Visually impaired students left in lurch by DU volunteers

For the first time four visually impaired students stepped out of their house and took a trip to Delhi University to register themselves for the admission process, but instead of finding help, they were kept waiting for almost an hour.

These students were promised by the volunteers, comprised of DU students, that they would be helped. "We have never stepped outside out house without supervision. I stay at a hostel in Kailash Colony. But my friends and I decided to visit the University without any help," said Poornima, one of the visually impaired student.

Poornima along with her friends- Jyoti, Sushma and Kanshan, had decided to skip breakfast to attend the counselling. "We took Metro from Kailash Colony and reached Vishwavidhyala Metro Station. The staff there had helped us navigate the interchange stations. Then we took an e-rickshaw and reached the counseling centre," said Sushma. After they asked some doubts from the volunteers, they were made to stand in the searing heat without any seating arrangements or even a glass of water. "I regret skipping my breakfast. Nobody is listening to us here," added Poornima. Eventually, a volunteer from the Equal Opportunity Cell (EOC) helped them reach the cell and also offered help to register their forms.

The officer on special duty at the EOC Dr. Vipin Tiwari had told this paper that the EOC was responsible for helping these students.

"The EOC will be providing all the facilities to help the differently abled students to fill their forms. We have volunteers who will be helping out visually impaired students," said Tiwari.

Also parents of these students had vented their ire at the volunteers when asked to not get their children admitted in a regular course.

"My daughter is physically handicapped and my son has the learning disability. The University officials are discouraging us," said Manish, one such student's father.

"We advise the students to take vocational courses as the other courses require tremendous physical and mental pressure," said a University official.