Sign-Language Classes, Supportive Campus: Karnataka's New Engineering College

When Rahul S N first walked into the JSS Polytechnic for the Differently Abled campus in Mysuru, he already knew how to read circuits and write basic code. What he did not know was whether engineering

would ever be possible for him.

With a hearing disability and a diploma in hand, he watched classmates in mainstream colleges move on to degree courses, while he hesitated at a familiar question: would the next classroom even be accessible to him? That question may soon have an answer.

The JSS Science and Technology University in Mysuru is set to launch an engineering college exclusively for differently abled students, marking a first-of-its-kind initiative in India. The new institution will offer a Bachelor of Engineering course in Computer Science, designed specifically to remove the academic and physical barriers that have long limited access to technical education.

Opening Doors That Were Once Closed

For many differently abled students, the challenge has never been academic ability. It has been infrastructure, teaching methods and the absence of support systems.

In mainstream engineering colleges, inaccessible classrooms, the lack of sign-language-ready teaching and standard textbooks often force students to drop out or abandon their ambitions midway.

The new JSS initiative aims to change that reality. The engineering college is being designed with accessible infrastructure, customised learning material and teaching methods that include sign-language support. The idea is to ensure that students do not have to fight the system just to attend a lecture or follow a lesson.

A Clear Path from Diploma to Degree

The programme has been structured keeping in mind students who already come from technical backgrounds. At present, only about 20 percent of diploma holders from institutions such as the JSS Polytechnic for the Differently Abled manage to pursue higher studies. Many others are held back by the lack of inclusive degree-level options.

With the new engineering college, students will be able to transition from diploma courses to a full-fledged engineering degree without losing access to the support systems they rely on.

Admissions to the college will be open to differently abled students from across the country, not limited to Karnataka alone. According to B Elangovan, principal of the JSS Polytechnic for the Differently Abled, the aim is to create a national model for inclusive technical education that can be replicated elsewhere.

The focus, he says, is not just on academic success but on ensuring students feel confident and included throughout their learning journey.

Learning Without Compromise

B Suresh, director of the technical education division at JSS Mahavidyapeetha, says the initiative is rooted in a simple idea: ability should never be limited by access. By providing the right infrastructure, trained faculty and appropriate learning tools, the institution hopes to encourage differently abled students to aim higher and compete on equal footing.

For Rahul, that means thinking less about what he might struggle with and more about what he wants to build. With a dedicated engineering college now taking shape, the gap between aspiration and opportunity may finally begin to narrow for students like him.

What begins in Mysuru could soon redefine how technical education is imagined for differently abled students across India.