the academic performance of students with disabilities because lack of access to adaptive technology can make the learning process and academic success more difficult for them.
According to McNicholl.
Casey and Gallagher .
technologies such as screen readers, adaptive learning devices, and digital learning applications can help students with disabilities to be more engaged in academic activities.
According to Haider .
, digital technology can be a tool that helps students with disabilities overcome social and environmental problems and help them gain equal status with non-disabled students.
Digital technology can help students with disabilities become independent and empowered.
Internal Factors Factors Supporting the Academic Success of Student with Disabilities External Factors Support from others Motivation Self-confidence Facilities and infrastructure Locus of Control Learning Tools Mental Strength Adaptability Intellectual Ability Communication Skills Figure 3.
Factors Supporting 3 Implementation and enabling conditions in Indonesian universities Beyond national regulations, successful inclusion in higher education requires robust institutional arrangements.
Key enablers include: .
campus leadership and internal regulations that explicitly protect and serve students with disabilities.
a Cexible academic system .
ssessment methods, scheduling, and accessible learning .
lecturer and staff capacity-building on inclusive and adaptive pedagogy.
active social support and student communities that foster peer assistance and .
systematic use of assistive technologies .
creen readers.
Braille displays, speech-to-text, captionin.
and inclusive learning management systems Factors Supporting the Academic Success of Students with Disabilities A | 215 (LMS).
collaboration with disability organizations and NGOs, including internship and career-readiness programs.
4 Limitations and Future Research (Research Gap.
While the study identiAes a coherent set of internal and external success factors, several gaps merit further work: .
the literature remains weighted toward barriers.
more comparative analysis of enabling factors is needed.
systematic evaluations of campus-level implementation are limited.
future research should triangulate across stakeholders .
tudents, lecturers, administrators, policy-maker.
and methods .
ixed-method.
experiences likely differ by disability type .
, sensory versus cognitive/physica.
, warranting subgroup analyses.
the institutional and policy context should be compared across public, private, and faith-based universities and urbanAerural settings.
longitudinal follow-up is needed to understand how academic success translates into employability and social participation.
5 Implications for Policy and Practice Universities should conduct needs assessments and invest in accessible infrastructure, adaptive learning tools, and staff training.
Institutional policies should codify accommodations and Cexible assessment while nurturing peer-support ecosystems.
Partnerships with disability organizations can extend support into career preparation, ensuring smoother transitions from study to employment.
5 Conclusion Research involving thirty-seven students with disabilities, including the visually impaired, physically challenged, mentally impaired and deaf, showed that they were able to cope well with the academic demands on campus.
Most of these disabled students came from special education study programs .
%) and had high academic achievement, with 75% of them having a GPA between 3.
In addition to academic achievement, they also excel in non-academic Aelds.
Their success was achieved through hard work, support from others, and adaptation to challenges such as inadequate facilities and difficult access to reference materials.
Students with disabilities stated that they have leadership skills, strong mentality, and good communication skills.
Other things that make them able to adapt to lectures, namely:
self-conAdence, the use of assistive technology in learning, assistance from the This study concluded that there are two factors that can support the academic success of students with disabilities in inclusive universities, namely internal factors and external factors.
Internal factors are factors that come from within students with disabilities, such as motivation, self-conAdence, locus of control, mental strength, adaptability, intellectual ability, and communication skills.
While external factors are factors that come from outside students with disabilities, namely support from others, facilities and infrastructure, and learning tools.
This research suggests that universities need to conduct assessments to identify the needs of students with disabilities and provide services that suit their needs.
Universities need to prepare facilities and infrastructure that can help students with 216 | Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies disabilities to adapt to the campus environment.
Universities also need to increase awareness and understanding of disability, so that non-disabled students can accept and appreciate students with disabilities.
Acknowledgments We are grateful to the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology UNM for providing research funds from PNBP UNM so that this research can be completed optimally.
We also appreciate the committee of the International Conference on Advances in Humanity.
Education and Language (ICEL IV) 2024 Universitas Brawijaya, who has given the opportunity to present the results of this research at the event.
Data Availability Not available Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.
Funding This research is funded by PNBP UNM Additional information Eva Meizara Puspita Dewi, eva.
meizara@unm.
References