Kerala Judicial Academy to update infra facilities to train its first-ever visually challenged trainee judge

The Kerala Judicial Academy, which trains trainee judges in the State, will witness a host of infrastructural improvements and inclusive training programmes to support its first-ever visually challenged trainee judge.

The campus, spread over five acres in Athany in Ernakulam, will shortly have non-slippery ramps and lifts installed in all its buildings.

Continuous handrails along staircases, ramps, corridors, and pathways connecting buildings; a tactile guidance path linking the entrance of the building with classrooms, library, canteen, hostel room and fire exits; and Braille signage fixed at eye level at all important areas of the campus and buildings have been proposed. Swing doors in buildings will be replaced with automatic sliding doors at all possible points. If swing doors are to be used, they will be installed in such a way as to open inwards to avoid collision hazards, according to judicial sources.

The changes are being proposed to support C. Thanya Nathan, a person with no light perception, who was ranked first in the merit list of persons with benchmark disabilities in the recently held judicial service examination for the selection of Civil Judges (Junior Division) in the Kerala Judicial Service.

She will be given opportunities to practise in a model court environment to familiarise herself with courtroom ambience, decorum, and procedure. Ms. Nathan is likely to be allotted a room on the ground floor of the hostel, with proximity to the common areas and drinking water facilities during the one-year-long training period.

Her room shall be equipped with emergency help remote switches and safe electrical facilities. There will be mobile-operated automation of electrical switches and the air conditioning system. The furniture layout in rooms shall remain fixed to ensure predictability of movement. A disabled-friendly bathroom with handrail support and easily navigable doors will also be set up, according to Academy sources.

The academic programme in the Academy, which is guided by the Kerala High Court, will also see a sea change in its approach.

The training materials, internal communication, and lecture notes will be supplied in Optical Character Recognition (OCR)-compliant, machine-readable formats. The resource persons will be asked to provide lecture texts in advance to enable its conversion into Braille or accessible audio formats. All the software used in the academy will have to be made compatible with screen readers, judicial sources indicated.

The learning methods shall integrate voice-to-text dictation tools and audio-based resources, including descriptive transcripts and podcasts. Trained support staff will be provided to assist her in navigating and familiarising herself with the campus. One of her close relatives may be allowed to accompany her, sources said.

The proposed changes are part of the institutional obligation of the Academy and the High Court to create an inclusive atmosphere on the campus and in accordance with constitutional and statutory values. A meeting of the Board of Governors of the Academy to be held on February 16 will give final shape to the inclusion programme, sources indicated.