Hindu College students with disabilities protest the lack of facilities

Students with disabilities from Hindu college gathered on Thursday at 10 a.m. at the front gate to protest the administration’s inadequate facilities. Their demands included the installation of a screen reader in the library and tactile plates in the campus, insuring a stray animal free campus and allowing rickshaws and delivery boys up till the hostel building gate.
The protest was lead by Sandeep, Sanwala Ram, Ram Singh from Hindu college and Pankaj Singh, a PHD student from JNU.

The 2006 draft policy document by Delhi University emphasiwed on better infrastructure and methods to improve learning and teaching facilities for differently-abled students.
The mission mentioned in the draft says, “DU commits itself to providing all possible facilities to differently-abled, irrespective of visual, hearing, orthopedic or any other kind of impairment.
It also mentions that the university will provide “basic study materials in accessible format such as Braille, talking books,” to facilitate learning. However, as the demands of the student would indicate, most if any of these, have yet to be carried out.

In 2012, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment granted Rs. 11.6 crore to Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University to create infrastructure for differently-abled students. Out of this amount, DU received Rs.3.11 crore to make the university premises accessible to persons with disabilities. The grant was initially released to make North and South campuses, including the administrative and academic blocks, conference centre accessible.
Despite the allocation of money, the administration responded by saying, “complete installation of tactile plates will take another 5-6 months.”

After the demonstration by the students, the student’s delegations met the administration and agreed on a few demands.

Pankaj Singh said, it is our democratic right to protest, there have been certain agreements, on the issue of stray dogs, the administration said they would make cages. The other demands are under discussion.

Despite, the rights of persons with disability bill, 2014, which provides equal opportunities, protection of fundamental rights and excessive participation of persons with disability, students face enormous pitfalls even today.