Covid 19 pandemic lockdown may have led to many problems but it has led to innovative solutions to those problems.  Union government had encouraged universities and colleges to utilise online method of imparting education and knowledge to students. But what about differently abled students who really missed their classes during the lockdown. They need special care,  emotional touch and empathy to make them tide over the crisis period. Dr M Prabavathy,  Director,  Centre for Differently abled persons, Bharatidasan University Tiruchirapalli said  online classes for BCA students who are speech and hearing impaired are being conducted  during the lockdown. Two  classes per week for every batch through Google meet and WhatsApp were held.  Students were encouraged to prepare short videos of the classes to assess what they understood. For differently abled persons,  the problems they face differ individually and it  should be dealt  in an individualistic manner.

The Director said technology classes were held through audio medium  for students with vision impairment studying diploma in office automation and assistive technology. As the feedback is important , all the online classes, resource materials were shared through Google classrooms and assessment was done using Google forms. She said that the greatest difficulty they faced in teaching students with disabilities is that they were emotionally instable in adapting to the online teaching. A lot of  motivation was needed and parents' support was also sought to make the learning fruitful for the students with disabilities. Teaching had to be designed according to the type of disability like for students with hearing impairment the teaching has to be done through sign language and for students with learning disabilities it has to be more kinaesthetic.

Lockdown can create vacuum in minds of students due to forced inactivity. This is where teachers can inspire students to achieve by utilising their positive energy. Dr Prabavathy said that the students were motivated to engage themselves in photography, arts and crafts, dance and useful hobbies of their interest. There were  difficulty in accessing students who are in very remote villages and who have only basic phones. Online teaching is not possible for those students as they cannot hear also, she pointed out. Resource materials in printed /braille format are sent   to those students.

Students who are differently abled should be given proper training and motivation to excel in academics as well as other fields especially arts , painting , music and even sports. Efforts like these would continue  to be an inspiration and great motivator for the  students who are really abled in different ways, she added.  She pointed out with great pride that her students with speech and hearing impairment performed traditional bharatanatyam and folk dance in many events.

The centre for differently-abled persons was started in 2011 in Bharatidasan University. It is conducting Bachelor of Computer Applications for students with speech and hearing impaired, Post graduate diploma in Inclusive Training and Development, Diploma in computer fundamentals and office automation for students with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, Diploma for office automation and assistive technology for students with vision impairment and learning disabilities. They are even conducting a certificate course in basics for adapted Yoga for mentally challenged students and learning disability.

Even sky is not the limit for differently abled persons and knowledge is not beyond their reach. They really need right opportunity and motivation rather than sympathy. Every university and college should have a centre for differently abled persons like Bharathidasan university centre to make our  country  into an  inspiring   'ACCESSIBLE INDIA ' to the specially abled ,  in letter and spirit. Union government's Accessible India  campaign is  one such  big step towards making the country differently abled friendly with    necessary policy interventions.

Dr Prabavathy Director Centre for Differently Abled Bharatidasan University

Online class of centre for differently abled Bharatidasan University

Bharatidasan University Centre for Differently Abled students

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