Ref.Sam.2013/132 Dated:27/05/2013 Press Release: Supreme Court Hearing Today in Sambhavana SLP on FYUP in DU and the Note of a Blind Student Who is Forced to Leave Country for Studying Science.
Today Supreme Court took up the Special Leave Petition filed by Sambhavana Organization challenging the interim order of Delhi HC dated 15/05/2013 refusing to grant stay on the introduction of FYUP in Delhi University. The court has asked Delhi University to file an affidavit latest by day after tomorrow (29th May) explaining what kinds of arrangements it is going to make for those visually challenged students who would take admission under FYUP and who want to study the two foundation courses on maths and science? We feel that the court has thus vindicated our stand as even we had urged the University to file such an affidavit before the Delhi High Court, where our this genuine demand was candidly refused. Today, Delhi University has, however, tabled a report on this issue in the emergency meeting of Academic Council. The report also agrees with some of our suggestions. For instance, it suggests that two optional courses should be introduce for those blind students, who would anyhow prefer not to study the two foundation courses on Science and Maths. It also agrees that requisite arrangements for teaching science and maths (along with other subjects) should be made, such as preparing reading material (books, articles, charts and diagrams) in accessible formats; assistive devices; orientation of teachers etc. However, it fails to explain with any empirical data how this all is to be accomplished within such a short span of time? Secondly, its argument that the two foundation courses on maths and science are too basic to worry is nothing but an oversimplification of the matter. Thirdly, its absence with regard to any recommendation for a bridge course for students who have not studied science and maths after class VIII and X is very problematic, because we wonder how these students would be brought at par with other students, who have already studied science and maths up to XII grade? Fourth, Since it has not recommended for a bridge course, it also failed to take cognizance of the need to shift the two foundation courses on Science and Maths to the second year of FYUP. Fifth, its recommendation that wherever there is some visual component involved in curriculum, the same may be modified is a clear violation of Persons with Disabilities Act (1995) and United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, because, under these laws, suitable modification in examination and restructuring of curriculum is allow, not the dilution of contents. They should anyhow teach these components to blind students, at best, they can make these modifications or alternatives in examination. Sixth, the report recommends Rs. 1.80 CR for five years to be spent for making arrangements for inclusive education. However, this amount is too little like sprinkling of a few drop of water in desert, because it in actual terms means that all 81 colleges of DU will get roughly 2 lac rupees for fives or about 40 thousand annually. We have already publicly circulated and submitted our comprehensive suggestions to Delhi University about how to develop inclusive and accessible infrastructure. Today, we would like to bring to the notice of the media that we have received a note from a blind student who studied Science and Maths up to class XII in India, and yet, who was denied admission by IIT and therefore who was compelled to take admission in Stanford University. What if such students come to DU? In his note pasted below, Kartik Sawney has outlined with first hand experience that what kind of arrangements Delhi University needs to make it possible for vision impaired students to study Science and Maths in the near future. For how long are we going to push for this brain drain? For how long are we going to compel in the name of option our vision impaired students to study other subjects, but not maths and science? We have therefore also submitted his note to Delhi University for necessary and due consideration. Sambhavana Team Phones: +91-9818685889, +91-9818193875, +9013727325, +91-9818021880. Suggestions to be implemented in the immediate future for imparting instruction in Mathematics and Science to the blind and visually challenged students While the document attached is a comprehensive document that lays down the possible strategies being used by blind and visually impaired students throughout the globe and should be adopted in India as well, it is realised that many of these technologies and/or adaptations will take their own time to be appropriately deployed. In these circumstances, the following are suggestions that can be implemented in the immediate future. General suggestion After going through the curriculum, it is understood that the university plans to use considerable electronic resources (in the form of slides and spreadsheets). Several of these documents can be accessed by a blind or visually impaired student using a screen reader. Therefore, the professors should provide a softcopy of the slide/spreadsheet in advanced to the student so that he/she can go through the document to ensure better comprehension of the material. For teaching Mathematics The following are suggestions, which if implemented can be helpful in teaching Mathematics to students who are blind or visually impaired. For teaching arithmetic 1. Most blind students use a taylor frame for computations. This should continue in the university as well. Use of abacus or any other similar device for computations should be permitted. 2. Where calculators are permitted, blind students should be permitted to use a talking calculator (standard or scientific). 3. Where visual inputs are used to explain a concept in arithmetic, an alternate textual description should ideally be provided to the student. Where it is deemed that a textual representation cannot serve the purpose, daily life objects can be used and assembled in ways to replicate the figure. Tactile graphics can also be used. However, students should be exposed to simple tactile graphics before moving onto the more complicated one's. This is especially true for students who have not been exposed to tactile graphics in the past. 4. For students who wish to use a computer, a spreadsheet can be used for computations (resources that explain using a spreadsheet for computations are available on the web). For teaching algebra 1. As such, no specialised softwares are required when dealing with algebra. Taylor frame or any other device for computations serves the purpose well. Statements to daily life problems can be dictated to a scribe or written on a computer, helping the blind candidate to keep track of the intermediate steps. For teaching statistics 1. Several concepts such as mean, median, mode, standard deviations etc. can be explained without graphics, and use only the abilities developed through other domains in mathematics (such as arithmetic and algebra). 2. Where graphs or plots are involved, Math Tracks developed by NASA (which is a freeware) can be used which provides a tonal representation of the graph, while also providing a verbal description. Tactile graphics can also be developed to represent graphs. Moreover, for students who prefer verbal descriptions, verbal descriptions of graphs can also be provided as the graphs in question are suitably scattered, and can be explained with accuracy in most of the cases. 3. Sometimes, a concept which is required may be described verbally. For instance, when dealing with monotonicity, only the gradient is required to be known. As such, if the gradient is made available to the candidate in a textual format without the actual graph, it solves the purpose. A few topics require considerable visualisation. The university should omit these topics, as many of them do not constitute essential components of the course. Wherever a faculty member deems a concept to be an essential component of the course, he/she should work with other faculty members and devise a way to convey the information to the student in a way that the student can understand (using the local resources and also through networking with the universities abroad where a plethora of facilities and accommodations to make Math and Science accessible are available). For teaching Science Biology 1. Several models representing different facets of Biology such as human anatomy are available in the market and can be used. 2. Tactile diagrams can be developed. However, while generating the diagrams, it should be ensured that the components are far apart for accurate comprehension. 3. Hands-on lab experience may not be practical in a few experiments. In these circumstances, a sighted student can describe the visual observations to the blind student, while the blind student can provide instructions. this will ensure familiarity with the practical curriculum for the blind student as well. 4. When figures appear on the tests, a blind candidate should be provided with a verbal description of the figure/diagram. Wherever this is not possible, the student may be provided with an alternate question. Chemistry 1. Physical chemistry can be managed without any specialised softwares. a. When dealing with concepts such as resonance, the professor could use tactile diagrams or kits such as the Sewel's Raised Line kit etc. b. Where logarithms are required, a log table in Braille or an electronic log table can be provided to the candidate. c. Devices that the blind student uses for computations should be permitted to facilitate working out numericals (if any). 2. Inorganic Chemistry does not require any adaptation as such, except when structure of the molecule is to be depicted. to do so, tactile diagrams work the best. Alternatively, adaptations as simple as drawing the molecule using locally found objects (such as lids of bottles etc.) can be used, and it works great in some cases. 3. Organic Chemistry requires a few adaptations to convey the correct molecule and structure to the blind student. a. The teacher, when drawing the molecule, should also provide its corresponding IUPAC name for the blind student to get an intuition of the molecule. b. Wherever reaction mechanism is involved, theoretical description should be provided, and should be accepted in the examinations as well. c. Models to represent trivial molecules such as benzene and cyclohexane (in different configurations) are available and are generally used by teachers to explain concepts to even the sighted students. These models can be of great help in explaining important concepts to a blind student. Physics 1. Diagrams can be described in most of the cases (when dealing with basic Physics). Alternatively, tactile diagrams may also be used after introduction and somewhat experience. 2. Generally, verbal descriptions should be accepted where a diagram is required in an examination. For instance,, if the student is to draw a ray diagram to depict a certain situation in optics, a blind student should be permitted to provide a description of the diagram encompassing necessary parameters (such as object position, image position, magnification in this case). Suggestions received on email from Kartik Sawhney (A visually impaired student, who have studied science and maths up to XII class in India and has been selected for undergraduate programme in Science at Stanford University). -- Sambhavana Struggle for the Rights of Disabled! "Disability is a form of human diversity" Website: www.sambhavana.org email: [email protected] Phone: 9111-27517615 Mobile: 9818685889 Office: 350, Pocket 5, Sector 2, Rohini, Delhi 110085. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
