Accessibility centre at QAU opening on Monday

Islamabad :Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, Vice-Chancellor, of Quaid-i-Azam University, will be the chief Guest at the inauguration of first-ever accessibility Centre for special students at Dr Raziuddin Siddiqui Memorial Library.

The ceremony will be attended by faculty, employees and senior members of QAU Alumni Association.

The Centre has been established with the help of QAU Alumni Association. The old students’ body was originally established as Quaideen in 1987 but after its dormancy, it was resurrected as QAU Alumni Association and it took over the task of coordinating between its members as well as with their alma mater.

A number of students with different types of physical disabilities are currently studying at the University. Since the library services are provided on all four floors of the DRSM Library, therefore it is not always possible for such students to move freely in the library due to their disabilities.

The architecture of the library designed in 1974 lacked such provisions to facilitate handicapped students.

DRSM library later planned to establish Accessibility Centre for Physically Challenged Students and intends to provide one-stop library facilities and services to such students. For this purpose, a room with attached bathroom was allocated having direct access from backside of the library. A ramp was also established for easy access to the room. The centre will provide guided services to the students with all sorts of physical disabilities including visual impairment or hearing impairments etc.

Talking to The News, Murtaza Noor, Secretary-General, QAU Alumni Association, said that in the last 20 years, the Alumni Association had always remained very supportive in new projects of the university especially aimed at welfare of the students including provision of scholarships and helping out it in horticulture activities to give the Campus a better look.