Bhubaneswar: Visually impaired students enrolled in Under Graduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) courses in government-run higher education institutions in Odisha are contending with shortage of Braille textbooks, the state’s Higher Education (HE) department informed the Orissa High Court recently.
The court had earlier directed the HE department to ensure that issues faced by the differently-abled are addressed uniformly across all institutes in the state so that they are not deprived from pursuing their studies for lack of facilities to which they are constitutionally entitled.
In response to query by the court on the issues relating to differently abled girls students in Sailabala Women’s Autonomous College, Cuttack, the department stated “It’s not practically feasible to arrange Braille books for them owing to the reason that such books are not available in Berhampur and even Dehradun where Braille press are usually available.”
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The computerised Braille Press in Berhampur is the sole Braille printing facility while the National Institute of Visually Handicapped, Dehradun, an autonomous body of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, has also Braille printing facility.
The department further stated that for UG and PG, there are prescribed and reference books available as per syllabus for general students, but there are no specific books exclusively prescribed for visually challenged students.
As an alternative if Braille writer machine, required software, computer, printing papers and trained personnel will be provided to each and every institution it will be easier on the part of the institution to provide required number of books as per the choice of the visually challenged students, the department apprised the court in an affidavit.
HE department director Kali Prasanna Mahapatra intimated the court that information regarding differently abled students has been collated.
The matter shall be taken up with Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department so that steps taken in Shailabala Women’s (Autonomous) College shall be replicated throughout the state, he informed.
Responding to the query of court regarding steps taken relating to differently abled students in the schools, Mahapatra also assured that they will convey the concern of this court to the concerned departments and concerted effort shall also be made them.
Financial assistance will be provided to HE institutions according to strength of differently-abled students, making the campus accessible and inclusive.
HE institutions will be instructed to identify disability of every PwD student and accordingly coordinate with District Social Security Officer (DSSO) for provision of wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks and other orthopaedic aids.
All the universities and colleges shall assist the differently-abled students to acquire a Unique Disability Identification UDID card (if not already), for easier access to government benefits, services and tracking progress. The admission portal of HE department will be modified for inclusion of UDID number of the students.