Inclusive Education and Built Environment in India

The built environment in Indian cities often lacks inclusivity, particularly for persons with disabilities. In an effort to reform this, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), in collaboration with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), has signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at integrating the concept of disability and accessibility into school curricula.

Objective and Importance

• The MoU aims to educate children about disability and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.
• Inclusion is viewed not just as a regulatory requirement but as a cultural norm that should be taught and modeled from an early age.
• This educational reform is especially crucial in fields like architecture, engineering, and urban development which shape our physical environment.

Current Challenges in Accessibility

• Delhi exemplifies the lack of accessibility with 30% of government buildings lacking ramps, 82% of public toilets being inaccessible, and 94% of healthcare facilities not designed for people with disabilities.
• Professionals in engineering and architecture often have insufficient training in disability inclusion.
• Accessibility is frequently treated as an afterthought, unlike fire safety which is well integrated into curricula.

Educational Gaps

• Prestigious programs such as B.Tech. in computer science and engineering at IIT Delhi and B.Arch. at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, lack foundational training in accessible technology and inclusive design.
• Training in these areas is viewed as elective rather than essential, which hinders broader systemic change.

Legal Framework and Enforcement

• The RPwD Act, 2016 and the Harmonised Guidelines, 2021 lay out clear obligations for accessible infrastructure.
• Delhi's UBBL includes accessibility requirements but often lacks effective enforcement mechanisms.
• Legal and punitive measures exist, such as fines under the RPwD Act and the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, but practical enforcement remains weak.

Need for Educational Reform

• Court cases like Nipun Malhotra vs GNCTD highlight the need for training and education in accessibility standards.
• The DEPwD's MoU with NCERT and NIOS should serve as a model for integrating accessibility into higher education.
• Entities like the All India Council for Technical Education and the Council of Architecture need to embed accessibility as a core design competence.

Conclusion

Accessibility should be taught as a first nature, not as a compliance burden. Without educational reform alongside legal measures, inclusivity in the built environment will remain an unfulfilled goal. The initiative to reform school curricula is a step towards a more inclusive society, but it needs to be accompanied by changes in higher education and professional training to truly transform accessibility in India.