In India, inclusive education within higher education is almost non-existent. There are very few options for students with specific learning needs after they complete school. This prompted Ashoka University to open its doors to all learners who aspire for a Liberal Arts and Sciences education. The University believes that students with disabilities should not be at a disadvantage in either admission or in the learning process. And so, a dedicated Office of Learning Support (OLS) was established in July 2016.

The OLS is responsible for planning an intervention schedule for every student with a disability. This includes arranging for various assistive technologies, collaborating with faculty and centres within Ashoka, and liaising with outside agencies to extend the best possible help to these students. The OLS has been supporting students with visual impairments,

hearing impairments, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, attention deficit disorders and those with significant English language difficulties.

Once the student is on board, the office conducts formal or informal assessments based on which an intervention plan is charted out. This includes reasonable adjustments to be made in the learning and thinking processes of the student. This process can be better explained through three case studies – Shakul, a third-year undergraduate (UG) student who is most likely the first visually impaired student to do a mathematics major in India; Kunwar, a first-year UG with full hearing loss, pursuing his dream of joining the civil services; and Mukesh, a first-year UG who has significant English language-related difficulties but has strong mathematical abilities.

Shakul is an extremely bright student who made it to IIT but chose Ashoka instead. He believed that the University would be able to provide him with all the support he required to get by. He needs software tools that can read mathematical equations. Recording the lectures, converting his books into LaTeX, preparing tactile graphs, manual intervention for proof reading converted texts, and modified assignments are some examples of support provided to Shakul. He graduates in 2018 and is planning to go to the US for further studies.

Kunwar is a keen photographer who is deeply interested in filmmaking, photography and modelling. He largely communicates through lip reading. He struggles with long texts and passages and is not comfortable with mathematics or sciences. Ashoka’s curriculum involves several discussions and presentations, which limits Kunwar’s participation in the classroom as he cannot comply with verbal discussions. The OLS works closely with his professors and teaching assistants to help Kunwar maximise his learning. Tutors from the Centre for Writing and Communication (CWC) spend one-on-one time with him and provide simplified notes to keep Kunwar abreast of his curriculum. Understanding that he has a special learning ability, we are in the process of incorporating more visual learning methods and working with his professors to allow Kunwar to submit his assignments in a format he is more comfortable with.

Mukesh, an ESL (English as second language) student, struggled in the first semester with the Foundation Courses which required heavy reading and written assignments. The OLS worked closely with the CWC and his ESL instructor to make the curriculum easier on him. Helping him with readings and daily life skills such as writing emails are a few examples of the support provided to Mukesh. Remedial help, such as activities to improve grammar skills, vocabulary, reading comprehension, oral language and written expression, was also provided.

Working with students with disabilities has been equally fruitful and rewarding for the OLS. In 2017, three students graduated with good grades. Going forward, the office plans to collaborate with Ashoka’s partner universities as well as other universities such as IIM Bangalore and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to share best practices for creating an inclusive environment in higher education.