The Universal Accessibility Provisions in Educational Institutes of New Delhi, India

Abstract

BACKGROUND Restriction in access to higher education aggravates issues for persons with disabilities to pursue the education that will improve their quality of life. In developing countries like India, it has been observed that Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) may have reduced access to educational institutions compared to their counterparts. India is a signatory to the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), due to which it has formulated the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwDs) 2016. The study's objective is to identify the present accessibility status of educational institutions in Delhi as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017. The study also evaluates institutions' compliance with the five-year time limit from the date of enforcement on 15 June 2017— imposed by the Central Government to make all existing infrastructure accessible as per the RPwDs Act, 2016— the due date of which expired on 15 June 2022. The Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005, has been used as the primary research tool to obtain information that is accessible under the open public domain. The study revealed that most institutions were aware of RPwDs Act 2016, but a few reported being compliant with accessibility standards. The study highlighted that the educational institutions in Delhi have not fully undergone the necessary upgrades to create an accessible and barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities. AIMS The goal of the study is to determine whether educational institutions in Delhi are in compliance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules of 2017 and RPwD Act 2016, regarding accessibility to a barrier-free physical environment, equal opportunities, and appropriate information and online communication for Persons with Disabilities within the stipulated time limit of five years. SETTINGS AND METHODS The RTI Act, 2005, was used to request information from 43 educational institutions in Delhi regarding compliance with accessibility standards of the built environment, including the provisions of equal opportunities and access to information as per the RPwDs Rules, 2017. Only government-run educational institutions were selected for the study as they are subject to the RTI Act’s transparency requirements. The main limitation of the study is that the authors have only relied upon verified sources for information accessible under the open public domain as per the RTI Act, 2005, provided directly by the institutions. Future studies to verify the on-ground reality may be performed. RESULTS A total of 38 higher educational institutions in Delhi were approached for the study, and only 27 responded under the RTI Act up to the time period of compilation from April 2022- November 2022. After compiling the results, it was identified that 16 were aware of section 45 of the RPwDs Act, 2016. 14 of the 27 institutions responded to being accessible, while one acknowledged being inaccessible. 17 institutions responded having PwDs on the payroll, while seven responded negatively. Only six of the 27 institutions accepted having features for accessible websites, and six responded that they did not have a website at all. CONCLUSION There is no universality for accessibility in the institutions under the study. Many did not respond to the queries and many others have admitted to being not fully accessible. Therefore the status quo of the educational institutes with respect to the provisions of universal accessibility in them needs further improvement. Lack of compliance is first in the case of the institutes that did not provide information with full integrity under the RTI Act, 2005. The other issue of the non-compliance with the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. There is a requirement for improvements in universal accessibility of built environment and information along with the provision of equal opportunities for PwDs educational institutions.