First disabled people in India enter MBA program

From Indian Express:

Ahmedabad, India -- Even as Articles 32 and 39 of the PWD (Persons With Disability) Act, 1995 clearly pronounces that every academic institution is bound to reserve 3 per cent of the seats for the disabled students, this seems to have been ignored by most of the self-financed institutions in the state.

This academic year though, a total of 60 disabled students (Ortho-handicapped and low vision) have secured admission in an MBA course in self financed colleges in the state, following the policy implementation under the two Articles of the Act.

R M Patel, in-charge, Disability Commissioner said: “Although the 3 per cent reservation rule has been there right from 1995, like other quotas, it has not been implemented properly all this time. A total of 100 seats have been reserved for the disabled students.”

But only 60 of the seats have been filled under this category as most students refrain from enrolling in colleges, he said. The figure is, nevertheless, a staggering increase from the usual 5-6 each year, he added.

Former Disability Commissioner Bhaskar Mehta said: “Polytechnic, dental and medical seats under the reservation quota for disabled students generally don't have any takers. But this has been for the first time that 60 students have secured admissions in self-financed colleges.”

According to Mehta, one of the major reasons why most of the seats have remained vacant is probably the prejudice towards disabled students, which prevents them from enrolling, besides the students' low-self confidence.

“The self-financed colleges largely had an unaccommodating attitude. In fact, the low vision disability wasn’t even differentiated from visually impaired whereas the two are completely different.” he said.

Incidentally, Mehta had initiated the implementation of the policy by writing repeated letters to the Education Department for the proper implementation of the Article.

While the policy has been implemented in the academic year 2008-2009; the increase in the number of disabled people enrolling in MBA courses, which the state has witnessed for the first time, has come as a breather.