News

Volume 6 Issue 1 - June 15, 2009

Special Bus for disabled students in Delhi University

D.N.I.S. News Network, India: Come July and getting to college for disabled students in Delhi University is going to be easier than before. The Equal Opportunity Cell (E.O.C.) will soon start a bus for students with special needs as part of a pilot project.

The 30-seater bus has all facilities needed for students with physical, visual, hearing and speech impairment. It can accommodate four wheelchairs.

Announcements will be made for the benefit of visually impaired students. For students with speech and hearing impairment, buttons will be placed near seats that can be pressed to stop the bus.

The bus is almost ready to run. Final touches are being given to the hydraulic system to move the ramp so that wheelchairs can be lifted more efficiently. Currently, the hydraulic system is working at a slow pace increasing the waiting time.

Initially, the bus will cover Dhaka hostel to Metro Stations at Mall Road and Kanhaiya Nagar via Camp, Ring Road, Laxmi Bai College, Satyawati College, Shakti Nagar, main campus and Indraprastha College for Women. The bus will make four to five rounds each day of these routes starting July.

“Since rush remains more in the morning, the route could be made wider to cover more areas while the afternoon frequency can stick to the original route,” said an official of the E.O.C.

This bus facility is not restricted to just disabled students. In fact, faculty members with disabilities can also avail this facility. The driver and attendant of the bus will be given a day long training to understand special needs of disabled people.

Meanwhile, E.O.C. and Dean of Students, Welfare (D.S.W.) will also collate the database of disabled students taking admission in D.U. this year.