Sitting a written exam gets a lot fairer for candidates with disabilities. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, has laid down fresh rules on scribes, extra time and assistive devices. They’re called the “Guidelines for conducting written examination for persons with benchmark disabilities 2018”, and they replace the older set framed back in 2013.
The rules apply to every examining body under central ministries and departments. Students, their parents and the institutions that run exams should read them closely, because a lot changes on the ground.
Who gets a scribe under the written examination guidelines for persons with benchmark disabilities
Any person with a benchmark disability, as defined under section 2® of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, who has a limitation in writing including speed, can ask for the facility of a scribe, reader or lab assistant.
- For candidates with blindness, locomotor disability (both arms affected, BA) and cerebral palsy, a scribe, reader or lab assistant is given whenever the person wants one.
- For other categories of benchmark disability, the facility is allowed on producing a certificate that the person has a physical limitation to write, issued by the Chief Medical Officer, Civil Surgeon or Medical Superintendent of a government health care institution. The format is at Appendix-I.
The candidate can pick their own scribe or ask the examining body to arrange one. Where the body provides the scribe, candidates must be allowed to meet the scribe two days before the exam to check whether the person is suitable.
Scribe qualification and compensatory time
Qualification of a scribe supplied by the examining body should not exceed the minimum qualification for that exam, and must always be matriculate or above. If a candidate brings their own scribe, the scribe’s qualification should be one step below the candidate’s own. Own-scribe details go in the proforma at Appendix-II.
The old phrase “extra time or additional time” now becomes “compensatory time”. The numbers:
| Situation | Compensatory time |
|---|---|
| Candidates using scribe/reader/lab assistant | Not less than 20 minutes per hour of exam |
| Benchmark disability, not using a scribe (3-hour paper) | Minimum one hour extra |
| Exam shorter than an hour | Pro-rata, not less than 5 minutes, in multiples of 5 |
More flexibility for candidates
As far as possible, candidates may choose the mode of the exam: Braille, computer, large print, or even recording the answers. Those taking the exam on a computer should be allowed to check the system one day in advance, and enabling accessories such as a customised keyboard or mouse are permitted, though a candidate’s own laptop is not.
Assistive devices such as a talking calculator (where calculators are allowed), tailor frame, Braille slate, abacus, geometry kit and communication devices are permitted. A disability certificate issued by a competent medical authority at any place is to be accepted across the country. Hearing-impaired candidates get alternative objective questions in place of descriptive ones. Seating should preferably be on the ground floor.