One of the features that distinguishes Doordarshan from private news channels is a special news programme for persons with hearing disability: the anchor ‘tells’ news through sign languages, covering everything from politics to sports and the weather.

Though no other news channel gives such job opportunities, the Delhi University’s Equal Opportunity Cell is working towards more hearing-impaired students getting the training needed for such work. The course starts this August.

Now, a new course on Mass Media — News Reading and Anchoring — is being introduced in Delhi University to teach students the expertise needed for such jobs in the media. Dr Nisha Singh, Officer on Special Duty at the Cell, says TV channels often do not realise that physically challenged students can also handle news and anchor shows equally adeptly. The Cell, she says, will invite people from the media industry to help create space for such students.

“We have to work towards the implementation of the 3-per cent reservation for physically challenged employees in the media industry once the courses begin,” Singh says. “There is a large population of physically challenged persons whose requirements should be met by the media industry.”

Established in 2006, the Equal Opportunity Cell encourages Delhi University colleges to be more disabled-friendly, and has over the past couple of years made efforts to get more physically challenged students into the university. Last year, the Cell introduced four courses — in Sign Languages, Communicative English, Information and Communication Technology, and Human Rights and Disability.

This year, Singh says, the Cell is introducing courses in Braille reading and writing, and Mobility. The course on Braille is available for abled-category students as well, she says.

The course on Mobility will teach students how to effectively use their walking sticks to cross roads, how to get on buses using hand movements, and ways to use hearing-aids among others. The Cell plans to introduce the course in clusters so that two or three colleges share one centre of learning, Singh says.

All courses are of duration between four and five months and are part-time, so that they do not clash with regular classes. “Classes will be held after 2 pm at the Equal Opportunity Cell building in the North Campus,” Singh says.