ENDURING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION VIA INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Abstract

In the Constitution of India, Article 45 (a) has guaranteed Education as a Fundamental Right for each citizen. For this, the Government of India has been taking steps to equalize educational opportunities to its entire people since independence. In this process, efforts have been taken to overcome regional imbalances in the form of provisions for extra educational facilities to the under developed regions, socially, culturally and economically disadvantages groups like OBC, SC and ST. To magnitude has made to set right the asymmetries in equalization of educational chances to all the citizens of India. Still there are areas where much work should be done to promote the concept of equalization of educational opportunities to air. In this respect, it is apt to think of the concept inclusive education to the excluded groups such as children in school education and students in higher education with different disabilities In our educational system either at school or college level, one can find students with physical disabilities such as visual, hearing, motor handicap and intellectually abled/disabled (i.e., gifted or talented, mild and moderate intellectually handicapped apart from students with slow learning), students with specific learning difficulties and behaviour disorders. These are the students who experience difficulties in learning, socialization and maintaining interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships with their teachers, parents, peers and community.

            The existing educational system must accommodate such students' needs, abilities and accordingly the physical, psychological and learning environments should be modified for the healthy development of these individuals. In other sense, providing facilitative barrier free environment i.e., better access to physical facilities for these students, providing facilitative teaching learning environment keeping in mind their disabilities, supportive systems for effective integration of these students with normal population, making suitable changes in examination and evaluation systems are the need of the hour for better inclusive education, either at school or college level.