Even as millions of students across India have struggled to access online education with schools and colleges closed due to the coronavirus...
Even as millions of students across India have struggled to access online education with schools and colleges closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the specific needs of students with disabilities have largely been ignored.
The absence of adequate teaching learning materials, the unaffordability of digital devices, the inability to understand classes and complete work and the unavailability of sign language interpreters for television classes were among the challenges faced by students with disabilities, according to a study of four states by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy released in December.
These challenges have now become the subject of a case filed by Javed Abidi Foundation, an NGO that works in the area of disability rights. It has asked the government to frame guidelines to ensure that students with disabilities are able to participate equally in online classes.
The matter has been listed in the Supreme Court on October 25.
The petition contended that this lapse by the Department of Empowerment of Person with Disabilities and Department of Higher Education and failure to provide “reasonable accommodation” to students with disabilities in online education constitutes discrimination under the Rights of Person with Disabilities Act 2016 and so violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality of law.
Reasonable accommodation as defined under the...
