CHENNAI: A disability rights activist has lodged a complaint with the State Commissionerate for Welfare of the Differently Abled against the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) for asking candidates to affix a photo showing their deformity in the 2022-23 prospectus for admission to postgraduate degree and diploma courses in government medical colleges and government seats in self-financing medical colleges in TN.
Activist Satendra Singh, who has 70% locomotor disability, lodged the complaint after differently abled medicos from TN flagged the issue. Section 34 (d), on page 22 of the prospectus, states: “The candidates seeking admission under this special category should produce a full size recent photograph (taken within three months) exhibiting the deformity.” Singh said such a demand was “discriminatory, humiliating and against the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.”
He told TNIE that rule 17 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rule 2017 says only a passport-size photo showing the face is needed for disability certificates. Jacintha Lazarus, Commissioner for Welfare of the Differently Abled, said they have taken cognizance of the matter. “We are writing to the DME not to make such a demand, and accept the disability certificate (for the application).” Officers of the selection committee, which is in charge of the admissions, could not be reached for comments.
Insisting on photo of deformity is an insult to disabled: Activist
Smitha Sadasivam, another disability rights activist, said: “When you don’t need to show the deformity for the disabled certification, why do they want it for medical college admission?” Moreover, during the certification, doctors would examine the candidate and give their findings.
“What’s the need for a photograph when the doctor’s report can say everything?” Smitha asked, adding that forcing a candidate to show the deformity in a photograph insulted them. Officers of the Selection Committee, which is in charge of admissions, couldn’t be reached for comments.
However, former selection committee officials said they usually followed the all India prospectus and made changes only to certain state-specific matters. “Even prior to the new disability act, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) had revised the Persons with Disabilities Rules in 2009.
Still, we continue to see cases where departments and ministries ask disabled candidates to submit information in their own format or ask them to submit photos showing their disability, even if the person has a disability certificate/UDID,”
Satendra Singh said. He said he had filed a case in the court of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities against UPSC regarding the same issue and they finally withdrew their discriminatory notifications.