Need of Technical Educational Integration in Disability Sector for Differently-abled Empowerment

Abstract

As per 2011 census there are 2.68 crore differently abled persons in the country. Assistive devices and equipments can significantly help persons with disabilities to become independent in daily activities. There are many eminent technical educational institutions in India and many are conducting research works for the development of assistive technology for the differently abled. So an extensive search was conducted to explore the assistive technology related projects undertaken in India. Out of 137 studies retrieved 34 met the inclusion criteria. The result shows that many researches are being carried out for the development of assistive technology in India. Many of the products are in the prototype stage or in the feasibility stage. It emphasises the need for extensive field testing and commercial production of the assistive technologies. Such initiatives will lead to differently abled empowerment. The authors put forward some suggestions in this regard.