Guwahati: A shortage of Braille teachers and specialised courses is limiting education and employment opportunities for Assam’s blind students, the All Assam Blind Students’ Union claimed.The union on Monday accused the state govt of failing to address its long-pending demands on education, employment, skill development and social security despite repeated memoranda.Union general secretary Rituraj Das highlighted a shortage of Braille teachers for Classes I to X in schools for the visually impaired. He demanded modern educational infrastructure and special BEd and Diploma in Elementary Education in Special Education (DElEd) courses in Assam.“The visually impaired, even if they want to become designated special educators, cannot do so as they are required to complete specialised B.Ed. and D.El.Ed. courses. While such courses are available in states like Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, there are no such facilities in Assam. We have appealed to the Chief Secretary to introduce these courses in the state, as most of these students come from economically weaker families,” Das said.The union sought greater opportunities for visually impaired candidates through ADRE, assistance in preparing for competitive examinations, equal employment opportunities and skill development centres.It also demanded proper implementation of the 5% reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities in higher education under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.“Although the provision for 5% reservation exists, it is not being properly implemented in practice,” he also added.Das alleged that merging the Deen Dayal Divyang Pension Scheme with Orunodoi in 2021 had deprived eligible persons with disabilities of benefits because a family may have only one ration card.“The financial assistance under the scheme is a constitutional right of persons with disabilities and demands that the government reconsider the matter and provide benefits independently to genuinely eligible persons with disabilities,” he further added.
