Barriers and Outcome of Differently Abled Students in Higher Education: An Explorative Study of Visually Impaired Students in Adamas University, Kolkata

International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 210 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 Barriers and Outcome of Differently Abled Students in Higher Education: An Explorative Study of Visually Impaired Students in Adamas University, Kolkata Prof. (Dr.) Kunal Kanti Hazra HOD and Director of IQAC and (R&D) Office, Department of M.Ed., Annapurna Memorial College of Education, Kakdwip and also Post-Doctoral Research Fellows in UNESCO collaborate with Adamas University, Kolkata, Mail: [email protected] Prof. (Dr.) Moumita Mukherjee Professor, Department of Physics, Dean (Research and Development), A damas University, Kolkata, ExScientist – DRDO Center, Govt. of India, Chief Investigator, DRDO Project, Govt. of India, Mail: [email protected] Abstract The content, teaching process, assessment and evaluation, and the physical environment may be modified or adapted and activities must be flexible for the students to benefit and achieve success in the classroom. The present study aimed to investigates and explore the opportunities as well as barriers that visually impaired students face in higher education at Adamas University, Kolkata. For this study, only 20 visually impaired students have been accessed, including 15 (75%) males and 5 (25%) females based on their availability in higher education in the university. The result of this study reveals that the visually impaired students experienced three major types of barriers in the university, i.e., barriers in infrastructural accessibilities, barriers in accessing study materials, and in classroom learning. Keywords: Visually Impaired; Higher Education; Barriers, Aadamas University; Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act of 1995 and 2016; WHO. International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 211 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 INTRODUCTION According to World Health Organization (WHO 2011), an estimated fifteen percent (15%) of the world's population is affected by some form of impairment among them, 2% to 4% have severe difficulties in functioning. The prevalence of disabilities worldwide is higher than prior WHO estimates from the 1970s, which estimated a rate of 10%.This global estimate of disability is increasing as a result of the aging of the population, the rapid spread of chronic diseases, and procedures for measuring disabilities are improving. Whereas, according to the Census of India 2001, 21,906,769 (2.13%) of the country's total population were disabled, which has increased to 26,814,994 (2.21%) in the 2011 Census. The census of 2011 also revealed that 20% of total disabled persons having disability in movements, 19% have a disability in seeing, 19% in hearing, and 8% have multiple disabilities in India. WHO (2002) defined disability as "a problem in body function or structure, an activity limitation, has difficulty in executing a task or action, with a participation restriction," is considered disabled. At the same time, there are 253 million people in the world who are blind or suffer from some other form of vision loss, representing 3.2% of the world population (Disabled People in the World: Facts and Figures. Okeenea Group, 2022). The world's highest population of blind people lives in India. According to a study carried out between 1986 and 1989 under the auspices of the World Health Organization and the National Programme for Control of Blindness, an estimated 12 million people are blind in both eyes, and 8 million people are blind in one eye. A further 2 million people have lost sight due to traumas, vitamin 'A' insufficiency, trachoma, and corneal abnormalities brought on by corneal opacity (Kitchlu, 1991).Vision loss indicates that a person's vision may not be "normal."Low vision is defined by the WHO as visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/400, with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less, while blindness as visual acuity of less than 20/400 with the best possible correction or a visual field of fewer than 10 degrees (RPWD Act, 2016). UNDERSTANDING DISABILITY The understanding of disability is a subject of intense debate and discussion. For a very long time, people with disabilities have always been viewed as matters of charity or simply from a medical or individual point of view. The medical model of disability is explained by World Health Organization (WHO 2002) as "the medical or individual model views disability as a feature of the person, directly caused by disease, trauma, or other health condition, which requires medical care provided in the form of individual treatment by professionals. "Various disability activists have criticized this medical or individual model of disability, arguing that society creates barriers for physically challenged persons to join mainstream International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 212 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 social organizations (Oliver, 1996; Giddens, 2009; Mitra et al., 2018). Therefore, this model of disability is called the social model of disability. The difference between physical impairment and disability led to the idea of the social model. In 1976, the Union of Physically Impaired against Segregation (UPIAS) wrote a document called "Fundamental Principles" that argued for and spread the idea of this difference. The social model of disability is defined as "the disadvantage or restriction of activities caused by a modern social organization that doesn't or doesn't take into account the needs of people with physical disabilities and, as a result, keeps them from taking part in most social activities" (WHO, 2002; Giddens 2009, p. 416; Mitra et al., 2018). In 2001, the WHO issued another model for defining disability called International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICFDH), more commonly called the I.C.F. model of disability. The I.C.F. has features of both the individual and medical and social models. According to the WHO, a person with a health condition becomes disabled when their health condition interacts with their environment, which includes their physical, social, and attitudinal environments. This model starts with a health condition (disorder or disease) that causes impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions due to contextual factors. Impairments are body function or structure problems such as a significant deviation or loss. Activity Limitations are difficulties an individual may have in executing activities. Participation Restrictions are problems an individual may experience in life situations (WHO, 1980; 2001; Giddens, 2009; Mitra et al., 2018). BLINDNESS AND EDUCATION Being blind is not a sin. Blind persons can achieve their goals with commitment, effort, and perseverance. Many blind people have achieved success in a variety of fields. The education, training, rehabilitation, and employment of the blind in the nation have advanced significantly over the past century. Just before the outbreak of the French Revolution, people in France began to get attention toward blind persons. Around the same time in India, activists, academicians and philanthropists started paying attention to people who were blind. As a result, in 1887, Miss Anne Sharp founded the first school specially designed for the education of visually impaired students in Amritsar (Kitchlu, 1991). After various educationists and philanthropists started many other special schools in the different parts of the country, as Jane Leupotopened a school for the 'blind' in Banaras in 1869.Mrs. Jai Vakil also opened a school for the 'intellectually' disabled in Bombay in 1941, etc. (Puri and Abraham, 2004, pp. 19). Following the disability rights movement that was initiated in the 1970s and 1980s, governments worldwide started placing a significant emphasis on higher education opportunities for blind students. In India, the International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 213 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 pace of higher education for the disabled has increased since the enactment of the RPWDs Act 1995. The Central and State Governments have shown interest in the socioeconomic rehabilitation of the visually impaired persons and have launched several measures to formulate legislation, create programs, and implement them. The government of India has allocated funds through different Five Year Plans and other comprehensive schemes/programs for the educational development of disabled students, including the blind. LAWS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Many conferences and conventions have been organized globally to remove barriers in the education of students with disabilities (SWDs), such as Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, Salamanca Statement 1994, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD 2007) etc. The central theme of all these conferences and conventions is that educational institutions should be made disabled-friendly so that their full participation in education can be determined. As a result, many policies and acts were made for the education of disabled students worldwide and in India. India is a democratic country that has tried to formulate plans and programs adhering to the principles of justice and equal opportunity for its people. India is a signatory to almost all United Nations treaties and declarations and has introduced innovative laws and programs for the education of SWDs to keep pace with the rest of the developed world (Jameel, 2011). In this connection, for the first time in 1995, the Government of India enacted a comprehensive law for PWDs called the "Persons with Disabilities ((Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act. "The Act emphasizes equal opportunities for PWDs in every walk of life, including education. For example, the Act stipulates that all higher educational institutions reserve 3% seats for admission to PWDs. This Act also emphasizes barrierfree education for PWDs like all institutional education infrastructure and other essential requirements should be disabled friendly, provide equal opportunities in employment, social security, etc. (PWDs Act, 1995). After a few years of enactment of the PWDs Act, the REVIEW OF LITERATURE Zilaey S.et.al. (2017) conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of attention training on the math performance of elementary school students with intellectual disability adopted quasi experimental study by pre-test, post-test design with the control group. Students with intellectual disabilities aged 10 to 12 years were included in the study. Subjects were selected by International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 214 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 convenient sampling method and 30 students with intellectual disability were participated. The results indicated that attention training program has influenced math performance of the primary school students with intellectual disability. Singh and Agarwal (2013) examined the effectiveness of teaching mathematics to children with mental retardation using computer games with conventional method of teaching. The result showed that the group taught with the help of computer games produced significantly greater Government of India introduced programs such as Teachers Preparation in Special Education (TEPSE) and Higher Education for Persons with Special Needs (HEPSN) in 1999-2000 intending to develop courses for special teachers and counselors as well as providing facilities in various forms for people with disabilities. In 2005, the Indian government formulated the "Action Plan for Inclusive Education of Children and Youth with Disabilities (IECYD)".This action plan emphasizes SWDs pursuing higher education (Jameel, 2011; Mistry, 2012; Ahmad, 2018).The PWDs Act 1995 was replaced by the Government of India with a new Act called the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,to give effect to principles of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPDs 2007) in India and further strengthen to the RPWDs Act of 1995. In this Act, the reservation policy for PWDs in higher education has been increased from 3% to 5% and in employment to 4%, and types of disabilities was expanded from 7 to 21 types (RPWDs Act, 2016). Despite this, they still face many barriers such as architectural, infrastructural, lack of accessible study materials, attitudinal barriers, including lack of understanding and cooperation from administration, faculty, staff and students without disabilities, and support barriers (Preeti & Kiran, 2012). remediation of mathematics skills as compared to the group taught through conventional method of teaching. It was found that gender did not affect acquisition of mathematics-concepts on two concepts. However, on one concept a contradictory result was obtained. Similarly, it was found on two mathematics concepts that boys benefit more from computer games as compared to girls. However on one concept, no difference was found. Educationists and other scientists believe that early interventions give children the best chance of developing their full potential. Ghaywan and Arakh (2012) studied the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction on academic performance of the children with mild mental retardation at primary level. The major findings of the study were: CAI increased students learning outcomes, has an impact on learning literacy and numeracy skills of students with mild retardation. Students showed increase in their attention span, were highly motivated with increased communication and cooperation among the students. The study also revealed that computers could also help in developing social and interpersonal skills. The researchers suggested that more exposure was required to the special need children in operating the system independently. International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 215 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 Education for persons with disabilities (PWDs) has been a significant concern in India and worldwide for decades (Ahmad, 2018).It is a global environment in which only a little attention has been paid to the concerns of access, development, and engagement of students with disabilities (SWDs) in higher education institutions. As stated in the Sustainable Development Goals (S.D.G.s), the education of students with disabilities has become a critical theme in academic circles worldwide (Jahan, 2015). Similarly, the Incheon manifesto stipulates that educational goals should not be accomplished until everyone has reached them. Therefore, it is pledged that the marginalized section of society, especially those with disabilities, will be the main focus of all education policies (UNESCO, World Education Forum 2015). Alqaryouti conducted a study on "Inclusion the Disabled Students in Higher Education in Oman," including 28 physically and visually disabled students in Sultan Qaboos University (S.Q.U.) in 2010 .The results of the study revealed that compared with physically challenged students, the visually disabled had social difficulties. This may be due to their inability to communicate with others, feelings of abandonment, or a lack of activities that allow visually impaired students to interact with their peers normally inside the university, all of which have led to the distance would have increased. Pivik et al. (2000) conducted a study on "Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education," and they found that the SWDs face four kinds of difficulties in the education institution i.e., physical difficulties (such as narrow doorways or ramps); purposeful psychological/attitudinal difficulties (such as bullying or isolation); unintentional psychological/attitudinal difficulties (such as a lack of knowledge, understanding, or awareness about the sense of disability); and finally, physical obstacles (such as difficulty with manual dexterity). According to Mistry's (2012) study, SWD sat their universities did not have easy access to classrooms, libraries, academic buildings, or administrative offices. In addition, they were not given any educational resources, including assistive technology, to use in their studies. Bano et al. (2013) conducted a study on "Analysis of educational facilities and opportunities for students with special needs at the University of the Punjab, Pakistan. “The result revealed that SWDs encounter various problems at higher education institutions, including improper curricula, learning challenges, flawed teaching practices, and a lack of equipment, which significantly affects their performance in a normal or inclusive setting. According to the findings of the research conducted by Ganapathy (2014), SWDs put in a more significant amount of effort to keep up with the requirements of their studies, took part in fewer social and extra-curricular activities, and relied more heavily on study International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 216 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 aids, fewer instances involving computers and other information technology. METHODS OF THE STUDY The present study was conducted on visually impaired students studying in higher education at Adamas University, Kolkata from March to April 2025. For this study, 20 students, including 15 (75%) males and 5 (25%) females, were accessed based on availability for the interview. Out of the total respondents, 9 (45%) reported themselves as an undergraduate (U.G.), 7 (35%) postgraduate (P.G.), and 4 (20%) respondents said themselves as Ph.D. students. All of these respondents are from social science and art streams. For data collection, a semi-structured interview schedule was prepared. Before conducting the interview, the researcher contacted the interviewer to schedule the time and place of the interview. And therefore, the researcher interviewed by reaching the place and time specified by the interviewer. For the analysis of data, the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the best results and interpretation. CHALLENGES/BARRIERS FACED BY STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT IN THE UNIVERSITY The word barrier-free refers to a setting where all users have access to the required services regardless of their disability. The need for a barrier-free environment will be unparalleled in terms of infrastructure to ensure the convenience, safety, and independence of PWDs. During the construction of buildings, special attention should be paid to certifying that PWDs have access to the same facilities as students without disabilities have. As mentioned above, the Government of India has enacted various laws prohibiting barriers against persons with disabilities to promote full and equal participation in all aspects of their lives, including higher education, through which they can explore the possibilities of their life. Nevertheless, despite this, disabled students continue to face different challenges in the study and acquisition of knowledge and hurdles to access and use of infrastructure. These obstacles and barriers come in various forms and vary by institution. In this study, three significant barriers experienced by visually impaired students at Adamas University, Kolkata, have been found which are as follows. Availability, accessibility, and barriers to infrastructural facilities 1. Availability and barriers to accessing the study material 2. Accessibilities and barriers in classroom learning International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 217 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 AVAILABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES During the infrastructural investigation in the university, it was found that the university has such infrastructural facilities, i.e., Classroom, Seminar room, Library, Administrative Offices, Hostel, Dining Hall, Washroom, Canteen, and Commonplaces (i.e., common room and playground) for all students including visually impaired students. The accessibility of these infrastructural facilities for visually impaired students is presented in Table 1. Table 1: Easy Access to Infrastructure of the University Easy Access to Infrastructure Yes No Total Classroom 11 (55 %) 9 (45 %) 20 (100 %) Seminar room 12 (60 %) 8 (40 %) 20 (100 %) Braille Library 13 (65 %) 7 (35 %) 20 (100 %) Administrative Offices 10 (50 %) 10 (50 %) 20 (100 %) Hostel 17 (85 %) 3 (15 %) 20 (100 %) Dining Hall 18 (90 %) 2 (10 %) 20 (100 %) Washroom 18 (90 %) 2 (10 %) 20 (100 %) Common Places 13 (65 %) 7 (35 %) 20 (100 %) Average Ratio 71.11% 28.89% 100 % Table 1 shows that out of the total respondents, on average, 71.11% have easy access to the infrastructures of the university. Among them, dining halls and washrooms are the most easily accessible, i.e., (90%), followed by hostels (85%) and canteen (80%), whereas the lowest accessibility rates can be seen in administrative offices and classrooms, with 55% and 50%, respectively. ACCESSIBILITIES AND BARRIERS TO ARCHITECTURAL FACILITIES The researcher also observed that the University infrastructure has special facilities, such as a lift with audio and Braille text, stairs, railings, and ramps as architectural facilities for visually impaired students. Although the availability of tactile walkways in academic buildings, hostels, and administrative buildings is extremely significant, the university does not have this facility for its visually impaired students. The accessibility of these architectural facilities to visually impaired students is presented in Table 2. International Journal of Research (IJR) e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Vol. 12 Issue 12 December 2025 Received: 22 November 2025 218 Revised:12 December 2025 Accepted: 18 December 2025 Copyright  authors 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17978922 Table 2: Represents the accessibility of the architectural facilities Gender Completely Accessible Partially Accessible Not Accessible Total Male N 10 4 1 15 % within Gender 66.7 26.7 6.7 100.0 Female N 2 3 0 5 % within Gender 40.0 60.0 0.0 100.0 Total N 12 7 1 20 % within Gender 60.0 35.0 5.0 100.0 The above table shows that 60% of the respondents have complete access to the architectural facilities of the university, like lifts, stairs, railings, and ramps. In comparison, 35% of the respondents say that these architectural facilities are partially accessible to them, only 1 (5%) respondents reported that these are not accessible. To better understand the accessibility of the University's architectural facilities. AVAILABILITY AND BARRIERS TO ACCESS THE STUDY MATERIAL According to visually impaired students, the Braille library only has audio books, and to some extent, the facility of e-books is also available. Still, there is no additional material that is available in Braille script. However, this study material is not sufficient for them. It is essential to make it clear that these respondents do not use the university's central library because there aren't any resources available for their learning process as per visually impaired students. Due to the lack of adequate study materials in both the central and Braille libraries, these students confront various obstacles. In this connection, the table below represents the barriers visually impaired students face in accessing the study materials. Table 3: Represents the barriers faced by visually impaired students in accessing the study materials Barriers to accessing the study Gender materials Total Yes No Male N 8 7 15 % within Gender 53.3 46.7 100.0 Female N 1 4 5 % within Gender 20.0 80.0 100.0 Total N 9 11 20 % within Gender 45.0 55.0 100.0