VTU tells all colleges to set up equal opportunity cell

Expected to look into the grievances of students with disabilities

VTU issued a circular regarding the needs of differently-abled students on Monday.

Over the last few years, several colleges have been working towards ensuring that their campuses and classrooms take into account the needs of their differently-abled students. The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), too, has decided to take up the issue and has directed all its affiliated colleges to set up an equal opportunity cell that will look into the grievances of students with disabilities.

The university, in a circular issued on Monday, stated that all colleges should establish an internal committee by the end of the month. The committee is supposed to comprise teachers, students, staff and parents who will look into taking care of the day-to-day needs of differently-abled persons as well as ensuring that existing schemes are implemented.

Students with disabilities can also give their suggestions on schemes that they think they would benefit from.

The VTU has pointed out that permission for new engineering colleges will not be given if they do not provide access and infrastructure for students with special needs. The move comes after the University Grants Commission (UGC) asked varsities to set up a committee to take care of the day-to-day needs of differently-abled persons. Institutions have been asked to create a barrier-free environment for everyone, including the elderly.

A senior official in VTU said, “Very often, after students with disability join the college, we get a request for a transfer certificate. The students say that the college environment is not conducive to their needs. Colleges, in fact, need to make every effort to ensure that barrier-free access goes beyond just a ramp at the entrance of the college building.”

Indraresh R., president, Karnataka State Government Disabled Employees Association, said that this move was ‘long overdue’. Barrier-free access is even stipulated in the Persons With Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.

“Now, even the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 stipulates similar measures. We had conducted an audit in universities such as Bangalore University and found that barrier-free access was lacking in this university. We hope that universities will at least now wake up and implement this. We also want them to rope in experts in this domain so that forming this committee is not a mere sign of tokenism,” he said.