University of Pune ramps up for special students

Campus to be made more accessible for specially-abled students, after drop in admissions

The University of Pune (UoP) is set for a facelift that is more utilitarian than superficial. The 411-acre campus will be revamping over 60 of its buildings into accessible and userfriendly premises to facilitate easy and safe movement for visually, auditory and orthopaedically impaired students.



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Replicating the Classroom Complex plan (above), more ramps will be built on the UoP campus and in affiliated colleges


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UoP’s Blind Students’ Learning Centre, which facilitates accessibility and technology solutions not just for the institute’s blind students but also for students with physical and mental disabilities pushed the launch of this move due to a gradual drop in admissions of specially-abled students on campus as well as across the 650 colleges affiliated to the varsity.

At present, the proposal has been approved by the management and UoP’s Estate Department plans to begin work by mid-July and complete the same in three months.

Dhananjay Bhole, co-ordinator of the Centre told Mirror, “We have successfully developed accessibility web tools and services for the auditory and visually impaired. However, the specially-abled need to feel secure while moving around on campus.



            Slopes such as these lead to lavatories and into classrooms

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There has been a drop in admissions and therefore less takers for our services. The primary agenda must now be to make the campus accommodating for these students.” The sanctioned plan includes beginning work on the old buildings on campus, by constructing ramps and sidewalks that would also host assistive signals and speaking devices to enable barrier-free movement.
 
In addition, accessible toilets and elevators will be constructed in all buildings on campus. An initial allocation of Rs 17 lakh has been made for the work. “Finances will be sanctioned in slots. The immediate plan of action is to start work on the buildings and then move on to constructing sidewalks and ramps on campus roads.

For the outdoors, the work will involve more challenges as the original architectural plan with the telephone and internet cables and drainage system running under the footpaths will have to be modified,” informed an offcial from the Estate Department on condition of anonymity.

Sanjeev Sonawane, Head of UoP’s Department of Education and Extension added, “After we review its impact on students on campus, we will implement it across all UoPaffiliated colleges from the next academic year.” Kunal Bhalerao, a visually-impaired student in his last year of BA (History), from Nowrosjee Wadia College, said, “I regularly need to visit UoP’s Learning Centre and Jaykar Library to get audio e-books and study material in Braille.

However, the campus is huge and there are cars and bikes moving around all the time, which intimidate me. I need to depend on someone else to get around and that demoralises me, so I avoid going. With the new move in place, I see hope.



What's the plan

•   Old buildings to be revamped

•   Campus roads will have ramps, sidewalks

•   Signals and speaking devices

•   Accessible toilets and elevators

•   Original architecture plan (telephone cables, internet cables, drainage system) to be modified.




Source : Pune Mirror , 23rd June 2013