Srinagar, May 7 -- In the region of rigorous academic adventures, children still leave home each morning with books in hand. They walk miles, through frost and fog, toward something better. But not every child makes this journey. Thousands, born with or scarred by disability, remain behind.

Jammu and Kashmir houses over 361,000 persons with disabilities, per the 2011 Census. Many experts believe this number is outdated and underreported. And while strife has left behind broken limbs, impaired hearing, and trauma, the schools remain unchanged. The Right to Education Act and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act call for inclusion. But in Kashmir, those rights often do not reach the classroom.

Most government schools in rural areas ...