MANTHAN: National Awareness Workshop held at MANUU

Hyderabad:

"Meaningful change comes from creating solutions that are deep-rooted in introspection, emphasized Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan, Vice Chancellor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) while inaugurating MANTHAN, a National Awareness Workshop under the project Divyang SARTHI – A Smart Accessible Resource and Tools for Holistic Inclusion for persons with Intellectual Disabilities, funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. The workshop was attended by more than 75 educators, experts, and institutional leaders from across India.

Prof. Hasan also highlighted the university’s growing focus on research that benefits society.

Dr. Santosh K. Pandey, Additional Director, GoI, Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), shared the Ministry’s broader vision for empowering persons with disabilities through technology-led inclusion. He spoke about key initiatives of the Government of India that aim to enhance accessibility, foster digital literacy, and promote the development of assistive technologies. Reflecting on the title MANTHAN, he described it as a symbol of collective wisdom and effort in uncovering meaningful solutions. Dr. Pandey commended MANUU’s efforts in this project. He emphasised the need for establishing a Centre of Excellence in the Intellectual Disability (ID) sector, envisioning MANUU as a national hub of expertise. He also expressed hope that this project would join the ranks of flagship Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiatives,such as Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and ONDC.

Prof. Ishtiaque Ahmed, Registrar, lauded the efforts of the entire MANUU team, encouraged the initiative, and assured full administrative support in taking this project forward.

Prof. Abdul Wahid, Chief Investigator of the project and Dean of the School of Technology, welcomed the gathering and shared the evolution of the Divyang SARTHI initiative, which began as a concept and has since developed into a national-level project that combines technology, empathy, and research.

Dr. Pankaj Maru, National President of PARIVAAR – NCPO, spoke about the vital role of awareness-building initiatives like MANTHAN. He emphasized that such efforts are key to creating a network of empowered master trainers who can effectively use assistive portals and videos in real classrooms. Prof. Pradeep Kumar, Head, Department of Computer Science & Information Technology proposed the vote of thanks and acknowledging the core QA and development teams for their dedication.

In the technical session experts explored the multilingual, multi-sensory content developed for learners with intellectual disabilities. The workshop provided a collaborative platform for experts, educators, therapists, and technologists to discuss innovative approaches to teaching children with intellectual disabilities. It also provided a space for feedback, ideation, and future planning, reinforcing a collective commitment to accessible and equitable education.