|
|
|
|
|
| Friday, July 11, 2008
Waiting for an opportunity to make their mark
Physically challenged students reveal their aspirations
at session
- With 340 applicants for a 2,228-seat quota,
students can afford to pick and choose
- Many engineering colleges do not have disabled-friendly
infrastructure
Chennai: They may not be able to see, hear or walk very well.
But the 340 physically challenged students who were allotted
engineering college seats on Thursday take the top ranks when
it comes to mental ability, ambition and sheer determination.
Anbumalar needs special orthopaedic shoes, a walker and a strong
companion to help her negotiate the stairs as she goes through
the counselling process at Anna University.
Making friends
None of that is stopping the Cuddalore native from aspiring
to be an electronics and communication engineering student at
the Thanthai Periyar Government Institute of Technology, Vellore.
“I don’t think they have any special
facilities like ramps or special toilets. But I have been in
hostel already for school. So long as I have a ground floor
room, I will be alright … I have always had friends to
help me, and I expect to make friends in college as well,”
she says.
For S. Umesh, who has had cerebral palsy from birth, a college
in his hometown of Erode was essential, so he is thrilled with
his admission to the Computer Science stream in Kongu Engineering
College.
Constant physiotherapy has helped strengthen his weak arm muscles,
but he still finds writing difficult. “He was given one
hour extra time during his school exams. We just hope he will
get the same here. That’s all we are asking for,”
says his mother C. Jayasree.
Rachit Maheshwari, who also has cerebral palsy, did his homework
on disability-friendly colleges and settled on SSN College of
Engineering. “It has all the facilities …,”
he says.
Unfortunately, he missed the SSN seat by one mark, and hopes
that the college he is settling for will have similar facilities.
Regardless of the infrastructure, he is determined to make his
mark and hopes to go on to a career in the civil service.
K. Senthamilselvi, one of the doctors from the Anna University
Health Centre who is checking the candidates, is impressed with
the grit of physically challenged students.
Making
strides
“They don’t ask for any special
treatment. Most colleges don’t have infrastructural facilities
for them, or any scribes or special software. But they manage,
usually with the help of friends. By the time they are in final
year, you will not even notice that they are different,”
she says.
Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions secretary V. Rhymend Uthariaraj
says all colleges are required to have disabled-friendly infrastructure
according to AICTE norms, but admits that many don’t fulfil
these requirements.
With only 340 applicants for a 2,228-seat quota, students can
afford to pick and choose among the colleges. Of course, if
facilities were improved, more candidates might be able to apply.
Ray of hope
There may be some hope for these candidates in the shape of
the newly appointed Commissioner for Technical Education V.K.
Jeyakodi, whose previous posting was Commissioner for the Disabled.
“In the long run, educational institutions will have
to provide disabled-friendly infrastructure and also aids such
as Braille libraries, voice-activated systems and talking software,”
he says.
Courtesy: The Hindu
|
| << Back |
|
|
