Scribe Reveals Lack Of Facilities For Visually Impaired During Exams & It's Appalling
One of the biggest challenges for the visually impaired is, writing exams. It's no less than a nightmare - from hunting for scribes to depending on family or friends who may or may not help them write an exam, it's a tough journey for the blind. If they fail to find someone who is willing to help them out, there's the additional stress of wasting an academic year.
But it seems like the problems blind students face are way more complicated than just being limited to the task of finding a scribe. A recent Twitter thread reveals the sad state of affairs with regard to facilities for the visually impaired, at exam centres.
A Twitter user named Harsh details an incident that made his blood boil. It all happened when he volunteered to be a scribe for a visually impaired candidate for an SBI (State Bank Of India) prelims exams in Powai, Mumbai.
This was for SBI clerk prelim exam, which was scheduled for 4:30-6 PM on Powai.
¡ª Harsh (@harsh6363) 23 June 2019
People with disability and without disability were taking the exam together at the same centre. 2/n
Harsh goes on to list a number of issues the moment he arrived at the exam centre - from the first time scribe volunteers not being given directions, and staff at the enrollment letter checking being rude, to not having a proper place for candidates to leave their belongings.
Just the perfect recipe for stress and anxiety at an examination centre for the disabled and rest of the candidates appearing for exams.
No one was telling scribe, who were there for the first time as to what they need to do or make sure. The staff sitting at enrollment letter checking counter was borderline rude. 4/n
¡ª Harsh (@harsh6363) 23 June 2019
After getting scribe form and attaching his and mine documents, we were told to go to examination hall. Before any person could proceed to examination hall, they were to supposed to keep bags in shelves which were kept in an area which seemed like parking area of the building 5/n
¡ª Harsh (@harsh6363) 23 June 2019
Imagine going for an exam, you are already stressed, then no arrangements for people with disability, and then having to leave all your stuff just like that, out on open with no to be accountable if anything gets stolen. 7/n
¡ª Harsh (@harsh6363) 23 June 2019
Things just seem to go downhill when Harsh makes it to the exam hall with his visually impaired candidate.
After this, I took this candidate to his respective examination hall. If not more, this hall was meant for minimum of 60 candidates plus their scribes. With scribes, that makes 120 people in one hall. A training hall where each desk has one system and seating for one ONLY. 8/n
¡ª Harsh (@harsh6363) 23 June 2019
"Almost 120 of us were seated, shoulder to shoulder. As I didn't know what the process is how I am to help this person, I was waiting and thinking may be they'll tell something," wrote a miffed Harsh. To no avail, the invigilator and staff seem completely oblivious to the inconvenience and went on with their own work.
To add to that, 60 scribes are reading questions and options to their respective candidates in a room, where all are sitting shoulder to shoulder. How is anyone supposed to take the exam like that, HOW. 15/n.
¡ª Harsh (@harsh6363) 23 June 2019
Coming to the exam paper.
¡ª Harsh (@harsh6363) 23 June 2019
The questions were same for people with disability and people without one. To put things in perspective, a person with disability has to attempt same questions the only difference being the person gets 20 mins extra.16/n
He even points out flaws in the way question papers were designed for the disabled. There was no difference between questions for normal candidates and the disabled, the only 'help' the latter got was 20 bonus minutes to complete the exam.
After his horrific experience a heart-broken and angry Harsh, slammed the exam council saying, 'Given my experience, the entire system is not designed to enable people with disability rather to disable them even further. Really heartbreaking and troubling.'
His Twitter thread instantly sparked a conversation on Twitter with many sharing their own ordeals with this flawed system:
#1
It appears the process has hardly changed in the last 25 years. One of my brothers is fully blind. In early 90¡¯s he was taking his B.A. exams and the scribe assigned by the college did not show up and when that happens, candidate fails as he cannot answer 1
¡ª Sathya Karanam (@smkaranam) 23 June 2019
I hate to admit but I had helped a PWD with answering questions in his board exam.He told me he knows very little and asked me to write whatever I feel appropriate.Also yes the examination sucks,they are differently abled they should make the right people design the pattern
¡ª Aditya Jadhav (@adityaj2003) 23 June 2019
My friend who is visually impaired once told me that he was put in a room which was very noisy. To the extent that his scribe couldn't hear his answers clearly. It was a law exam which required long answers in English. I hope the thread reaches right people who can address this.
¡ª Nitu Agarwal (@nitzl) 23 June 2019
as a society we have lost empathy and logic, so you think authorities do not know these difficulties after conducting so many exams over years,it is sheer arrogance, chalta hai attitude and carelessness. We do not care about other folks as long as individually we do not suffer
¡ª Vikas Saxena (@VAaxena) 23 June 2019
More recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all higher education institutions to allow a minimum one-hour 'compensatory time' to a person with benchmark disability (PwBD) for a 3-hour examination, whether they use a scribe or not.
The guidelines also say the additional time should not be less than 20 minutes per hour of examination. If the examination is less than one hour long then additional time must be allocated accordingly on pro rata basis, it says.
