Disciplines of study should reform from within to include students with disabilities, says IIT professor
An IIT-Madras professor argues that academic disciplines must reform their internal structures to better accommodate students with disabilities. The Accessibility Research Centre was established to address these systemic and attitudinal barriers within higher education.
Why it matters
It highlights the need for institutional change in higher education to ensure equitable access for disabled students beyond just physical infrastructure.
While prominent methods like ramps, wheelchairs, and gadgets do ensure accessibility to educational institutions for people with disabilities, “the other side of the coin” – bringing in reforms within the different disciplines of study to accommodate disabled students – is what remains by and large untapped, according to Hemachandran Karah, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT-Madras.
The article reports on academic advocacy and institutional initiatives without taking a partisan stance.
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