Students with 21 different disabilities to get relief under Maharashtra state’s Higher and Technical Education

Mumbai : A committee of experts was formed at the government level to decide the facilities to be provided to such students to evaluate them in their higher education.

After providing concessions to the children with special needs, the Maharashtra state’s Higher and Technical Education Department has now came up with different facilities for students with 21 different disabilities taking higher education in degree colleges.

According to the higher education department such students’ study, teaching and evaluation should be done in a different way. A committee of experts was formed at the government level to decide the facilities to be provided to such students to evaluate them in their higher education. After the meeting one of the decision take was that students should be given nearby examination centres. The examination centre can be provided in the same college where the student is studying or nearby his/her residence. Other decisions included that the answer papers of these students should be kept aside.

These students should be provided 20 minutes extra for internal, external, practical examination. If these students are failing then three per cent of the total marks should be given as grace marks. With the prior permission of the principal or director these students can take facility of writer for their exam. Either the parents with the help of college should get the writer for these students or the college should keep the list of writers and provide these students at the time of exam. According to the need the sign language interpreter should be provided to these students. And many such concessions have been provided to the students with different disabilities taking higher education.

Anil Patil, Board of College and University Development, Mumbai University, said the government has decided to help more students with different disabilities which were not considered earlier.

LIST OF DISABILITIES

Blind, low vision/partial blind, Leprosy cured persons, Hearing impairment – deaf and hard of hearing, Locomotor disability including orthopaedic disability, dwarfism

Intellectual disability, mentally challenged/slow learners, Mental illness, Autism spectrum disorder, Cerebral palsy, Muscular dystrophy, Chronic neurological conditions

Specific learning disabilities, Multiple sclerosis, Speech and language disability, Thalassemia, cancer, Sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities, acid attack victim, Parkinson disease.

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