Kashmir's Disabled Kids Deserve A Seat And Support In Schools

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
Kashmir's Disabled Kids Deserve a Seat and Support in Schools

By Mohammad Hanief

In the region of rigorous academic adventures, children still leave home each morning with books in hand. They walk miles, through frost and fog, toward something better. But not every child makes this journey. Thousands, born with or scarred by disability, remain behind.

Jammu and Kashmir houses over 361,000 persons with disabilities, per the 2011 Census. Many experts believe this number is outdated and underreported. And while strife has left behind broken limbs, impaired hearing, and trauma, the schools remain unchanged. The Right to Education Act and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act call for inclusion. But in Kashmir, those rights often do not reach the classroom.

Most government schools in rural areas lack ramps, accessible toilets, or modified furniture. Classrooms are designed for the able-bodied. A child who cannot climb steps is left out. A child who cannot hear is left behind. There are no tactile paths for the blind, no Braille books, no screen readers. Children who use wheelchairs cannot even enter the school gate.

Teachers are not trained in inclusive education. They do not know how to adapt lessons for a child with autism or attention disorders. Special educators are too few. Some districts share one for all their schools. Many teachers mistake disability for disobedience or inability. Students are labeled“slow,”“aggressive,” or simply“unfit.”

Read Also SC Issues Notice To Centre On Plea Seeking Adequate Facilities For Disabled Prisoners Several Members Of J&K Handicapped Association Detained After Their Protest March Against Govt

This neglect is not only physical. It is social. Children with disabilities face bullying, pity, or silence. In schools where they are seen as different, they grow quiet. They begin to believe they do not belong. Some parents withdraw them before the damage deepens. Others never enroll them at all.

Decades of discord have left invisible wounds as well. Many children show signs of anxiety, dissociation, or behavioral changes. But school systems are not built to see these signs. Most have no mental health professionals. Learning disabilities go undetected. Trauma is left untreated. These children are not counted as disabled, but they struggle just the same.

Special schools, however, exist. In Srinagar and nearby towns, NGOs run a few centers. Here, children with cerebral palsy, autism, or speech delays receive therapy and lessons tailored to their pace. But these schools are limited in number and capacity. They cannot reach the thousands who live in far-off districts, or who cannot afford transport.

Technology could help. Digital tools like screen readers, Braille converters, and speech-to-text software are changing lives elsewhere. But devices are expensive. Most families cannot buy a tablet or smartphone. Even when they can, schools do not offer the training or infrastructure to support digital learning.

In higher education, the story repeats. Colleges and universities rarely have ramps or elevators. Lecture halls are crowded, spread across multiple floors. Exams come with no accommodations for time, format, or comprehension. Though the law requires 5% reservation for persons with disabilities, implementation is uneven. Many students do not even know they qualify.

Government schemes promise support. Scholarships, transport allowances, and funds for assistive devices are listed in official documents. But these promises are often hard to access. The application process is lengthy and unclear. Staff at schools and district offices are often unaware of how to help.

Still, some families push through. In Anantnag, a father builds a wooden ramp outside a school so his daughter can enter. In Baramulla, a mother learns how to use picture cards to teach her son with autism. In Kupwara, a teacher raises money for a student's hearing aid. These are not sweeping changes. But they are acts of quiet resistance.

Education is not just about passing exams. It is about being seen. For children with disabilities, it is a way into the world - a place at the table. What stands in their way is not their disability. It is a system too slow to care and too rigid to change.

The laws are written. The needs are known. What is missing is urgency. Without it, these children will continue to wait - outside the gate, inside the home, watching others go where they cannot.

• The writer can be reached at [email protected] . Views expressed in this article are author's own and don't necessarily reflect KO's editorial policy.

MENAFN07052025000215011059ID1109520469