PU sets blueprint for differently abled

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 25

Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, is all set to facilitate physically-challenged students and staff, and has prepared a blueprint for it. The blueprint touches aspects of transportation, academics, computing facilities, reservation, accommodation and mode of examination.

“We have to now get this blueprint implemented. The facilities which do not need finances will be implemented this year. We have also approved free health insurance for all,” said Dr Sanjeev Gautam, Co-ordinator, Equal Opportunity Cell-People with Disability (PwD).

Transportation

The standing committee has looked into the implementation of policies and programmes for PwD, which has decided that e-rickshaw contractor will be paid Rs6,000 on monthly basis for free transport facilities for physically-challenged students, staff, faculty and visitors. Executive Engineer of PU will identify the area for parking of vehicles of PwD near entry gates, hostels, departments, Students’ Centre, library and sports grounds in both sectors 14 and 25.

About 50 per cent concession has been recommended for PwD university employees who are coming by the PU buses. It has also been decided that transport allowance should be paid to all PwD teachers who are not residents of the campus.

Accommodation

The PU provides a hostel facility for physically-challenged students on ground floors. However, to accord reservation in allotment to houses for PwD teachers and non-teaching staff, an exercise would be carried out to know the total inventory of houses on campus. It was pointed out that the total demand of houses would be lesser than 1 % as compared to 4 % of total reservation.

Financial assistance

The financial assistance to buy tricycles, scooters, stretchers and support devices such as hearing aids will be considered and for that provision in budget will be made. The existing provision for reader or scribe allowance will be enhanced. The assistance to procure MP3 voice recorders or players will be provided to visually-challenged students that may be used for recording and listening to the classroom lectures.

Mode of examination

It was discussed in the standing committee that differently-abled students “need allowances and exemptions in terms of options in answering certain questions in exams involving drawings or graphics and duration of time”.

Some students have earlier reported the problems faced by them with non-competent scribes in the entrance exams. The additional time for the end-semester exam is recommended to be increased by one-and-half-hour. For internal tests, the time will be increased by 30 minutes. Similarly, entrance exam duration will be increased by one-hour, as there is need to establish communication with scribes.

Networking and computing facility

The existing facility at AC Joshi Library on ground floor, ‘Louise Braille’ room, which is equipped with required software and scanners, will be enhanced. The standing committee recommended that a special provision should be made in budget for providing laptops to the visually-challenged faculty.

Academics

It has been recommended that teachers must provide the soft copies of their teaching material well in advance for their Braille printing and distribution. Teachers are expected to spend additional hours (at least one hour) beyond formal classroom teaching for PwD students.

Construction and engineering

All footpaths must have railings on one side, including roads leading to hostels. All buildings at PU must have lifts, ramps and railings on both sides and accessible classrooms for tricycles. The hostel rooms of physically-challenged students should be close to washrooms with western commode facility.

Other enabling facilities

The Placement Cell must explore possibility of employment of physically challenged in industry. Director Sports, PU, will be approached to provide coaching and equipment, and existing staff and coaches would be trained for PwD. There will be a calendar for the sport activities too.