Coimbatore Dec. 03
Malarvizhi (name changed) is the mother of Rakesh (name changed) who is a third-year student in an engineering college in Coimbatore. Rakesh, who is pursuing Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), has more than 70 per cent disability that confines him to a wheelchair. He got admitted under the three per cent State quota for the differently-abled and stays in the college hostel.
Yet, Malarvizhi is a content person because she is assured that Rakesh has access to inclusive facilities.
“Much before the engineering counselling, my husband and I visited colleges to see the facilities there. We checked out if there were ramps, lifts, space for wheelchair access, accessible toilets, etc. We zeroed in on a college that had all these and gave the choice during counselling. We could not deny our son the education his heart desired because of his disability,” she says.
As the world observes December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, there are not many who are as lucky as Rakesh. In spite of an Act and a State G.O., and various directives, access to places for those like him remains elusive as they are not being disabled-friendly. And, this includes educational institutions like schools and colleges.
Only a few higher educational institutions admit students under the three per cent quota for the differently-abled. And, this is not because those with disability are not interested in pursuing higher education, but because the institutions do not provide an environment conducive to them.
Even those who choose to pursue higher education are those with lesser percentage of disability. Persons with disability of 70 per cent and above do not find the infrastructure suited to their condition.
There is an Act - The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 - to ensure equal opportunities for those with disabilities.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has schemes to provide grants for creating facilities in colleges (that are 2 (f) and 12 (B) approved), and universities. The UGC’s Guidelines for Persons with Disabilities’ Scheme in Colleges under the XII Plan (2012-17) underlines the various schemes, but since the institutions do not take interest in applying for these, they go unused.
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has also stipulated that all technical and engineering educational institutions should provide a barrier-free environment for students with disabilities, and places great importance on this aspect for granting approvals and renewals.
In spite of all these, higher education still remains a distant dream for many. Only the State Government Order Ms. No. 21 (Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Rules 2013 of February 1, 2013), the implementation of which came with a time frame of 180 days, brought some hope. The G.O. had called for making public and multi-storeyed buildings disabled-friendly in six months.
Many institutions acted upon this G.O. and did whatever was possible. At least the ramps are in place, while many lack lifts and disabled-friendly toilets.
According to Dr. P.V. Mohan Ram, Principal, PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research (PSG iTech), what matter is not only the infrastructural support system, but also the physical and emotional support. A lot depends on the classmates, faculty, and the non-teaching and support staff in laboratories and hostels.
“It is not enough to have wheelchair accessible ramps, but also ensure there are lifts. Also, each block, if not each floor should have disabled-friendly toilets. We have devised a system by which classes of a particular stream are conducted in a single block so that the students do not have to move from one block to the other. Also, during examinations, students with disability are made to sit in a hall on the ground floor,” he adds.
As PSG iTech is a new institution the buildings were planned to make it accessible to those with disability. Many older institutions do not enjoy this luxury for want of space and the difficulties involved in modifying within the available building plan.
Also, self-financing colleges do not get any provision for taking up infrastructural activities for students with disabilities. Still, more and more colleges are now making changes to make higher education inclusive for those with disability. But it does not end with this.
Many private organisations that visit colleges for placements are reluctant to employ people with disabilities. Those that have to adhere to a Government quota do employ them. This, however does not seem to be as significant a deterrent for the differently-abled as the lack of a barrier-free environment.