‘Not even 1% of Indian institutes disabled-friendly’

Not even one per cent of Indian educational institutions is user-friendly for disabled persons, participants at the National Convention of Youth with Disabilities have said here. According to statistics from the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India website, as of February there are 789 universities, 37,204 colleges and 11,443 stand-alone institutions in India.

"Yet, not more than one per cent of our educational institutions are disabledfriendly," said participants at the just concluded national event for the brightest disabled students of the country. “Fifty per cent of persons with disabilities are under 25 years of age, in keeping with India's demographic dividend, yet none of the universities are truly accessible. "A ramp here or a disabled-friendly toilet there doesn't qualify the college or university as accessible," Javed Abidi, Director at the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), said in a statement on Monday. “Not even one per cent of the seats in higher educational institutions are occupied by the disabled," the participants said, at an event.