Where some of India’s oldest and most highly regarded academic institutions
like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have
failed, the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) is
showing the way forward.
The GNLU has set up an Enabling Unit (EU) for students with
disabilities, a momentous development spearheaded by Maitreya
Shah, a blind law student here. In 2015, when Shah enrolled here, he
struggled in the absence of basic accessible facilities.
I faced struggles from day one on many counts. There were elevators only in
the academic and administrative blocks, which meant the rest of the campus
was inaccessible. The exams were not conducted according to the guidelines
set down for students with disabilities. Nor were there assistive devices.
There was no facility even for a scribe. Even the tables at the canteen
were not accessible. Because it is an autonomous institute, no one had
bothered to follow the accessibility guidelines. – Maitreya Shah,
Law student, Gujarat National Law University
When his repeated appeals went unnoticed, Shah sought the help of disability
rights leader Dr Satendra Singh, thanks to whose efforts,
the EU at the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS)
in New Delhi was established.
“Shah sought my help as I was the one who established the EU at my medical
college, the only EU in any medical college in India, and I was Founding
Coordinator for 5 years,” says Dr Singh, who decided to pursue the matter.
Dr Singh wrote to GNLU authorities pointing out that there was no EU as per
University Grants Commission guidelines.
In 2017 the GNLU authorities set up an EU headed by faculty convenor, who is
also disabled. Currently, there are about 20 students with
disabilities at the GNLU and the focus is on addressing basic needs. In the
last six months, authorities have sanctioned close to Rs 2.5 lakh on setting
up accessible facilities.
“We have JAWS software and a PEARL scanner with Open Book software package
so visually impaired students have instant access to printed material. There
is a separate room in the library for disabled students to work from as
well,” says Shah.
At a time when the close-minded, rigid approach towards inclusion from
premier institutions can be discouraging, this is an inspiring example of how
patience and sustained persistence can open doors. “I feel the best
approach is to build up support from within and use the law to change
attitudes,” says Shah.
The EU at GNLU now has ambitious plans of launching a single disability
policy across all national law universities (NLUs). They are working on
creating a single draft to share with all NLUs and build consensus.
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21069
