UGC issues guidelines for better inclusion of learners with disabilities on campuses

The UGC has issued guidelines to higher educational institutions across the country to ensure the seamless inclusion of learners with various forms of disabilities physical or mental.

The 'Accessibility Guidelines and Standards for Higher Education Institutions and Universities' calls upon universities and colleges to develop effective accessible mechanisms for persons with disabilities covering every stage, from admissions to the completion of courses.

The guidelines, issued by the University Grants Commission on July 4, are in tune with the prescription made in the National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP) that students from socio-economically disadvantaged groups, including persons with disabilities, need support to make an effective transition to higher education.

The 126-page report containing the guidelines stresses that accessibility considerations must cover "all aspects of assuring that persons with disabilities can participate and have the same choices as their typical peers." "It must be ensured to remove any barrier that stops, impedes, prevents or causes difficulty for an individual to fully participate in all aspects of higher education," it observes.

The guidelines are strikingly specific in nature. For instance, seeking to address a learning disorder like dyslexia, the guidelines state, "While giving an MCQ test requiring a, b, c, d answers, use capital letters and ask students to give answers as A, B, C, D to avoid confusion of b and d that may look alike to a student having a specific learning disability."