<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>With nearly 320 million students affected by COVID-19 school closures, the Indian education sector too has witnessed a transformative shift to virtual learning. However the glaring absence of the disabled community from mainstream conversations on education raises troubling questions over the sustainability of online academic practice.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Online is Offline for them</strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>It is important to begin by stating that school education for CWDs (children with disabilities) in India is already at a crossroads.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Take for instance, children who are visually challenged; they are not able to access the study materials and the classes. Some are able to partially access classes because they have help from their family. With schools sending assignments as scanned images, it’s a huge concern for people with learning disabilities as well those who have difficulty reading.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>For students with hearing loss or deafness, they don’t have access to the online classes itself as there is no sign language interpreter during the video calls. These students I am sure have not been provided with transcripts. Most students rely on a note which takes longer than a week to be collated and sent.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Another major concern is that many underprivileged students do not have laptops, smart phones assistive technologies or internet access – all essential tools for accessing online education.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>While the RTE act talks about the right of admittance and education but fails to mention how an enabling environment will be created by deploying adequate physical and digital infrastructure or having access to appropriate teaching tools and technologies to promote inclusivity in education. Lack of clarity on issues like these becomes more worrisome during a pandemic like COVID 19 which restricts CWDs along with other children from accessing school education physically.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>An alarming shortage of data on the number of children with disability in India furthers the woes and makes it harder to determine whether children with disabilities of school- going age are in school or not.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Is NEP a silver lining for inclusive education?</strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>The New Education Policy (2020) is a historic effort and first omnibus policy after 34 years, under Modi regime. The policy is designed to avoid segregation and isolation of ethnic and linguistic minorities, those with disabilities and also those who face learning difficulties due to language barriers and are at the risk of educational exclusion.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>A major victory is the recognition of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWD) and its provisions for inclusive education, defined as a system of education where students with and without disabilities learn together. These recommendations include non-discrimination in schools, accessible infrastructure, reasonable accommodations, individualized supports, use of Braille and Indian Sign language in teaching, and monitoring among others. The policy has provisions for recruitment of special educators with cross-disability training and incorporates disability awareness within teacher education.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>When it comes to ground-level implementation, things behave differently. Here are staggering statistics <em>(Source: Tanushree Sarkar, Examining Disability Inclusion in India’s new NEP, August 2020)</em></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:list -->
<ul><li>Disabled children rarely progress beyond primary school, and only 9% complete secondary education.</li><li>Around 45% of disabled people are illiterate and only 62.9% of disabled people between the ages of 3 and 35 have ever attended regular schools.</li><li>Children with autism and cerebral palsy and girls with disabilities are least likely to be enrolled in schools.</li><li>Less than 40% of school buildings have ramps and around 17% of schools have accessible toilets.</li><li>Only 59% of schools across the country have access to electricity.</li></ul>
<!-- /wp:list -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Last but not the least, I see the availability of adequate funding to finance additional infrastructure for proposed new setups, upgrading school libraries in rural areas, new teacher appointments, digital know-how of the existing resources, etc, could only add to the cost and delay the implementation.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>How to support children with learning disabilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic?</strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Every section of society is facing its own woes when it comes to its repercussions, along with children with learning disabilities.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Learning disabilities describe a wide range of learning problems including dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and processing deficits. It is important to understand that this is not a problem with intelligence or motivation rather, the difference lies in how they receive, process and retain information.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Irrespective of being a parent or a teacher, it is important to keep things in perspective and look at the bigger picture. Remember, we are not trying to ‘cure’&nbsp;<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/quantify-learning-disability-hc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">learning disabilities</a>, instead we must look at providing social, emotional and academic skills that will help them overcome their challenge and make them more resilient.&nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>At ProSports Foundation this month, we are organising a fund raising initiative for Deepika School and Charitable Trust - a school for children with special needs, specifically in the areas of learning disabilities, autism and related disorders. With over 140 special children with learning needs, most of the students are unable to pay their yearly school fees, get access to laptops for online sessions and speech and physiotherapy sessions.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>We are cycling for 150 kms from Bengaluru to Mysuru on 3rd Oct, 2020 to raise money and i invite you to support the cause by raising awareness and contribute.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->