They are very young, only one or two years apart from each other. There are 30 students in a 4×6-meter room in the four-story building. Just as we expect to see children, they are seen to move freely. What sets them apart from other children is a developmental disability known as autism. This condition affects their communication skills and emotive expressions.

There are three teachers communicating with the students at Harapan Mandiri Primary School for Special Needs Children, Palembang, South Sumatra. They come in with extra patience to educate special needs children who study alongside other children in this inclusive school.

“A school once rejected my son, and that deeply affected me. I didn’t want other children to have to go through what we did. Special needs therapy is the first step to changing the perception of those who look down on autistic children,” said Muniyati Ismail, the founder of the inclusive school under the auspices of her organization, Bina Autis Mandiri Palembang.

Muniyati first learned about autism from her son, Muhammad Attar An-Nurilla (24). This condition requires her to pay extra attention to her youngest child. At that time, therapy facilities for autistic children around where they lived were hard to find.

But she did not give up. For the sake of Attar’s development, Muniyati worked hard to find information and learned how to care for autistic children. In that spirit, Muniyati opened an autism therapy class for children with special needs in Palembang as the first step in establishing an inclusive school that she manages.

“I want to change the stigma in our society by giving equal education for both special needs children and other children,” she said.

In 2004, her inclusive school was established. In terms of student proportions, there are more children with special needs than other children in a class. The curriculum is on par with the national standards set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

Muniyati’s biggest challenge is making the locals understand the spirit of this school. “Many parents are still afraid that their children will be infected by autism. This paradigm must be shifted.” In addition to that, the ratio of students and teachers who master the special needs education is still unbalanced.

However, Muniyati’s dedication slowly shows good progress. Her school has gradually gained trust in the community. The quality education has seen many alumni excel. In addition to academic achievements, all students are taught to accept differences, be polite, disciplined, and have empathy.