{
  "id": 3781411,
  "title": "Disciplines of study should reform from within to include students with disabilities, says IIT professor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/disciplines-of-study-should-reform-from-within-to-include-students",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-27T17:28:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/disciplines-of-study-should-reform-from-within-to-include-students-with-disabilities-says-iit-professor/article71393879.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Disciplines of study should reevaluate and reform from within to encompass students with disabilities, according to Hemachandran Karah, Associate Professor at IIT-Madras. While ramps, wheelchairs, and assistive technologies ensure basic accessibility, the underlying issue of integrating disability accommodations within various academic fields remains largely unexplored, prompting Dr. Hemachandran to establish the Accessibility Research Centre (ARC) on campus. Comprised of faculty members from Humanities, Social Sciences, Management Studies, and Engineering Design, the ARC aims to assist the 200-odd students with disabilities on campus and foster a more inclusive learning environment. Dr. Hemachandran, who studied Disability Studies after realizing his visual impairment would grant him unique insights, emphasizes that every discipline harbors inherent barriers to accessibility. For instance, blind students pursuing astronomy or ancient history may face challenges in accessing archaeological sites or visual elements, highlighting the need to address attitudinal barriers embedded in disciplinary systems. To tackle these barriers, the ARC proposes a systematic approach to \"fine-tune disciplines from the inside,\" similar to efforts made by the gender studies community. The centre has already developed five accessible courses, such as Accessible Foundational STEM Education, Accessible Computer Science for the Hearing Impaired, and Literary and Cultural Disability Studies, and is currently working on courses like Accessible Journalism for the Vision Impaired and Audio Description and Media Advocacy. Dr. Hemachandran envisions the ARC to collaborate with professors from diverse disciplines and partner with civil society organizations to promote barrier-free technical education and foster dialogue between Humanities and Sciences.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}