5 pc quota for students with disabilities must be implemented, says Official

NEW DELHI, AUG 21 (PTI): The five per cent reservation for students with disabilities must be implemented in higher education institutions, a senior government official said, stressing that it must be implemented in reality and not just remain on paper.
Addressing an event organised by Ashoka University’s Office of Learning Support (OLS) in partnership with the Inclusive University Alliance (IUA) here, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) Additional Secretary Manmeet Kaur Nanda called for moving beyond policy on paper to inclusion in practice.
She outlined a six-point roadmap for higher education institutions, including audited access, implementation of the five per cent reservation, reasonable accommodation by default, stronger assistive technology and support, greater faculty and administrative sensitivity, and robust accountability through periodic accessibility and social audits.
“The 5 per cent reservation must be implemented in reality, not just on paper,” Nanda said. While a law enacted in 2016 provides for this five per cent reservation, there have been petitions in courts about some institutions not adhering to this legal mandate.
Nanda stressed that accessibility must extend beyond physical infrastructure to websites, learning systems, examination portals and course materials.
The event was attended by policymakers, higher education leaders and inclusion practitioners to deliberate on creating a more inclusive, accessible and equitable higher education ecosystem for students with disabilities.
The event also saw the unveiling of a coffee table book ‘Because of You’.
Professor Vinay Kumar Pathak, President of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), acknowledged Ashoka University’s decade-long work in the area and called for greater focus on realities beyond metropolitan centres.
“We should develop a status paper covering Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities, villages and communities often left out of the conversation,” he said.
“When we are in Delhi, we may understand India, but not always Bharat and its ground realities. Policies shaped in air-conditioned rooms must work on the ground — for a farmer’s son with a disability, for instance,” Pathak said.
He also called for harnessing artificial intelligence and other technologies to develop assistive solutions and said the AIU is committed to working with Ashoka University to take the agenda forward.
Ashoka University vice chancellor Rishikesha T Krishnan said inclusion must be viewed as an integral part of academic excellence and institutional responsibility.
“The work of building inclusive universities requires consistent effort, sustained leadership, collaboration and a willingness to rethink how our institutions are designed and experienced,” he said.