From Rights on Paper to Inclusion in Practice: India’s Journey Towards Empowering Persons with Disabilities

By S. Ahmad

Each year, as India deepens its commitment to building a more inclusive society, we are reminded that true nation-building is not only about highways, digital revolutions, or economic growth—it is also about how compassionately and fairly we treat our most vulnerable citizens. Among them are India’s 2.68 crore persons with disabilities, who make up 2.21 percent of our population, as recorded by the Census 2011. Behind this statistic are real people—men, women, children—who carry dreams as vast as any other Indian, yet often confront invisible barriers that limit their participation in education, employment, public life, and even everyday mobility.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, gives a simple but powerful definition of disability: it is not mere physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairment, but the interaction of these conditions with social and structural barriers that hinders full participation. In other words, disability is not located only in the individual—it is also embedded in the way our society is designed. This understanding marks a crucial shift in India’s approach: from viewing disability as a matter of charity to recognising it as an issue of rights, equality, and dignity.

In recent years, the Government of India has made notable progress in translating these ideals into concrete action. What we are witnessing today is not merely a collection of welfare schemes but the development of an entire ecosystem aimed at ensuring that persons with disabilities (PwDs) are empowered to live independently, contribute productively, and participate fully in national life.

Legal Foundation of Disability Rights

At the heart of this transformation is the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, which replaced the older 1995 legislation and significantly expanded the scope of protection. The Act now recognises 21 categories of disabilities, well beyond the limited classifications of the past. More importantly, it mandates reservation in education and employment, establishes the right to inclusive education, ensures community living, and makes accessibility and non-discrimination legal obligations of both central and state governments. By introducing a centralised certification regime, the Act also ensures transparency and uniformity in recognising disability claims across India.

This progressive framework is supported by older yet equally significant institutions. The National Trust Act of 1999 focuses specifically on persons with autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, and multiple disabilities, ensuring sustained attention to communities whose needs are often complex and lifelong. Meanwhile, the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) Act, 1992 (amended in 2000) strengthens the professional backbone of rehabilitation services by regulating training programmes, standardising syllabi, and maintaining the Central Rehabilitation Register—a vital step towards guaranteeing quality care, therapy, and special education across the country.

To ensure these rights move beyond legislative intent into real-world impact, the government introduced the Scheme for Implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (SIPDA). As an umbrella programme under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), SIPDA provides financial and technical assistance to ministries, states, and UTs to build accessible infrastructure, promote inclusion, raise awareness, and expand skill training efforts for PwDs across multiple sectors.

Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan

Perhaps the most visible symbol of India’s inclusive intent is the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan, launched in December 2015. Guided by the national ethos of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas,” this campaign identifies three pillars of accessibility: built environments, transport systems, and information & communication technology (ICT).

The campaign’s ambition is bold: to ensure that public buildings have ramps and accessible toilets, transportation accommodates mobility needs, and digital spaces are friendly for screen readers, subtitles, and voice navigation. Importantly, India’s efforts align with its commitments as a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

A major leap forward came at the International Purple Fest 2025 with the launch of the revamped Sugamya Bharat App. Designed on a “user-first, accessibility-first” approach, the app serves as a digital hub for PwDs. It features:

• Accessibility mapping, allowing citizens to locate and rate public spaces based on real-life access conditions.
• Directories of schemes, scholarships, job opportunities, and educational resources, all curated specifically for PwDs.
• A grievance redressal module through which users can directly report inaccessible infrastructure, ensuring accountability.
• Compatibility with assistive technologies, multilingual support, and availability on both Android and iOS platforms.

This digital innovation transforms inclusion from a policy promise into an everyday, usable reality.

The Power of ADIP

For many PwDs, independence begins with access to the right tools. The Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP) Scheme, operational since 1981, serves precisely this function. Under ADIP, beneficiaries receive durable, quality-certified assistive devices—prosthetics, hearing aids, mobility equipment—aimed at reducing disability-related limitations and preventing complications. Where required, even corrective surgeries are supported before device fitting.

Few stories illustrate the life-changing impact of this scheme better than that of young Kritika from Nagpur. Diagnosed with severe to profound bilateral hearing loss at just three years of age, her future initially seemed clouded by silence. Yet, in February 2024, she received a cochlear implant under the ADIP Cochlear Implant Programme. Today, after therapy at the Digital Diagnostic Clinic, she understands sound, speaks familiar words, and follows verbal instructions. She has joined an Anganwadi school, and her parents now watch their child engage joyfully with the world—a journey made possible not by charity, but by a rights-based welfare system.

Education, Rehabilitation, and Economic Upliftment

Beyond assistive devices, India’s inclusion strategy rests on long-term rehabilitation and economic empowerment. The Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) supports voluntary organisations working in the education, rehabilitation, and skill development of PwDs, fostering community participation and reinforcing the inclusive objectives of the 2016 Rights Act.

Economic empowerment receives focused attention through the National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation (NDFDC). Functioning since 1997, NDFDC channels concessional loans via two schemes:

• Divyangjan Swavalamban Yojana (DSY) for individual entrepreneurs.
• Vishesh Microfinance Yojana (VMY) for self-help groups and joint liability groups.

These schemes enable PwDs to establish businesses, pursue trades, and achieve self-reliance—empowerment not as theory, but as everyday livelihood.

Manufacturing support is led by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), a not-for-profit central public sector enterprise that produces rehabilitation aids under one roof for all disability categories. ALIMCO has further enhanced outreach by establishing Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Kendras (PMDKs) across National Institutes and regional centres, ensuring assistive devices reach beneficiaries even in remote areas.

UDID Project

A key administrative reform has been the introduction of the Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities (UDID). This project creates a centralised national database, issuing each beneficiary a unique identity card and ensuring seamless access to benefits across states. The digital system enables online applications, standardised medical assessments, renewal processes, MIS data tracking, and elimination of duplicate records. The UDID is now widely used as valid certification for schemes, including railway fare concessions under the EPICS Divyangjan Card framework.

Skills, Employment, and Opportunity

In the age of skills and gig economies, inclusion demands employability. The PM-DAKSH-DEPwD Portal responds to this need through two integrated platforms:

• Divyangjan Kaushal Vikas, offering over 250 skill courses aligned with the National Action Plan for Skill Development of PwDs.
• Divyangjan Rozgar Setu, linking PwDs directly to employers through geo-tagged job listings—already exceeding 3,000 vacancies across sectors—supported by corporate MoUs with organisations such as Amazon, Youth4Jobs, and Godrej Properties.

This digital bridge builds confidence, restores dignity, and turns capability into career paths.

National Institutes and CRCs

India currently operates nine National Institutes, including institutions for visual, speech and hearing, locomotor, intellectual, and multiple disabilities, as well as the Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLRTC) and centres for sports rehabilitation. These are complemented by 30 Composite Regional Centres (CRCs) acting as grassroots hubs for therapy, training, and awareness across states and UTs.

Financial Inclusion Meets Cultural Pride: Divya Kala Mela

Economic empowerment blends beautifully with cultural celebration in the Divya Kala Mela series. Held across India under DEPwD and NDFDC, these fairs provide marketing platforms to Divyang artisans and entrepreneurs in the true spirit of “Vocal for Local.”

The 26th Divya Kala Mela, organised in Patna in August 2025, saw nearly 100 artisans from 20 states and UTs, showcasing handicrafts, handlooms, food products, toys, embroidery, and eco-friendly items across 75 stalls. Cultural performances, assistive technology exhibits, job fairs, and accessibility-friendly infrastructure turned the event into more than a commercial fair—it became a celebration of inclusive creativity.

Earlier editions in Vadodara and Jammu similarly demonstrated how entrepreneurship can dismantle stereotypes and replace sympathy with respect.

Purple Fest

The Purple Fest 2025 in Goa emerged as the grand showcase of India’s accessibility movement. Innovations unveiled included the fully upgraded Sugamya Bharat App and several educational initiatives such as:

• IELTS adaptation materials for PwDs supported by Believe in the Invisible (BITI).
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) certifications for sign language interpreters and SODA/CODA participants across India.
• Launch of specialised training in American and British Sign Language at ISLRTC, opening international professional pathways for Indian interpreters.

The promotion of Indian Sign Language has become a defining achievement. Since the establishment of ISLRTC in 2015, progress has been rapid. The launch of PM e-Vidya Channel 31, dedicated solely to ISL training, has expanded learning access nationwide. In 2025, ISLRTC unveiled the world’s largest ISL digital repository, hosting 3,189 videos for students, educators, and the Deaf community.

The ISL Dictionary now exceeds 10,000 terms, supplemented by over 2,200 subject-specific academic videos and more than 1,000 instructional modules. A partnership with NCERT, signed in 2020, aims to complete translation of school textbooks into ISL by 2026. Meanwhile, the PRASHAST App, having screened over 92 lakh students, ensures early detection of disabilities and timely educational support.

As I reflect on India’s disability rights journey, I am struck by how far we have moved—from charity-based welfare to rights-based empowerment; from scattered initiatives to a structured national mission. Our policies today recognise that each person with a disability is not a burden to be supported, but a citizen to be empowered. Through laws, digital tools, financial inclusion, cultural platforms, and education reforms, India is gradually dismantling barriers that once confined millions to the margins.

The road ahead still demands vigilance and compassion, but the direction is unmistakable. Inclusion is no longer an aspiration—it is becoming a lived reality. And in nurturing the dignity of every citizen, we strengthen not only individual lives but the soul of our nation itself.

The article is based on the inputs and background information provided by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Author is Writer, Policy Commentator. He can be mailed at kcprmijk@gmail.com