NTA asked to help Sarah appear in CUET

Lucknow: Office of the chief commissioner for persons with disabilities (CCPwD) on Thursday directed National Testing Agency (NTA) to provide necessary facilities to Sarah Moin, a hearing and sight-impaired candidate, famous as 'Helen Keller of Lucknow’, to provide her facilities required to appear in the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) under the right to education and maintain inclusivity in education.Sarah’s father Moin Ahmad Idrisi said the order came in response to his representation, filed on behalf of the candidate. The proceedings were conducted before the representative of CCPwD, ministry of social justice and empowerment special court.The representation stated that Sarah, who secured 95% in ICSE and 98.75% in ISC, intends to pursue BA (Honours) in English literature and is scheduled to appear in CUET on May 21 and May 29. However, it added, no provision exists in CUET to allow facilities to candidates, who are both deaf and blind, which means she could not avail of opportunity for higher studies.“During her CISCE board examinations, Sarah was allowed to use a laptop with MS Word and an Orbit Reader which converts text into braille, enabling her to write independently. We have requested a similar arrangement for CUET,” he said.“I also submitted before the commission that the candidate has been preparing for the exam with assistive tools and academic support,” he added.The commission, after considering the submission, directed NTA to ensure appropriate assistive arrangements so that the candidate is not placed at a disadvantage.An official representing NTA, when contacted by TOI, said, “We have sought details regarding the facilities required. The next hearing of the matter is on May 18 to finalise arrangements.”As per rules, candidates under the PwD category are entitled to 20 minutes extra per hour, amounting to 60 additional minutes for a three-hour paper.Sarah’s visually impaired teacher and special educator, Salman Ali Qazi, said, “She has been preparing consistently and this is a relief for all of us. The girl deserves every opportunity, she works hard and when it comes to scoring high marks, she is outstanding. We are very happy for her.”