B. Internationally
2. Tertiary Education and Transition of Youth with Disabilities, in India
a. The Traditional System:
The traditional system of education emphasised a 'Career Development Approach' to education. The 'Gurukula' education that was accessible to the priestly class and the warriors and administrators, viewed the horizons of career to extend much beyond the concept of paid work or income-generation. It focused on preparing a pupil to evolve conscious efforts that were beneficial to himself and to others. The individualisation of the teaching-learning process targeted the shaping up of the pupils to assume their prospective primary social roles like student, priest, administrator, warrior and also other complementary roles which were vocational, familial and civic. The educational inputs encompassed academic, occupational and economic aspects of life, along with allied issues of adulthood like guardianship, marriage, friendship and parenthood. Students with disabilities were also churned out to be effective contributory members in their post-education phase of life.
In the case of tradesmen, artisans and peasants, the family's traditional work skills were passed on to the young children who got assimilated into the work force with passage of time. Young workers with disabilities are encountered even today in such settings in rural areas. However, the influence of Western systems of education has caused the extinction of the traditional approach to education to a considerable extent.
The futility of graduating from a system of education which prepares ill-equipped youth has been highlighted for over a century by great spiritual and national leaders like Swamy Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Dr. S.Radhakrishnan. The need for 'Man Making Education' was reiterated by them. But, India's efforts, through nation-wide initiatives in facilitating easy transition to work and career development of young persons with disabilities are at the stage of infancy.
Ii Barriers to Tertiary Education and Transition to work of youth with Disabilities in India:
— Services for people with disability are looked upon more as charity than as a matter of conferring their right to education. The importance of special education, the method of implementation and need for large scale access to such education is not popularly
felt, sought or provided at all levels. The persons themselves and their families resort to ways and means of acquiring 'cure and care' more than education, skill development, training and work. The practice is further reinforced by the sympathy and charity of the community and paucity of service-delivery schemes.
The huge numbers of persons to be catered to and the large geographical area most of which is quite remote and unreached by any rehabilitation service is another deterrent to nation-wide services.
Children of primary school age are not yet covered with general educational facilities.
Efforts to include children with disabilities in the learning programmes for universalisation of primary education are being contemplated upon now. So access to education for all young persons will be achieved only after a reasonable span of time.
Constraints of resources for evolving relevant educational provisions for youth with disabilities is another barrier. At the first instance, infrastructural facilities are minimal.
Even if centres for further education are available and access to education is achieved, there are not many trained teachers who can meet the special needs of the students.
The curriculum is more attuned to scholastic achievement or technical skill development rather than facilitating survival and participation in the community or the world of work.
— Education of children with disabilities is mostly in special schools which are situated in urban and semi-urban areas. Tertiary education therefore gets confined to those students who have had access to information on the facilities and who can afford to relocate to the towns where tertiary education is offered in the same premises or in other mainstream centres.
Low Lcvls of Awareness; Young persons themselves and their families are not generally aware of the career prospects through any specific system of education and very few centres are available for career-guidance arid information on vocational training options and outcomes. Even employers and policy planners have limited awareness on employability or work potentialities of persons with disabilities.
— Prevalence of widespread unemployment and under-employment population explosion and the consequent competitive nature of available job opportunities coupled with negatively-charged societal attitudes and lack of stringency in implementing the reservation ofjob opportunities or filling up of quota ofjobs, leave the trained youth with disabilities with unfulfilled aspirations to transcend to the world of work. There is no mandatory provision of reservation of jobs for persons with Mental Handicap.
— Thescarcity of opportunities for internship or apprenticeship in real work situations often leads to an eternal trainee role in sheltered settings for some youth.
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Inter-ministerial and inter-agency coordination and involvement of the community,
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to be strengthened. Presently efforts on these lines are being initiated. Outcomes a yet to be felt nationally.c. Factors that are favourable: 2
InIndia, there is no provision of unemployment allowance/social security or any oth security benefits to families of youth with disabilities. Therefore there are no apprehensiot of losing benefits if young persons transcend to paid work. Though invariably son of them do not get minimum wages in the private sector, any amount ofwage earns by a young person, adds to the financial status of the family. Therefore families ii the low SES bracket do not dissuade young persons with disabilities from takingq jobs. However, members of affluent families do not opt for jobs that do not match thei family status.
2. Automation of work is relatively limited in India. There are innumerable semiskilled an unskilled jobs that can be taken up by young people with disabilities if more awarenes is created.
3. The enactment of the 'Persons with Disabilities (Equal opportunities, Protection of Rights
& Full Participation) Act 1995, holds promises of more human resource development education and training facilities and employment opportunities for young persons wit disabilities.
4. Many Government Organisations and NGOs have been involved in the recent past ir establishing tertiary education programmes which also include functional literacy-numeracy, personal management, leisure skills training, vocational training and job placements.
Work trades which were related to Occupational Therapy are being replaced by training in trades which produce marketabic products iii sheltered workhopsiregu1ar training centres. This is likely to improve the employability of the trained youth with disabililies,
5. The initial experiments on on-the-job training and supported integrated employment are yielding encouraging results. The cost-effectiveness and the promotion of dignity and improvement in quality of life of youth with disabilities through integrated work, have brought in more advocacy for transition through this approach.
6. Self-employment of young persons with disabilities has received an impetus in the recent past. Operation of telephone booths, running of petty shops or enterprises with family support and partial funding support from the Government, have given visibility to the entrepreneural abilities of these young persons in the local communities.
7. Special employment exchanges and special employment cells have been established by the Ministry of Labour to support persons with disabilities in job-search and placement.
8. National Awards, for employees with disabilities, effective placement officers and successful employers of disabled persons have been instituted to recognise their contribution in the rehabilitation process.