Visually Impaired students in Higher Education Institutions A Sociological Study in the Cities of Hyderabad and Cuttack

Abstract

The PWDs including students with Visual Impairment always rests on the last rung of the social ladder being completely debarred from every aspect of life. Many researchers have highlighted the social exclusion, deprivation, and vulnerable aspects of the Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) but there is a little discussion available on the status of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in higher educational institution. As a result, in the present study, the educational facet receives the most attention which is meant purely for the academic purpose. Education is inevitably needed not only to enable a person fit to search for bread and butter but facilitates him/her mingled with the mainstream of society. By receiving education, one can not only rationally direct himself or herself but also contribute to society as a whole. Here, the researcher has tried to give a detailed picture of the prevailing real scenario revealing the gap between the expectations and the achievements with specific references to the Visually Impaired students (VISs) in the context of higher educational institutions. In this work, the researcher has tried to understand the social and academic problems of students with Visual Impairment in the differential higher educational institutions with special reference to their socio-cultural and economic background. newlineKey Words: Students with Visual Impairment, Higher Education newline