Concept 1 · free preview
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016
Understand
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 replaced the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. It is in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The 1995 law listed 7 disabilities; the 2016 law has 21 specified disabilities.
| Provision | Number / point |
|---|---|
| Specified disabilities | 21 |
| Benchmark disability | Not less than 40% of a specified disability, as certified |
| Free education (Section 31) | Every child with benchmark disability aged 6 to 18, in a neighbourhood school or a special school of choice |
| Reservation in government jobs (Section 34) | At least 4% |
| Reservation in higher education (Section 32) | At least 5% of seats |
| Earlier law | PwD Act, 1995 (7 disabilities) |
Rule
All 21: blindness, low vision, hearing impairment, locomotor disability, dwarfism, intellectual disability, mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, specific learning disabilities, speech and language disability, thalassemia, haemophilia, sickle cell disease, acid attack victims, Parkinson's disease, multiple disabilities (including deaf-blindness), leprosy-cured persons, multiple sclerosis, chronic neurological conditions.
Diabetes is not a specified disability.
Remember
Number trick: '21 types, 40% benchmark, 6–18 education, 4% jobs, 5% higher education'.
Common mistake
Swapping 4% (jobs) and 5% (higher education); or taking the 1995 count of 7 as the 2016 count.
Check yourself
How many specified disabilities are there in the RPwD Act, 2016?