Bridging the Gap: Unpad Student Develops Audio-Based Innovation for Inclusive Education
Salsabilah Lestari, a 2024 student from the Television and Film Program at the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, is taking part in the Mahasiswa Berprestasi (MAPRES) selection with an innovation that combines technology, media, and inclusive education. As one of the two representatives nominated by her study program, Salsa brings a fresh perspective to the competition through a project designed to support visually impaired students in learning more independently.
For Salsa, joining MAPRES is both an honor and an exciting opportunity. She shared that the program has long been seen as a prestigious platform among students, making it something she had always wanted to explore. Although participants may join through different paths, Salsa was selected directly by her program, while another representative applied independently.
In developing her project, Salsa chose to focus on technology, drawing inspiration from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and the broader discourse of Industry 5.0. Coming from a Television and Film background, she wanted to ensure that her idea still reflected the audiovisual character of her discipline. As a result, she developed a concept centered on immersive audio as the main technological feature of her innovation.
Her project takes the form of a prototype: a learning medium that uses replaceable paper sheets equipped with barcodes inside a box-like device. Once the barcode is scanned or the material is selected, the tool produces audio explanations that help users understand the content. Through this concept, Salsa demonstrates how media-based knowledge can intersect with technology to create practical and socially relevant solutions.
More importantly, Salsa’s idea is rooted in a real educational challenge. She explained that visually impaired students in Indonesia often have the same intellectual potential as non-disabled students, yet they continue to face barriers because many learning processes rely heavily on verbal explanations of visual objects. In inclusive schools, these students usually depend on teachers or assistants to interpret visual materials, which limits their opportunity to study independently.
Salsa also pointed to the uneven distribution of special schools across Indonesia. While regions such as West Java have a relatively large number of special schools, other areas, including parts of Papua, have far fewer options. This condition means that many visually impaired students must attend inclusive schools that may not have adequate supporting tools. Her innovation, therefore, is envisioned as a response to this gap, offering a more accessible learning medium for schools that need it.
Despite the short preparation period, Salsa approached the competition with enthusiasm. She completed much of the initial research and preparation within a single day, while also finalizing the administrative requirements and poster for presentation. Rather than seeing the tight timeline as an obstacle, she described the process as enjoyable and motivating because of her strong interest in both MAPRES and the issue she chose to address.
Looking ahead, Salsa believes that her idea has real potential to be developed further in the coming years, especially as technology continues to advance rapidly. More than simply becoming a competition project, she hopes the innovation can eventually be realized by anyone willing to carry the idea forward. For her, the ultimate goal is clear: contributing to the creation of a more inclusive education system in Indonesia and helping the country move closer to achieving the SDG’s by 2030.
Through her participation in MAPRES, Salsabilah Lestari not only represents the Television and Film Program at Fikom Unpad, but also shows how students from creative disciplines can take part in solving real social issues through interdisciplinary innovation.