A rights group for people with disabilities has decried Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) decision to refuse a potential student’s application for a course due to autism.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Siuman said that such discrimination is widespread in universities, reflecting societal misconceptions and ableism.
They emphasised that people with disabilities (PWD) face discrimination in various aspects of life, including education.
“Getting a PWD card just formalised the discrimination,” the group added.
Their comments were prompted by a post on X in which a user named @bingbinge656 shared an email response from UTM’s Department of Registrar, refusing his application because the applicant is autistic.
The user enquired about applying for the chemical industry degree programme at the university.
The post has received over half a million views since it was shared.
On that note, Siuman lamented that it is not their impairments that disabled them but relatively, inaccessible environments and societal attitudes.
The group highlighted the exclusionary conditions in higher education, among others, contribute to this problem.
UTM apology
Following public outrage, UTM apologised for its initial response but maintained its stance, explaining that the course requires physical activities involving cognitive and psychomotor works.
In a statement, the university also mentioned handling laboratory equipment with hazardous substances as one reason for their decision.
“However, we are open to making special consideration for select cases, especially for those with disabilities, after conducting several evaluations.
“This is to ensure their disability would not affect their studies and practical work.
“And we have also explained the matter to the said applicant,” it said.
Unimpressed with UTM’s latest reply, Siuman criticised it as being ignorant on many levels, including using the term “Orang Kelainan Upaya” (people with different abilities) instead of “Orang Kurang Upaya” (people with disabilities).
"‘Kelainan upaya' is not the legal or accepted term for the community as outlined by the PWD Act 2008. This reflects the ignorance and misconceptions surrounding the disabled," the group lamented.
Applicant expresses disappointment
The rejected applicant, who wished to be identified as Elijah, expressed that this was his initial encounter with educational discrimination.
Despite being on the autism spectrum, the 21-year-old clarified that the condition does not inherently hinder his ability to study, although it may necessitate him more time to complete homework.
Questioning the university's rationale, Elijah highlighted his successful completion of laboratory work and exams during his secondary school and A-level courses in Kuala Lumpur.
"I just feel so disappointed. If (the university said) I cannot do lab work, how could I still survive all the lab work in secondary school?" he told Malaysiakini.
Elijah affirmed his intention to proceed with his application through the public university application (UPU) system. He has also contacted UTM for further clarification and is awaiting their response.
"The first email was sent on May 8, and they replied on May 12. I then replied and asked how I could prove to them that my disabilities would not affect my practical work in the programme," he added.
He shared that UTM is his first choice, however, if his application were to be rejected, he would be prepared to explore applying directly to other universities. - Mkini
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