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Panjab University turning blind eye to basic needs of visually impaired students?
The students first set out to protest on October 14 at the Panjab University campus ahead of the student elections before declaring an indefinite protest beginning November 1
Course material in audio and e-text formats, 24-hour accessibility to the designated section of the AC Joshi library are among about a dozen demands that the visually impaired students studying at the Panjab University (PU) are seeking to attain by way of their ongoing protest outside the vice-chancellor’s office
The students first set out to protest on October 14 at the campus ahead of the student elections before declaring an indefinite protest beginning November 1.
Crossing department lines, the students have come together to submit their charter to the varsity authorities.
Notably, university officials had earlier met the protesting students and members of the students’ council. The decisions conveyed to them, the students said, were unconvincing.
Round-the-clock access to the visually impaired unit of the AC Joshi library, which they say need new devices to help them access their notes and course material is one of the central demands.
But to their disappointment, even the availability of books, journals, lectures and suggested reading material prescribed in the PU syllabus in the form of audio-notes, electronic-text still remains a distant dream.
Speaking of the same, Rohitpreet Singh, one of the protesting students, said the library had no audio-books.
“We are not able to access the special unit built for us 24x7, which is also unfair,” he added.
The students have also sought free hostel accommodation for all visually impaired students at varsity colleges and departments sans residential criteria and other restrictions as well as transport facilities to commute between classes and hostels.
Flagging the accessibility issues including broken footpaths, damaged railings Neeru, a second-year post-graduate student at the political science department, said, “The university is not accessible for us. We cannot walk on our own in the campus,”
Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) joint secretary Manish Boora, who had raised the issue with the varsity chancellor Jagdeep Dhankhar during a meeting on Friday, said, “The campus needs an infrastructural upgrade to help make it universally accessible. The strength of e-rickshaws should be increased to help with the transport as well.”
The students have also demanded a separate help desk to assist with admissions and examination, results and other welfare measures for persons with disabilities at the varsity as well as dedicated websites and notice boards — all deemed necessary for an improved university experience.
PU’s dean student welfare (DSW) Jagtar Singh, meanwhile, refused to comment on a query sent through the official spokesperson of the varsity.
Around 25 visually impaired students are enrolled in various courses on the PU campus.
