6th International Disability Inclusion Symposium

Moving Beyond Discussion: How to Implement Meaningful Change in Higher Education and Career Settings

Friday, December 12 - Saturday, December 13, 2025

Online from Tokyo, Japan

Our 6th IDIS will be held virtually in December 2025. IDIS is a symposium to bring together ASEAN countries and Pacific Region countries to share knowledge and progress towards disability inclusion.

About Symposium

IDIS on Higher Education and Career is a symposium to bring together ASEAN countries and Pacific Region countries to share knowledge and progress towards disability inclusion. It is the first of its kind in this region to focus on higher education and career issues for individuals with disabilities. The symposium has been a collaboration of Platform of Higher Education and Disability project at RCAST, The University of Tokyo, AUN-DPPNet at University of Malaya and the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa.

Symposium Schedule

12 Dec, 2025

10 : 30 - 11 : 50 JST

Welcome - Day 1

Opening

Presenters Wendy Hensel (recorded), Villaney Remengesau

Not Without Us: Perspectives on Disability and Inclusion

Keynote Prof. Meng Ee Wong

11 : 50 - 12 : 00

Transition Break

12 : 00 - 12 : 50

Session #1 - SPIDER Consortium (World)

Disability Services Self-Assessment Tool

Presenters Dr. Joseph Madaus, Dr. Nicholas Gelbar, Dr. Lyman Dukes III, Dr. Michael Faggella-Luby

12 : 50 - 13 : 00

Announcements

13 : 00 - 15 : 00

Lunch & Prayer Break

15 : 00 - 15 : 50

Session #2 - Hawaii and Malaysia

Advancing Disability Inclusion and Cultural Responsiveness in Medical Education

Presenters Dr. Holly Manaseri, Dr. Manca Sustarsic, Prof. Khoo Suan Phaik

15 : 50 - 16 : 00

Transition Break

16 : 00 - 16 : 50

Session #3 - Malaysia

ASEAN Guidelines on Accessibility

Presenter Prof. Dr. Loh Sau Cheong

16 : 50 - 17 : 00

Transition Break

17 : 00 - 17 : 50

Session #4 - Japan

Platform of Higher Education & Disability Standards Cohort Implementation

Presenter Dr. Takeo Kondo

17 : 50 - 18 : 00

Wrap Up - Day 1

13 Dec, 2025

10 : 00 - 10 : 55 JST

Welcome - Day 2

AI and Inclusive Work - A Society Where Everyone is Accepted as They Are

Keynote Miyori (Michelle) Sagara

10 : 55 - 11 : 00

Transition Break

11 : 00 - 11 : 50

Session #5

New Accessibility Features from Google

Presenter Alexander Hauerslev Jensen

11 : 50 - 12 : 00

Break

12 : 00 - 12 : 50

Session #6

AI strategies for Neurodivergent Talent

Presenter Dr. Kaveh Abhari

12 : 50 - 13 : 00

Announcements

13 : 00 - 14 : 30

Lunch & Prayer Break

14 : 30 - 16 : 20

Student & Faculty Vision Board Contest

16 : 20 - 16 : 30

Transition Break

16 : 30 - 17 : 20

Session #7

Inclusive Employment ASEAN

Presenter Fritz Enjhay O. Cepe

17 : 30 - 17 : 50

Competition Results

17 : 50 - 18 : 00

Closing Remark & Adjourn

Presenter Prof. Loh Sau Cheong

Download Schedule

Keynote Speakers

Meng Ee Wong

Associate Professor, Psychology and Child & Human Development, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University

Miyori (Michelle) Sagara

CEO, BAOBAB Inc.

Featured Panelists

Wendy Hensel

President, University of Hawaiʻi

Villaney Remengesau

Disability Inclusion Consultant, Palau Ministry of Health & Human Services

Joseph Madaus

Professor, University of Connecticut

Nicholas Gelbar

Associate Research Professor, University of Connecticut

Lyman Dukes III

Professor, Exceptional Student Education, University of South Florida

Holly Manaseri

Associate Specialist, CDS, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Manca Sustarsic

Evaluation Specialist, CDS, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Khoo Suan Phaik

Dean for Community Engagement and Sustainability, IMU University

Alexander Hauerslev Jensen

Accessibility Program Manager, Google

Kaveh Abhari

Professor, San Diego State University

Fritz Enjhay O. Cepe

MeL Environmental Planner | Planning Officer IV, Office of the Provincial Planning & Development Coordinator (OPPDC), Provincial Government of Antique, Philippines

Villaney Remengesau

- Disability Inclusion Consultant, Palau Ministry of Health & Human Services

Ms. Villaney Remengesau, widely known as Lany, is a passionate advocate and leader in disability rights and inclusion from Palau, a proud Pacific Islander with Asian heritage. With extensive experience at national, regional, and international levels, she has championed initiatives for persons with disabilities and sustainable development throughout her career.

At the national level, Lany has been a long-time leader of the OMEKESANG Association, an organization advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities in Palau, and served as the first President of the Belau Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (BANGO) from 2018 to 2020. She also plays a significant role in the Palau Resource Institute, working to preserve the country's environment and cultural heritage through sustainable practices. Notably, her efforts contributed to Palau's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Regionally, Lany was the Co-chair of the Pacific Disability Forum (2018–2023) and served on its Board of Directors from 2011 to 2015. She also acted as the Focal Point for the Disability Constituency in the Asia Pacific Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (APRCEM) on Sustainable Development (2019–2023) and was a member of the Pacific Community-Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Committee. She also recently joined the Palau Delegation to participate in the Asia Pacific CSO Forum and Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review.

On the international stage, Lany has worked as a UN Disability Inclusion Consultant, supporting the UN Country Team in the Pacific and the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Suva. She also served on the Board of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and co-presented Palau's Voluntary National Review (VNR) Report at the High-Level Political Forum in 2019.

Lany's dedication to disability inclusion, sustainable development, and cultural preservation reflects her unwavering commitment to empowering communities in Palau and the broader Pacific region.

Website

https://go.hawaii.edu/bDV

Michael Faggella-Luby

- Disability Inclusion Consultant, Palau Ministry of Health & Human Services

Website

https://go.hawaii.edu/bDV

Conference Organizers

Takeo Kondo

IDIS 2025 Co-Chair
Professor, The University of Tokyo

Kiriko Takahashi

IDIS 2025 Co-Chair
Interim Director, CDS, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Loh Sau Cheong

IDIS 2025 Co-Chair
Professor, University of Malaya

Yahaya Ahmad

IDIS 2025 Advisor
Associate Vice-Chancellor, Universiti Malaya
Director, AUN-DPPnet

Robert Stodden

IDIS 2025 Advisor
Founder, CDS,
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Yahaya Ahmad

- IDIS 2025 Advisor
Associate Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Strategy), Universiti Malaya & Director of AUN-DPPnet

Professor Dr. Yahaya Ahmad currently serves as the Associate Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Strategy) at the University of Malaya and as the Director of the ASEAN University Network-Disability and Public Policy (AUN-DPPnet). He began his academic career at Universiti Teknologi Mara (ITM) in 1989 before joining the University of Malaya in 1995 as one of the pioneering staff to establish the Department of Architecture and the Faculty of Built Environment at the University of Malaya.

He has held several key administrative roles at the university, including Head of Departments, Deputy Deans, and Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment, a position he held for over six years. Specializing in the conservation of historic buildings and the management of heritage sites, Professor Yahaya was seconded to the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage Malaysia as Deputy Commissioner of Heritage (Timbalan Pesuruhjaya Warisan).

He is the first and only Malaysian to date elected by over 130 State Party representatives to serve as a Council Member of UNESCO's intergovernmental organization, The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM/UNESCO), from 2007 to 2011. During this time, he led the team that prepared the re-nomination dossier for Melaka and George Town as UNESCO World Heritage Sites (2004-2007) and contributed to drafting Malaysia's National Heritage Act (2005).

His notable restoration and conservation projects include the reconstruction of Bastion Middlesburg, Melaka Fort (2007-2008), the restoration of Sungai Buloh Leprosy Hospital (2010-2011), Sultan Suleiman Mosque in Klang (2011), Sultan Alaeddin Mosque in Jugra, Selangor (2011), and Masjid Jamek Bandaraya KL, among others. He has also been a Conservation Technical Expert for ThinkCity under Khazanah Nasional since 2009, evaluating over 100 conservation grant applications.

Internationally, he has contributed as an expert for the Historic City of Ahmedabad's nomination dossier (India, 2011-2016), the Coral Stone Mosques of Maldives, and the Rumah Gadang Solok Selatan in Indonesia.

Professor Yahaya’s work has earned him several accolades, including Malaysia’s Research Star Award (2019) under the Citation Classic category, UM Excellent Award (ACUM) for Best Academic Administrator (2019) and Arts & Creativity (2013), Highly Commended Award by Structural Survey Emerald Publishing Limited (2017), and third place in the Ministry of Higher Education's Anugerah Pemikiran dan Rekabentuk Semula (2017).

Website

https://umexpert.um.edu.my/yahaya

Organizers & Partners

Register Now!

There is no registration fee.

Contact Info

Address

4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904 JAPAN

Phone

+81(3)5452-5443

Email

idis@idis-symposium.org

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6th International Disability Inclusion Symposium

Moving Beyond Discussion: How to Implement Meaningful Change in Higher Education and Career Settings

Friday, December 12 - Saturday, December 13, 2025

Online from Tokyo, Japan

Our 6th IDIS will be held virtually in December 2025. IDIS is a symposium to bring together ASEAN countries and Pacific Region countries to share knowledge and progress towards disability inclusion.

About Symposium

Symposium Schedule

Welcome - Day 1

Transition Break

Session #1 - SPIDER Consortium (World)

Announcements

Lunch & Prayer Break

Session #2 - Hawaii and Malaysia

Transition Break

Session #3 - Malaysia

Transition Break

Session #4 - Japan

Wrap Up - Day 1

Welcome - Day 2

Transition Break

Session #5

Break

Session #6

Announcements

Lunch & Prayer Break

Student & Faculty Vision Board Contest

Transition Break

Session #7

Competition Results

Closing Remark & Adjourn

Keynote Speakers

Meng Ee Wong

Website

Miyori (Michelle) Sagara

Website

Social Profile

Featured Panelists

Wendy Hensel

Social Profile

Villaney Remengesau

Website

Joseph Madaus

Website

Nicholas Gelbar

Social Profile

Lyman Dukes III

Website

Michael Faggella-Luby

Website

Holly Manaseri

Website

Social Profile

Manca Sustarsic

Website

Social Profile

Khoo Suan Phaik

Social Profile

Alexander Hauerslev Jensen

Social Profile

Kaveh Abhari

Website

Social Profile

Fritz Enjhay O. Cepe

Social Profile

Conference Organizers

Takeo Kondo

Website

Social Profile

Kiriko Takahashi

Website

Social Profile

Yahaya Ahmad

Website

Social Profile

Robert Stodden

Website

Social Profile

Loh Sau Cheong

Website

Social Profile