Three percent seats in all undergraduate courses at DU are reserved for the Person with Disability (PwD). But, the harsh truth is that, every year hardly one-third of these seats are filled. So inspite of the tempting life that Delhi University proposes to offer, why does such wastage happen?
We tried to find out the answer for you.
The Equal Opportunity Cell (EOC) was founded by DU to serve the purpose of aiding physically disabled students at every step. This topmost Indian university claims to have a disabled friendly campus with innovations like screen readers in computers, a special bus for these students etc. With all such provisions, Delhi University seems to be very supportive and considerate for students with special needs.
But, the ground reality is not very applaudable. The truth about the infrastructure of DU colleges is far from what they advertise. There are ramps in some colleges for the students with mobility impairments but, they are in a pitiful condition. There is almost no accessibility to the upper floors due to lack of lifts. The tactile paths are either broken or covered by parked cars. Even after all the hardships, if a student wishes to be admitted to this prestigious university then not a single hostel in DU is in the reach of people with disabilities. This makes living in DU a can of worms.
After the technical aspect comes the social aspect for differently abled studying in Delhi University.They come to the lectures and are either ignored by some or stared at. They are never considered a part of the same world. The fortunate ones treat them as someone from a parallel universe.
The people with no disabilities are generally lacking a very important feature in their personalities which is called, empathy. There is a need to sensitize the human behavior towards people with impairments by making them aware of their troubles and stigma.
Mere reservation is clearly not enough to fill the seats. Two-third of the retained seats for PwD goes in vain every year. The call of the hour for Delhi University is to realize their shortcomings and act upon the same. Only when the colleges are well-equipped and the peers friendly, that DU can aim to fill all of its booked seats for PwD.
Like and share the article to be an echo of PwD voice.
