NIT-Rourkela is becoming differently-abled friendly, thanks to Jitesh who crawled his way to classes

Jitesh researched on accessible infrastructure and submitted a study to the then director on making the campus infrastructure inclusive for all including accessible washrooms, ramps etc. He, who was forced to take up a physical education course had also designed a remote-operated system to control fans and lights in his hostel room.

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Jitesh Kumar, (22)

A differently abled student, Jitesh Kumar, was forced to crawl his way to his classes, which were often conducted on the third floor at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, campus owing to lack of accessible infrastructure. Kumar, currently an employee at Qualcomm, was among the highest package holders of his batch of B Tech. Electronics and Communication 2018.

A native of Gaya, Bihar, Kumar is unable to walk or move with his legs as his lower body is not functional. He suffers from meningitis and encephalitis since the age of five. Talking to indianexpress.com, he said, “When I was a child, the schools in my vicinity refused to enrol me because of my condition. Thus, I had to enrol in non-attending classrooms. My siblings used to narrate their lectures to me while I mostly appeared for exams. NIT Rourkela was my first attempt at mainstream education, that too away from home.”

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However, the institute did not have enough facilities for students like him. “While there was a lift in our department, it was often non-functional. The passage in other departments with the lift was too narrow for a wheelchair to get through. Thus, I had to climb up floors on hands. It used to leave me with blisters but it was worth it,” said Kumar, who researched on infrastructure keeping differently-abled in mind and submitted a study to the then director on making the campus infrastructure inclusive.

His proposal included constructions of ramps, accessible washrooms for differently abled, lifts and wheelchairs outside each department among others.

Being a student of engineering, Jitesh developed a mobile-circuit for his hostel room through which he could control the fan, lights et al, through his phone itself for better access.

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The institute now is building different washrooms for differently-abled students and has plans to become accessible within five years. Kamalakanta Mohapatra, dean academics and a former teacher to Jitesh accepted that his student used to crawl to classes but believes that NIT-Rourkela is far from inaccessible.

“I was his teacher and when I got to know about his condition we made sure he got his notes on mobile. While our department had a lift, he had some classes in other departments which did not have this facility. I am aware of the struggle he faced but we are already working to make the institute more accessible to differently abled students. While 75 per cent of the work is done, we can expect it to be complete within 4-5 years,” said Mohapatra.

Mohapatra also informed that while non-teaching staff was not specifically trained to deal with differently-abled students, they often assist them. Jitesh, however, believes that proper training goes a long way.

A native of Gaya, Bihar, Jitesh Kumar is unable to walk or move with his legs as his lower body is not functional.

“It is because of the lack of proper awareness that people end up harassing us mentally. I was made to take part in one of the mandatory course of physical education which I naturally flunked in. I was told that my PE teacher would ‘find some exercises for me’ which was absurd and insulting to me. Also, there is a lack of basic awareness on how to deal with differently abled people which often sets us at bay. It is important to make one feel normal,” he said.