Context: Disabled people have often lagged behind in their educational achievements. But the advent of online education has the potential of bringing transformative changes.

• The article highlights the benefits online education is offering in the advancement of Persons with disabilities (PWD).

Global status of disabled people

• Globally- about 15% of the population lives with some form of disability. Of this, 80% live in developing countries. They have to face multiple hurdles which impact their day-to-day life.

Literacy rate

• Over the last 65 years, the overall global literacy rate has increased by 4 % every five years — from 42% in 1960 to 86% in 2019. However, the global literacy rate for the disabled is as low as 3%, with just 1% for females. 
• According to UNESCO, 90% of disabled children in developing countries do not attend school. Also, the school dropout rate is very high owing to various reasons like infrastructure, untrained teachers etc.
• This lack of education also impacts the employability ratio of the disabled. According to the UN, in developing countries, 80 to 90% of PwDs are unemployed, whereas, in industrialized countries, it is between 50 to 70%.

Key benefit of online learning

• Online learning offers various advantages to disabled students. They do not have to face any physical barriers like transportation etc and there is no need to attend physical schools. 
• They can opt to study from their homes. Furthermore, they have access to lectures, libraries and resources without the need to physically navigate remote campuses.
• It also offers the advantage of self-paced learning. With technological aids and assistive devices like technologies like screen readers, text magnifiers, speech recognition software, braille keyboards etc it is possible to train disabled children in various skills.
• Another positive contributory factor is an increase in access to the internet. As of January 2021, there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide — almost 60% of the global population. In 104 countries, more than 80% of the youth population is online. 
• Moreover, the prices of the internet have dropped by 50% over the last few years and broadband is now also accessible over mobile phones.

Steps taken by India
Mental health care act: In 2017, the Mental Healthcare Act recognised and respected the agency of persons with mental-health conditions.

• Expanding the presence of mental-health establishments across the country.
• Restricted the harmful use of electroshock therapy.
• Clarified the mental-health responsibilities of state agencies such as the police.
• Effectively decriminalised attempted suicide.

Initiatives: Initiatives to improve the life of Indians with disabilities, such as the ADIP scheme for improving access to disability aids.

• The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan, or Accessible India Campaign, has aimed to make public transport, buildings and websites more accessible.
• The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act: The best that can be said is that the passage of this law may have helped shift the treatment of disabled persons in society towards rights-focused thinking.
• Media representation: Mainstream media has increasingly started showing positive representations of people with disabilities, from Taare Zameen Par to Barfi.
• Representation in sports: Athletes with disabilities have reached the pinnacles of sport and done us proud repeatedly, most recently winning four athletics medals at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Road Ahead

• Government and ICT have a great role to play in making quality education accessible to all, including the disabled. Given the need to achieve the SDG goal of inclusive education, there is a need to fast-track the education for the disabled.