*Inflicted with spinal cord injury, 60-year-old Komal Kamra, Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, at the Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, University
of Delhi (DU), says, "Hum apni life mei hi itni ladai lad rahe hain, apne rights ke liye kya ladenge." *
True that people with disabilities (PwDs) struggle on a daily basis to cope up with their lives, but isn't there any way by which they can come out of the vicious circle that they are bound in?
According to the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, the government must commit to provide education through mainstream schools for children with disabilities. This implies compulsory primary education to all students, with or without disabilities.
But are schools really accessible enough for students with disabilities to pursue education? Furthermore, if they are able to successfully accomplish primary and high school education, is pursuing higher studies accessible?
Are schools and colleges in India really accessible enough to provide good quality education and empower people with disabilities and help them break free from the constraints that disability places on them?
In an attempt to get answers to all these questions, Metrolife spoke to Anjlee Agarwal, a National Award Winner and executive director and Access Consultant at Samarthyam, National Centre for Accessible Environments - an NGO working for the rights and accessibilities of people with disabilities.
"Twenty years ago, when I started with operations at Samarthyam, accessibility for PwDs was considered a luxury. Government's attitude and inclination towards people with disabilities, was nearly negligible. Right from then, we knew that education is the most important tool for all people with disabilities, for them being informed and being able to raise their voice for their right to life," says muscular dystrophy affected Agarwal.
Today, after two decades her constant fight to empower and bring people with disabilities to the mainstream, how much accessibility have they really been provided with?
Samarthyam conducted an evidence-based study, an accessibility audit of 500 schools across 16 states in the country, from 2011 to 2013. In accordance with the audit, they published guidelines on how to build and maintain a 'barrier-free environment' for all (particularly in context of Children with Special Needs), wherein all children are able to gain admission in schools and continue education with independence, dignity and safety.
Speaking of her experiences while conducting the audit, Agarwal says, "I was shocked to see the condition of schools, primarily in rural areas. Girls with disabilities are the ones suffering the most. They are provided with open urinals, without shields. Undoubtedly, getting admission is easy, but the retention is difficult."
A natural outcome is that if primary education is so difficult to pursue, not many students with disabilities will apply for higher studies.
As Prof Kamra informs, "Admissions are still on in DU and many seats in the PwDs category, are still vacant.""Having established the Equal Opportunity Cell in 2006, and holding various awareness campaigns, we still haven't been able to reach where we were expected to," she continues, "Today, most colleges of DU follow the draft that ensures a barrier-free, equitable and accessible space to the PwDs in the field of Higher Education. We had centralised admissions for some years; framed examination rules; had a few scholarships earlier; and today we provide them with free education..."
But, "Unfortunately," she gasps, "awaaz utni door gayi nahin."It's all about acceptance, inclusion and a comfortable environment. While we speak of these hindrances in India, PwDs face challenges in Western countries too.
According to an article published in The Guardian on July 28, 2015, "Children's TV pretends disability doesn't exist." Stating, "One in 20 children in the UK have a disability,
but major commercial channels such as Disney and Nickelodeon don't feature any prominent disabled characters," the article talks about how 'inclusion and representation of PwDs is scant', even in the UK.
The article portrays another angle, wherein media can play a powerful role in empowering the PwDs. Naturally, they lack the voice. If we can eradicate polio, why are disabilities such an impossible task to work on? Prof. Kamra says, "The government needs to set up programmes, and not just policies for PwDs."
But why only government? Shouldn't we collectively stand up and raise our voice collectively for the PwDs? Media being the most influential mode of communication, shouldn't it work on universal grounds to spread awareness about empowerment of PwDs? It's time we raise our voices. It's time to uplift the significant, yet most neglected
and unaccepted section of the society. Reported by Deccan Herald 1 day ago.
of Delhi (DU), says, "Hum apni life mei hi itni ladai lad rahe hain, apne rights ke liye kya ladenge." *
True that people with disabilities (PwDs) struggle on a daily basis to cope up with their lives, but isn't there any way by which they can come out of the vicious circle that they are bound in?
According to the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, the government must commit to provide education through mainstream schools for children with disabilities. This implies compulsory primary education to all students, with or without disabilities.
But are schools really accessible enough for students with disabilities to pursue education? Furthermore, if they are able to successfully accomplish primary and high school education, is pursuing higher studies accessible?
Are schools and colleges in India really accessible enough to provide good quality education and empower people with disabilities and help them break free from the constraints that disability places on them?
In an attempt to get answers to all these questions, Metrolife spoke to Anjlee Agarwal, a National Award Winner and executive director and Access Consultant at Samarthyam, National Centre for Accessible Environments - an NGO working for the rights and accessibilities of people with disabilities.
"Twenty years ago, when I started with operations at Samarthyam, accessibility for PwDs was considered a luxury. Government's attitude and inclination towards people with disabilities, was nearly negligible. Right from then, we knew that education is the most important tool for all people with disabilities, for them being informed and being able to raise their voice for their right to life," says muscular dystrophy affected Agarwal.
Today, after two decades her constant fight to empower and bring people with disabilities to the mainstream, how much accessibility have they really been provided with?
Samarthyam conducted an evidence-based study, an accessibility audit of 500 schools across 16 states in the country, from 2011 to 2013. In accordance with the audit, they published guidelines on how to build and maintain a 'barrier-free environment' for all (particularly in context of Children with Special Needs), wherein all children are able to gain admission in schools and continue education with independence, dignity and safety.
Speaking of her experiences while conducting the audit, Agarwal says, "I was shocked to see the condition of schools, primarily in rural areas. Girls with disabilities are the ones suffering the most. They are provided with open urinals, without shields. Undoubtedly, getting admission is easy, but the retention is difficult."
A natural outcome is that if primary education is so difficult to pursue, not many students with disabilities will apply for higher studies.
As Prof Kamra informs, "Admissions are still on in DU and many seats in the PwDs category, are still vacant.""Having established the Equal Opportunity Cell in 2006, and holding various awareness campaigns, we still haven't been able to reach where we were expected to," she continues, "Today, most colleges of DU follow the draft that ensures a barrier-free, equitable and accessible space to the PwDs in the field of Higher Education. We had centralised admissions for some years; framed examination rules; had a few scholarships earlier; and today we provide them with free education..."
But, "Unfortunately," she gasps, "awaaz utni door gayi nahin."It's all about acceptance, inclusion and a comfortable environment. While we speak of these hindrances in India, PwDs face challenges in Western countries too.
According to an article published in The Guardian on July 28, 2015, "Children's TV pretends disability doesn't exist." Stating, "One in 20 children in the UK have a disability,
but major commercial channels such as Disney and Nickelodeon don't feature any prominent disabled characters," the article talks about how 'inclusion and representation of PwDs is scant', even in the UK.
The article portrays another angle, wherein media can play a powerful role in empowering the PwDs. Naturally, they lack the voice. If we can eradicate polio, why are disabilities such an impossible task to work on? Prof. Kamra says, "The government needs to set up programmes, and not just policies for PwDs."
But why only government? Shouldn't we collectively stand up and raise our voice collectively for the PwDs? Media being the most influential mode of communication, shouldn't it work on universal grounds to spread awareness about empowerment of PwDs? It's time we raise our voices. It's time to uplift the significant, yet most neglected
and unaccepted section of the society. Reported by Deccan Herald 1 day ago.