Delhi University Finally Becomes Disabled-Friendly. 70% More Differently-Abled Kids To Join This Year

The number of candidates for Delhi University's persons with disability quota has risen by over 70 per cent this year. There are a total of 1,031 candidates in all three disability categories¡ªblindness and low vision (460), hearing impairment (137) and locomotor disability and cerebral palsy (434)¡ªcombined, a sharp increase from 2014's 600-odd.

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However, even if all 1,031 find seats in DU, there would still be vacancies in the persons with disability quota which is 3 per cent of the total¡ª54,000¡ªundergraduate seats. The Equal Opportunity Cell will study the marks scored by these applicants and is planning to write to the Dean Students' Welfare "to direct college to keep cut-offs for reserved categories realistic".
"There may be just a few students in the 95 per cent and above group but colleges set cutoffs with only them in mind. At some colleges, the first cut-off for PWD candidates is only a few percentage points lower than what it is for general-category," says Bipin Tiwary, OSD-EOC. For instance, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College's computer science cut-off was 98-100 per cent for general category and 96-98 per cent for PWD.
The sudden increase in the number of applicants Tiwary ascribes to DU's efforts to make its premises accessible and that DU is perceived to be "sensitized and proactive." The university had waived hostel fees for students of this category and reduced mess-hall fees to half from November, 2012. Then, Tiwary says the EOC is ensuring that "every department has ramps and accessible toilets". "Eighty buildings have already been covered."

(Originally published in The Times Of India)