Manasvi Unadkat has set a big example for students with disabilities by scoring 86% in Mathematics in the Gujarat 10th Board Examination 2023. The 15-year-old girl lost her vision when she was 7, resulting from a former brain surgery. Her knowledge of Braille could not help her solve Math as it consists of graphs, symbols and diagrams. In this situation, the technology proved to be on her side as she would listen to the online lectures multiple times and memorize the steps.
“It is because of Vidyakul classes (a vernacular e-learning portal) that I could get such high marks in my favourite subject, Mathematics,” says Manasvi.
Manasvi has opted for Commerce with Maths in 11th and aims to become an IAS officer by clearing UPSC as she wants to work for society.
Although technology helped Manasvi and many others at the school level, the picture becomes more complex once the level of examination upscales. While the school management, teaching and non-teaching staff were supportive at GD Vachhani Kanya Vidyalaya where Manasvi goes, the same could not be true for other National level competitive exams.
Avanish Vats was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a juvenile form of macular degeneration, at the age of 6, making him partially blind. He had planned to become a lawyer.
He recalls how his visual impairment affected his career choices for higher studies. “I was not allowed to use my magnifier in the law entrance exam, there were no separate questions for visually impaired candidates and the question paper consisted of a heavy load of graphs.
Extra time was not provided for candidates with disabilities.” The bad management of many such competitive exams makes candidates hopeless and helpless.
Avanish is an undergraduate student of Philosophy at St. Stephens College, University of Delhi and relies on online material for his studies. His area of interest revolves around the multiple themes of disabilities.
“Technology helps, but is not the best thing”, says Avanish. He finds it unfair to expect a person with a disability to put in 10x more hard work to achieve something that a person without any disability can get easily.
In recent years, the government has attempted to make educational institutions more disabled-friendly. Avanish shares his experience from the DU North Campus where the colleges have constructed ramps for students with locomotor disabilities, however, the ramps are inclined at an inconvenient angle.
He also points out that most government policies cater to the disabled from the elitist societies and the policies are not usually made by disabled people. Avanish has interned with a Delhi-based think-tank which works for the disabled community. Currently, he teaches disabled students throughout Jharkhand, as part of his internship with UNICEF.
The present education system needs a more diverse representation and requires an immediate re-evaluation of its policies in order to bring inclusivity, end the covert forms of discrimination in educational institutions and provide equal access to educational resources to its students. Students like Manasvi and Avanish inspire the community and spark hope for a better future.
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