Roshani Adhikari is Nepal’s first visually impaired woman advocate. She works as a youth advisory council at Plan International Nepal, Executive Board Member at Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN), and as a former intern at the Supreme Court.
Despite being differently able, Roshani Adhikari did her Bachelor’s in TU’s Nepal Law Campus and Counseling Psychology at Tri-Chandra College. Currently, she is working in political participation of youth with disabilities.
Adhikari wants to alleviate the suffering of marginalized groups as a social doctor and contribute to the overall prosperity of the state as a social engineer.
Inclusive and Mainstream Education
Roshani Adhikari believes that inclusive education can fail to provide proper support for people with disabilities due to issues like inadequate teaching methods, lack of support services, social isolation, and insufficient teacher training.
Adhikari suggests that differently-abled individuals should begin their education with special education at the primary level and then move on to inclusive education settings.
Furthermore, various physical obstacles have created trouble for differently abled students like improper management of disability seats in transportation, problems in road transportation, struggles of wheelchair users, and so on.
Vision Disability and Economic Challenges
The Act Relating to Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2074 (2017) classifies disabilities into ten types, including visual impairments like blindness. Blindness is further subdivided into partially blind, partially sighted, and fully blind.
Education availability and accessibility for people with disabilities in Nepal face challenges despite legal protections. Efforts are ongoing, including inclusive policies, special education schools, and technological aids, but more support and awareness are needed for full inclusion.
According to Roshani Adhikari, people with disabilities often face economic challenges due to various factors such as Poverty, Limited Employment Opportunities, additional expenses for healthcare and accessibility, Transportation and Accessibility Costs in economically poor developed countries, family problems, and so on.
Education accessibilities
From Roshani Adhikari’s point of view, everybody should be aware and understand the importance of education accessibility for people with disabilities. Creating educational materials with features like large print, captions, and text descriptions ensures accessibility for people with disabilities, promoting equal educational opportunities.
Screen recording software that supports Unicode for diverse languages and characters. Additionally, offering easy-to-understand formats like MP4 can help accommodate learning disabilities. These features can greatly enhance accessibility and usability for a broader range of users.
Accessible education for disabled individuals involves ensuring physical, technological, and curriculum accessibility, implementing inclusive teaching strategies, providing support services, promoting awareness, and fostering collaboration for equal opportunities and inclusion.
Policies of the Nepal Government
The Nepal government’s role in infrastructure and road development for disabled people involves policy development, resource allocation, planning, standards enforcement, capacity building, monitoring, and collaboration with stakeholders.
Roshani Adhikari believes that policymaking is not a big deal but implementing it is a big deal. We can see newly constructed buildings that are increasingly incorporating accessibility features for people with disabilities.
While some newly constructed buildings are becoming more accessible for people with disabilities, road infrastructures often lack accommodations, particularly for those with vision impairments.
Adhikari notes that advancements in information technologies, such as the Electronic Transactions Act of 2063, have facilitated accessible learning materials, customized assistive tools, and remote learning for differently-abled individuals. She has also mentioned that with the help of technology, she gained the courage to study law.
Role of Friends and Families
Friends and family play crucial roles in supporting disabled individuals in the education field. They provide emotional encouragement, practical assistance, and advocacy. Moreover, Friends offer social inclusion, companionship, and understanding, while families offer financial support, guidance, and access to resources. Together, they help disabled individuals navigate challenges, pursue their educational goals, and foster a supportive environment for learning and growth.
Additionally, the government also plays a significant role in the lives of differently abled people by enacting policies for equal rights, promoting inclusive education and employment opportunities, providing healthcare services and social welfare programs, raising awareness, and collaborating with NGOs and international bodies.
Conclusion
Roshani Adhikari’s story as Nepal’s first visually impaired female lawyer is a powerful witness to resilience and advocacy. Through her journey, she advocates for inclusive education, addresses economic challenges, and pushes for policy reforms to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities. Adhikari’s use of technology and emphasis on the role of family and friends underscore her commitment to empowerment and inclusivity. Her efforts inspire a more equitable society where every individual, regardless of ability, can thrive.
Here’s the podcast about Roshani Adhikari’s inspiring journey as Nepal’s first visually impaired female lawyer. It explains her work for better education and support for people with disabilities. Listen to hear more about her efforts, challenges, and the role of technology and community in her success.