While asserting that the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus is inaccessible for Persons With Disabilities (PwD), an MPhil Political Science student Shorya Sood started an online petition on July 13, collecting signatures to draw the attention of the University administration.
In fact, members of AISA (All India Students Association) at JNU on July 1, had written to the varsity’s Vice-Chancellor to consider improving facilities for specially-abled students. The issue came up after Shorya fell off his wheelchair on a rough patch behind the School of Social Sciences on June 22. “I have been trying to approach the administration since April 10 and they said that the issues will be resolved as soon as possible but no action has been taken yet,” said Shorya.
Shorya has been a student at the University since 2020 but entered the campus only in March 2022 due to online classes brought on by the pandemic. While elaborating on how the campus is inaccessible for PwDs, Shorya said that the roads in the entire campus are uneven and he has been facing multiple issues because of that. “The canteen is also in the basement and there is no lift access there and nor is there a ramp for my wheelchair. Due to this, I have to go to another spot to have my food,” he added. "As a person with a disability, it really hurts me that I can't access my own canteen", he stated in the petition called Uneven Roads, No Wheelchair Ramp in Canteen: Make JNU Campus Disability-Inclusive. So far, the petition on Change.org has received over 7,000 signatures, hovering very close to its goal of 7,500.
Additionally, Shorya also said that he was informed by the University administration that ramps cannot be constructed as the building is old. “Even if the administration does carry out work, they do it in patches and that doesn’t solve any problem,” he said. He also narrated his own experience when he says that he fell down because of the uneven roads on campus. “My wheelchair is also damaged now and its brakes are broken,” he said.
Not just him, but several other students on the campus have also been facing issues with accessibility. A visually-impaired student who wished to stay anonymous said that there are no sign language boards on the campus. “Ramps are not properly laid for us which sometimes makes us feel like they don’t consider people with disabilities as part of society,” he said. He and other students have tried to approach the administration on multiple occasions but they haven’t received any response from them.
Vidyasagar Rajiv, a disability-rights activist said that physical access to all in educational institutions is important. “Study material must also be in an accessible format such as Braille plain language, large print sign language interpreters wherever required,” he said. Professors too must be oriented on various types of impairments and the required facilities for different impairments.
However, AISA had stated in their press release earlier that a tactile path is absent in places like the Central Library, Stadium Road and the camps dhabas among other places. And it has been over two months that the potholes on the roads haven’t been repaired. The students additionally stated that the JNU Health Centre has no special worker to assist PwD students.
The press release also mentions that there used to be a dedicated worker for PwD students in the mess but there is no one now, and none of the tables in any of the hostels' messes are wheelchair friendly. Madhurima Kundu, Secretary of AISA said that the VC has not yet responded to their letter.
It may be recalled that the University Grants Commission (UGC) too recently issued a list of guidelines and standards to ensure accessible education for disabled students in Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
