Polytechnic college based in Karnataka has been offering professional courses to empower differently-abled students. It’s always been a challenge to select an institution for differently abled students. Differently abled students face a lot of hurdles while studying due to absence of wheelchair ramp, disabled friendly toilets etc.,
A government-aided polytechnic affiliated to the Board of Technical Examinations, Government of Karnataka and approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi has been attracting these students, mostly from nearby rural areas by offering well-qualified and committed faculty members to provide quality technical education to the differently-abled with the state-of-the-art facilities in the campus.
With a total intake of 220 seats, the institute based in Mysuru offers diploma in Architecture, Commercial Practice, Computer Science and Engineering, Jewellery Design and Technology, Electronics and Communication Engineering, and Computer Applications.
Any student with disabilities such as orthopedic disability, including wheelchaired, hearing, visually impaired, who have passed SSLC or equivalent examination are eligible for admission. Merit based admission process is followed here at the college.
“We have been receiving encouraging responses from students. Courses such as Architecture, Commercial Practice, Computer Science and Electronics & Communication Engineering are in great demand and every year we see 100% enrolment to these courses,” says Elangovan B, principal, who has been associated with JSS Polytechnic for the Differently Abled since its inception in 1991.
Financial support in the form of scholarships from state and central government and support from philanthropists and corporates offer financial support to the deserving students. Depending on the course, the fee ranges from Rs6000 to Rs17000 per annum with Rs1800 monthly as hostel fee.
Most students find a job as soon as they finish the course, says Elangovan. The architecture students are getting jobs in the Public Works Department, assistant to architects, Town Planning and CADD Designs. With regular efforts made by the institutes and perseverance of the students, some have also found a job in private and government offices, secretaries, data entry operators and stenographers, insurance management, banking, accounts, computer operators, call centre operators.
“Though most of them acquire abilities to work in the corporates or retail showrooms. Most of them are hired under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy of the companies,” he adds.
The students are trained and guided by a team of dedicated members of the Placement and Training Cell. Instead of the society showing pity on them and offering a job, most of the students are shown the path. They participate in campus interviews and job fairs where they are picked on the basis of their potential.
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Challenges
Grooming these students at the campus is not easy, says Elangovan. “We counsel and motivate students to enrolled in various courses and stand on their feet.”
“Most of the students face difficulty in understanding the instructions given by teachers. Over the period, students acquire skills to follow the instruction and acquire a comfort level. This helps in upgrading their knowledge and preparing for employment or higher education,” says Elangovan B.
“Motivating these students and communicating with them is the biggest need here. We use sign language, lip-reading and body language while teaching the hearing impaired. Use of audio-visual presentation through projectors, online references in the classrooms and laboratories, and encourage them to communicate in peer groups is important,” Elangovan adds.
Association with industry- player
“Curriculum is developed in collaboration with industry players as we want the students to adapt to the industry demand and work with ease,” he adds.
The polytechnic also offers facilities for sports and games, gymkhana, hydrotherapy, speech therapy, sign language support, counselling and guidance. The institute also offers a bridge course for those academically weak in English and Mathematics.
Courtesy: TOI
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