Building Inclusivity: Office of Learning Support at Ashoka University

Across the world, students with visible and invisible disabilities face systemic barriers that hinder their potential. A lack of support and infrastructure often means that students with great potential and the willingness to learn are left without opportunities. At Ashoka, this is a challenge that has been met with action since the beginning. In 2015, the University established the Office of Learning Support (OLS). The office was conceptualised to help students across the spectrum of disabilities with their journey through higher education.

Today, the OLS is much more than a support centre – it acts as a lifeline for students navigating unique challenges in their educational journeys. For Tejasdeep Singh Sehgal, a student from UG intake of 2023 who grew up with a hearing impairment, arriving at Ashoka initially felt daunting. He felt awkward and self-conscious, worried about how his needs might affect his ability to thrive. But with the OLS by his side, those fears quickly dissolved. Through tailored support – encouraging him to sit at the front during lectures, or enabling him with the confidence to ask professors for clarity multiple times – the Office has helped him feel seen and understood.

As Ashoka welcomed an increasing number of students with disabilities over the years, the scope of work for OLS expanded significantly. Students who struggled to understand the challenges they faced could now access diagnostic services and receive the necessary support, accommodations and guidance. Today, the Office supports over 200 students, assisting those with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy, visual impairments and more. By prioritising campus accessibility, adopting specialised teaching methods and adopting a pedagogy that values every learner, OLS is well on its way to redefine what inclusive education can look like in higher education.

For many students, their identity within an institution can become overshadowed by their disability, turning it into the primary lens through which others perceive them. But at Ashoka, stories like those of Upasana Ravikannan’s prove how a nurturing environment can empower individuals to rewrite their scripts. Living with cerebral palsy, Upasana initially worried about how her wheelchair might be perceived on campus. Instead, she found an environment where conversations focused on her ambitions, interests and goals rather than her disability. This sense of belonging inspired her to champion inclusion both within the university and beyond. Today, Upasana is a passionate advocate, speaking on panels across the country and leading her NGO, GoPaddhai, which provides educational support to thousands of under-served students. Her story is not just one of overcoming challenges but of becoming a leader in her own right.

Countless stories like this highlight the transformative impact of an inclusive environment and the vital role of support in fostering advocacy and self-expression. Reena Gupta, Director of OLS, takes immense pride in the College Readiness Programme (CRP) – the first and only programme of its kind in the country that was spearheaded by the OLS. Witnessing the struggles of students facing challenges, alongside the confusion of parents and educators, inspired her to design this groundbreaking initiative. Students strongly need to take charge of their own learning, she says. “The CRP gives the tools to do exactly that,” she goes on to add “it’s hugely satisfying for me to see a student sitting on the other side of the screen advocating for themselves and seeking strategies to manage their learning difficulties.”

Student allies also play a huge part in creating a supportive university environment. They can volunteer to be content remediators, helping create digital adaptations of classroom content to fit the needs of different students, ensuring they don’t fall behind on the course. “This experience opened up an entirely new perspective within me…working with OLS provided me the privilege of being part of a solutions-driven framework” says Aayushi Singh, a content remediator and a student from the UG intake of 2021.

At Ashoka, inclusion isn’t just a box to check – it’s a value ingrained into the fabric of the institution. The impact of this work is far-reaching. “We’ve been told that higher education institutions look up to Ashoka when they plan for inclusion at their respective institutes,” says Reena. At Ashoka, what once seemed unattainable becomes achievable, and every student – regardless of ability – finds a place to thrive.