HEIs asked to provide special care for differently abled students

CHENNAI: All higher education institutions (HEIs) in the State have been instructed to provide requisite aid, including sign language specialists, for students with hearing impairment and other communication disabilities who were impacted by lack of physical classes

A senior official from the Higher Education Department said sign language interpreters would be brought in and transcripts would be provided to ensure inclusion of differently abled students during online classes in the future.

The institutions will also ensure that the provided study material are accessible for students with visual disabilities and learning disabilities.

Pointing out that many colleges did not provide the required study material for differently abled students during online classes, he said “Foreseeing the possibility of a third wave of COVID, universities and colleges have been advised to keep the challenges in mind and act accordingly.”

“We were notified that exams were conducted soon after the lockdown was relaxed even though differently abled students had no access to study material. Besides, many students in rural areas didn’t have internet access,” he added.

Therefore, universities and colleges were advised to provide additional assistance to differently abled students and conduct the exams accordingly.

He added that it might not be easy to follow COVID protocols for differently abled students. Many of them will need caregivers. In that case, alternatives such as wearing of gloves and using hand sanitisers should be adopted.