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National Resource Kit: The Himachal Chapter (Call for Comments)

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:15:57Z

The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Executive Summary

Himachal Pradesh has issued a state policy for persons with disabilities to implement the provisions in the central laws. The government has brought out an integrated scheme for persons with disabilities in 2008 to implement certain sections of the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995. Through this scheme the government has made provisions for education, employment, training, health, rehabilitation and social protection for persons with disabilities.

State Profile

Capital: Shimla
Population: 6,856,509[1]
Population of Persons with Disabilities: 1,55,950
Literacy: 83.78%
HDI: 0.652 Ranked 3rd
Department: Department of Social Justice and Empowerment
Directorate: Directorate of SC, ST and Minority Affairs

Legal Provisions

Himachal Pradesh has brought out a state policy for persons with disabilities to implement the provisions under the two central laws, namely:

Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995 (Persons with Disabilities Act)

National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple disabilities Act 1998 (National Trust Act)

The government of Himachal Pradesh has passed an integrated scheme for persons with disabilities in 2008 to implement Section 25 (A), Section 25 (E), Section 26, Section 30 (D), Section 39, Section 38 (I) (a), Section 41 and Section 66 of the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995.[2] Through this scheme the government has created provisions for education, employment, training, health, rehabilitation and social protection for persons with disabilities.

In order to elicit all relevant information related to persons with disabilities, the government has modified the Families Survey Register of ICDS to give an updated survey year on year. This is intended to help in understanding the nature and type of disabilities, educational and social status of families of persons with disabilities, employment status of disabled family members and the status of benefits availed under various scheme by persons with disabilities.

Accessibility

The integrated scheme for persons with disabilities provides for awareness generation and orientation through awareness camps, seminars and workshops with an idea of creating sensitivity among policy makers and social workers regarding the requirements of persons with disabilities. It also aims to educate the masses regarding barrier free environment and create a pool of access auditors for creating free access to persons with disabilities in public places and buildings. The scheme provides funds for the workshops, seminars and awareness camps to be held at various state, district and block levels.

Education

The government provides scholarships to students with disabilities from Class I to post graduate level and for diploma / vocational / technical / professional education. Students with disabilities whose annual family income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 60,000 are eligible to apply in the prescribed format with copies of bonafide Himachal Pradesh domicile certificate, disability certificate issued by competent authority, annual progress report of the student for the last year from the educational institution and the income certificate of the family. Rates for the scholarships:

Class	Rate for day scholars (per month)	Rate for hostellers (per month)
Class I to Class V	Rs. 150	Rs.300
Class VI to Class VIII	Rs. 200	Rs.400
Class IX – Class X	Rs. 250	Rs.500
Senior Secondary	Rs. 300	Rs.600
BA / B Com / B Sc	Rs. 350	Rs.700
BE / B Tech / MBBS / LLB	Rs. 400	Rs.800
MA / M Com / M Sc / LL M	Rs. 450	Rs.900

The government provides three per cent reservations for students with disabilities in all the educational institutions under the regular budget and programmes of any of the government departments.

The state has set up special schools for children with visual impairment and hearing impairment at Sunder Nagar for girls and at Dali for boys under the DSJE and SPCCD respectively.

Employment & Training

The state policy provides three per cent reservation in all state government posts from Class I to Class IV for persons with disabilities divided into one per cent each for persons with visual impairment, hearing impairment and orthopaedic disability. The policy further provides that employees with severe disability – 60 per cent or more – will be posted to stations of their choice as far as possible.

The government of Himachal Pradesh offers vocational / technical / livelihood training to persons with disabilities in collaboration with nongovernmental organisations and industrial bodies to promote self employment among persons with disabilities. The ventures will be financed by government finance development corporations.

Persons with disabilities who fulfil the following criteria should respond to the government’s call for training programmes in the prescribed format: the applicant Should be a bonafide resident of HP, should be between the age of 18 to 45 years on the date of application, should have passed the minimum educational qualification as required for the particular training programme and the annual income of the family should not be more than Rs. 1,00,000.

During the training, candidates will be provided a maximum assistance of rs. 1000 per month by the Department of SJE.

The government has also made provisions to provide financial assistance in form of subsidy in addition to the loans being provided by the HP Minority Financial Development Corporation to persons with disabilities for encouraging self employment. Candidates should apply to the HP Minority Finance and Development Corporation. Subsidy payable will be 20 per cent of the project cost or Rs. 10,000 whichever is less.

Himachal Pradesh recognises and awards best employers of persons with disabilities and best employees with disabilities. One award of Rs. 25,000 with citation is given to an employer who fulfils the following conditions: employs maximum number of persons with disabilities within the organisation, provides barrier free access within the premises, offers equitable working conditions for persons with disabilities on par with the other employees and provides additional facilities like travel and housing for employees with disabilities. Three awards of Rs. 10,000 each are given along with citations to one employee with disability each in the categories of visual impairment, hearing impairment and orthopaedic disability. Candidates for the awards will be either nominated by their employers or by the Deputy Commissioner (Disabilities) or recommended by the DWO of their respective districts.

Health and Rehabilitation

The integrated scheme for persons with disabilities creates provisions for early detection and prevention of disabilities through screening of children at regular intervals. The examination of children upto the age of six years will be carried out by Anganwadi workers while the examination of children upto 12 years will be undertaken by the Health and Family Department.

The scheme further provides for medical camps to be conducted to carry out regular checkups for persons with disabilities and certify their disabilities, recommend suitable aids and appliances for them and for the distribution of disability identity cards.

Social Protection

The state policy for persons with disabilities provides three per cent reservation in all poverty alleviation schemes for persons with disabilities.

The government provides marriage grants for persons with disabilities through its integrated scheme for marriages where either one or both parties are with disabilities. The scheme provides for a grant of Rs. 8000 for the marriage of a person who has a disability between 40 per cent and 74 per cent. It provides a grant of Rs. 15,000 for the marriage of a person with more than 75 per cent disability. Application for the grant is to be submitted in the prescribed format with copies of the birth certificate, bonafide domicile certificate for Himachal Pradesh, disability certificate issued by the district medical board and marriage registration certificate of the applicant along with an undertaking from the applicant that such a grant has not been received before.

Category	Notification No.	Details
All	Department of Social Justice and Empowerment NO.SJF-C(10)-31/2006, Dated Shimla-2	Integrated Scheme for Persons with Disabilities

[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himachal_Pradesh

[2]. Department of Social Justice and Empowerment No. SJF-C(10)-31/2006, Shimla - 2.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-himachal-pradesh-call-for-comments

National Resource Kit: The Goa Chapter (Call for Comments)

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:16:40Z

The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Goa.

The chapter is an early draft and is in the process of being reviewed and updated. Comments and feedback are welcome.

Executive Summary

Goa has framed the Goa Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Rules 1997 and has formulated the state policy and plan of action for Differently Abled persons to implement the provisions under the three central laws.

The state policy makes provisions for barrier free access. The state has issued three notifications for education, four notifications for employment and one notification each for health and rehabilitation, social protection and transport.

Legal Provisions
Goa has framed the Goa Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Rules 1997 and has formulated the state policy and plan of action for Differently Abled persons to implement the provisions under the three central laws:

Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995 (Persons with Disabilities Act)
National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities 1999 (National Trust Act)
Rehabilitation Council of India Act 1992

The government has constituted the State Coordination Committee under the chairmanship of the Minister of Social Welfare and the State Executive Committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary – Social Welfare for monitoring and implementation of the various provisions of the Persons with Disabilities Act.

Click to download the full chapter here

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-goa-call-for-comments

A Discussion on Intercept between UNCRPD & CEDAW

anandi — 2013-03-27T10:04:30Z

A seminar was jointly organized by the Shanta Memorial Institute of Rehabilitation – Odisha, CBR Network and Mitra Jyoti to discuss the intercept between the United Nations Convention for Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on February 4, 2013 at Mitra Jyoti in Bangalore. Anandhi Viswanathan participated in the seminar and shares her experiences in this post.

The aim of the seminar was to explore the challenges faced by women with disabilities and the need to set up a national network of women with disabilities in India. The discussions were led by Dr. Asha Hans of the Shanta Memmorial Institute of Rehabilitation, Indumathi Rao of the CBR Network and Madhu Singhal of Mitra Jyoti.

Participants at the seminar discussed some of the challenges that women with disabilities faced in the country on a regular basis. Violence against women with disabilities was a major concern raised by several participants. It was felt that many disabled women are victims of violence — physical, emotional or sexual in nature, which are perpetuated on them either in their homes or at their workplaces or outside in general.

Health and sanitation concerns of women with disabilities were also discussed. The lack in general awareness of the health and sanitation requirements of women with disabilities and the non-availability of facilities to cater to these needs were felt to be some of the major concerns in this sphere. Participants also felt that the lack of awareness and the general social attitude towards women with disabilities lead to their marginalisation and alienation in society.

Women with disabilities face double discrimination — on grounds of their disability and for their gender. They are not included in discussions on disability which revolve around men with disabilities, or on discussions on women which more often than not focuses on women without disabilities, and unfortunately this “minority” group of women with disabilities is left on its own. The challenges faced by women with disabilities are unique. These are quite different from challenges faced by either by men with disabilities or by women without disabilities. Women with disabilities are yet to be categorised as a separate group by the government for considering and addressing their difficulties.

The participants at this event further felt that the challenges being faced by women with disabilities could be addressed by introducing provisions specific to their needs in the legislations for persons with disabilities. The seminar concluded that two exercises must be undertaken to consolidate the case for including provisions specific to women with disabilities in legislations:

Developing a system of including women with disabilities as a separate category in all the data pools being compiled by the government, and
Creating a database of issues being faced by women with disabilities on all levels across the country.

It was proposed that a network of women with disabilities be set up in order to create a platform for women with disabilities to showcase challenges and seek solutions. The group felt that the network could play an active role in documenting issues faced by women with disabilities and aid in creating a database of challenges. The network could also play a part in seeking for women with disabilities to be included as a separate category in all national data pools compiled by the government.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/discussion-on-intercept-between-uncrpd-and-cedaw

National Resource Kit: The Lakshadweep Chapter (Call for Comments)

anandi — 2014-02-20T10:00:32Z

The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Lakshadweep.

The Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Culture is responsible for welfare of persons with disabilities in Lakshadweep. The union territory has an estimated population of 1678 persons with disabilities in a total population of 64,429 people. Lakshadweep implements two schemes under Skill Development & Employment, three schemes under Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation & Recreation and has notified authorities for disability Certification and certifying Organisations & Individuals for Persons with Disabilities.

Click to download the full chapter (PDF, 187 Kb)

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-lakshadweep-chapter-call-for-comments

National Resource Kit : The West Bengal Chapter (Call for Comments)

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:19:34Z

The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of West Bengal.

Note: The chapter is an early draft and will undergo subsequent modifications. We welcome comments and feedback from our readers.

Executive Summary

The state of West Bengal has issued the West Bengal Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Rules 1999 to implement the provisions under the central Persons with Disabilities (Protection of Rights, Equal Opportunities and Full Participation) Act 1995.

The Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare is primarily responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in the state. The government of West Bengal has issued six notifications in education, ten notifications in employment and training, ten notifications in health and rehabilitation, ten notifications in social protection and two notifications in transport for persons with disabilities.

Capital: Kolkata

Population: 91,347,736

Population of persons with disabilities: 1,847,184

Literacy: 77.08%

HDI: 0.625 Ranked: 19th (2005 status)

Department: Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare

Other authorities: Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities

Click to download the West Bengal chapter (PDF, 344 Kb)

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-west-bengal-chapter

National Resource Kit: The Andhra Chapter (Revised)

anandi — 2014-02-12T05:21:41Z

The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

This chapter was revised based on the comments and feedback received from our readers.

The Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in Andhra Pradesh. The state has an estimated population of 13,64,981[1] persons with disabilities of the total population of 84,655,533[2] people. The state has issued three notifications under General Entitlements, one notification under Women & Children with Disabilities, four notifications under Education, ten notifications under Skill Development and Employment, ten notifications under Social Security, Health &Rehabilitation and Recreation, three notifications under Accessibility and has identified and notified medical boards for disability certification.

1. General Entitlements

1.1 Persons with disabilities with 40% or more disability may apply for the benefits under the schemes implemented by government / NGOs.
1.2 Dwarf persons are included in the category of locomotor disabled.
1.3 AP Tax on Professions, Trades, Callings and Employments Act 1987 exempts persons with disabilities from payment of professional tax.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 27, dated: 09.08.2000	People with at least 40% disability may apply for Govt / NGOs schemes
2	Revenue Department	G.O.MS.No. 1063 Dated: 02.08.2007	Exemption from professional tax

2. Women & Children with Disabilities

2.1 Girls with 80% or more disability are eligible for benefits under GCPS.[3]

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	Memo No. 7861/JJ/A1/2004, Dated 11.06.2008	Girls with 80% or more disability eligible for GCPS Annual family income not more than Rs. 1,00,000 Single child / both children girls conditions are not applicable Girls with one / two brothers also eligible

3. Education

3.1 Post matric scholarship / fee reimbursements provided to disabled students in govt / university colleges / institutions and Category A convenor quota students in private colleges.

3.2 Exemption from 2nd and 3rd languages to students with hearing impairment at SSC level.

3.3 Concessions in evaluation, scribe, language exemption and extra time provided to students appearing for Class 7 and Class 10 public examination.

3.4 Disabled students whose annual family income does not exceed Rs. 1,00,000 are eligible to apply for scholarships / fee reimbursements.

S.No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 21 Dated: 3.07.2008	Post matric Scholarship & fee reimbursement for govt / university colleges / institutions All eligible applicants entitled for reimbursement Fees directly reimbursed to institutions No fees to be collected during admission
2	Education (Exams) Department	G.O.Rt.No.1161 Edn. Dated:24.06.1992	Exemption from 2nd & 3rd language for hearing impaired students at SSC level Divisions awarded based on performance in other papers
3	Education (Exams) Department	G.O.Ms.No. 33 Dated: 19.03.2001	Concessions to students appearing for Class 7 and Class 10 exams Minimum marks required for passing is 20 Jumbling system for evaluation abolished and only trained teachers engaged Scribe provided to visually impaired students is of Class 10 Exemption from 2nd and 3rd languages and fees is applicable to all disabled students Half hour extra time during exams provided to all disabled students from classes 7th to 10th
4	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 9 Dated: 10.4.2008	Scholarship for students with annual family income not exceeding Rs. 1,00,000 Books / instruments – ITI / Polytechnic students Musical instruments – Professional music students Scholarships – Students with mental disabilities & research scholars Typewriting / Short hand / Examination coaching – Professional examinations

4. Skill Development & Employment

4.1 Reservation of 3% in all state government positions for persons with disabilities. Preference given for those with higher degree of disability.

4.2 Reservation for identified posts will be carried forward for three consecutive years for recruitment of suitable candidate. If candidate with right disability for the reserved post is not identified, the post will be filled by interchanging among the three categories. Disabled women given 33% reservation within the 3%reservation on a rotational basis between the three categories.

4.3 3% reservation for promotion of persons with disabilities applicable to all the services of the state government with cadre strength more than five. Candidates must be fully qualified and eligible under existing rules and guidelines.

4.4 Persons with disabilities are allowed age relaxation of ten years on upper age limit for recruitment to government employment and exempted from the application fee for applying to the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission.

4.5 The rural development scheme with standard schedule rates for persons with disabilities employed for wages in rural development provides that wage rates for persons with disabilities would be operated at 30 per cent extra over the rural standard schedule rates on items of labour component only.

4.6 Persons with disabilities are given three per cent reservation in the allotment of fair price shops.

4.7 Three per cent of the shops and stalls constructed by the municipality will be leased to persons with disabilities for a payment of Rs. 2.50 per square feet or 50 per cent of the rent being paid by the neighbouring shop considering whichever is lower without the regular channel of public auction.

4.8 Persons with visual impairment who completed SSC / higher education directly without qualifying Class 7 are eligible for posts of attender / Group 4 posts in the Andhra Pradesh Last Grade Services.

4.9 Persons with disabilities who completed graduation / post graduation directly without completing Intermediate are eligible to apply for Group 4 posts in AP Ministerial Services / other services except at the office of the Head of Department where Intermediate is prescribed as minimum qualification.

4.10 Persons with disabilities given three per cent reservation in all coaching / training facilities and programmes of welfare departments for attempting competitive examinations.

S.No.	Issuing Authority	Notification Number	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS. NO. 56 Dated: 02.12.2003	3% reservation in employment, preference for those with greater disability
2	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.Ms.No. 23 Dated: 26.05.2011	Carrying forward of reservation, interchanging among categories and reservation for women with disabilities
3	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 42 Dated: 19.10.2011	3% reservation for promotion in government employment
4	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS. No. 22 Dated: 25.05.2011	10 years relaxation in age limit and exemption from application fees for applying for government jobs
5	Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department	G.O.MS.No. 146 Dated: 24.4.2007	Wages for persons with disabilities employed in rural development Applicable only if all persons in the group are disabled.
6	Food, Civil Supplies and consumer Affairs Department	G.O.Ms.No.99 Dated: - 22-10-1998	3% reservation in allotment of fair price shops
7	Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department	G.O.Ms.No. 63 M.A Dated: 14.02.1996	3% reservation in allotment of municipal shops and stalls
8	General Administration Department	G.O.Ms.No. 34 Dated:17-05-2003	Eligibility of VI persons without Class 7 qualification to apply for Group 4 posts In case of non availability of visually impaired candidates with the basic educational qualification prescribed for the posts in Service Rules.
9	General Administration Department	G.O Ms.NO.33 Dated:03-02-2003	Eligibility to apply for Group 4 posts for disabled persons without the qualification of intermediate Posts such as junior assistants/ junior typists / junior stenographers / junior accountant
10	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.Ms.No. 32 Dated: 13.07.2011	3% reservation in coaching and training facilities in welfare departments for competitive exams

5. Social Security, Health & Rehabilitation, and Recreation

5.1 Persons with disabilities are awarded a pension of Rs. 500 per month. In case of minor children, the pension will be given to the parents of the child.

5.2 Three percent of housing sites are reserved for persons with disabilities with annual income not exceeding Rs. 11,000 and will be allotted free of cost.

Adult, unmarried persons with disabilities also are eligible for allotment of houses / flats under the Housing Department as separate units / families. The ground floor of all the houses under the Indira MMS scheme are reserved for persons with disabilities and the flats / houses are designed to be disability friendly. In case of persons with mental disabilities, the house / flat is allotted to the guardian in the name of the person with the disability.

5.3 Persons with disabilities are eligible to receive at least three per cent reservation in physical or financial coverage in the poverty alleviation schemes of the state departments and local authorities.

5.4 Marriage grant of Rs. 10,000 is provided to couples for marriage between person with disabilities and person without disabilities.

5.5 Persons with disabilities may enjoy benefits under multiple schemes irrespective of the nature of the benefit to them provided that each benefit / scheme gives a different type of support or rehabilitative support to them.

5.6 Students with 80% or more disabilities pursuing higher education / professional education are given direct loans from the government for procuring improved prosthetic aids or motorised vehicles from the funds given to the Managing Director, Andhra Pradesh Vikalangula Co-operative Corporation.

5.7 State government employees with disabilities are eligible for conveyance allowance at 10% of their basic pay to a maximum of Rs. 650 per month. Vehicle maintenance allowance is provided to persons with disabilities at the rates mentioned in the table below.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department	G.O.MS.No. 454 Dated: 14.11.2008	Rs. 500 disability pension per month
2	Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department	G.O.MS.No. 117 Dated: 29.03.2007	Disability pension provided to all. In case of disabled children, parents given the pension
3	Social Welfare Department	G.O.Ms.No.133 Dated: 17.09.1997	3% housing sites allotted free of cost to persons with disabilities with annual income less than 11,000
4	Housing Department	G.O.RT.No. 106 Dated: 27.3.2008	Persons with disabilities allotted houses / flats under Housing Board Ground floor of apartments reserved for persons with disabilities Guardians of mentally disabled are allotted houses / flats in the name of the beneficiary
5	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 1 Dated: 9.01.2002	3% reservation in Coverage in poverty alleviation schemes
6	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 18 Dated: 19.6.2008	Marriage grant of Rs. 10,000 for marriage between disabled and non-disabled persons
7	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 19, Dated: 25.6.2008	Granting enjoyment of multiple schemes like scholarship / pension / economic support at the same time as long as each scheme provides a different support
8	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.RT.No. 194 Dated: 30.06.2008	Government loans for procuring prosthetic aids and motorised vehicles Rs. 5000 given as incentive / subsidy Remaining amount not exceeding Rs. 60,000 – loan to be recovered in three years
9	Finance Department	G.O.Ms.No. 197 Dated:06-07-2006	Conveyance allowance to state government employees at 10% of basic pay not exceeding Rs. 650 p.m.
10	Finance Department	G.O.MS.No. 276 Dated: 15.10.2005	Vehicle maintenance allowance to persons with disabilities Cycles – Rs. 125 per month Motorised vehicles – Rs. 700 per month.

6. Accessibility

6.1 All departments / local authorities / agencies are required to provide barrier free environment in all new buildings and public utilities for easy access of persons with disabilities.

6.2 Teachers and lecturers with visual impairment are given readers allowance for engaging readers to access printed material.

6.3 Committee constituted to prescribe JAWS software knowledge and practical ability instead of or along with typewriting for visually impaired candidates for the posts of typists, stenographers and data entry operators.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 30 Dated: 17.6.2002	Barrier free access to all new buildings and public utilities
2	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 34 Dated: 16.07.2010	Reader’s allowance for visually impaired teachers and lecturers Secondary grade teachers (including craft instructors) – Rs. 400 per month School assistants – Rs. 500 per month Junior lecturers and above – Rs. 600 per month
3	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O. MS. No. 36 Dated: 03.08.2011	Committee for prescribing use of JAWS software for visually impaired typists / stenographers / data entry operators

7. Certification

7.1 All hospitals / government teaching hospitals in district head quarters are notified as district medical boards authorised to give certificates for persons with disabilities.

In case of loss of certificate, the person may apply to the board with FIR and the non-traceable certification from the police and a new certificate will be issued within 20 days of application.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 31 Dated: 1.12.2009	All govt hospitals / govt teaching hospitals in district headquarters can issue disability certificates If original certificate is lost, application for duplicate should be made with FIR and police non traceable report Duplicate is issued within 20 days of application Disability-wise Appellate Boards: Orthopedically DISABLED / locomotor disability / dwarfs / hunchback / muscular dystrophy / leprosy-cured Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad & Gandhi Hospital, Hyderabad Blindness / Low vision – Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, Hyderabad Mental Retardation – Institute for Mental Health, HYDERABAD & National Institute for Mentally Handicapped Mental Illness – State Institute for Mental Health, Hyderabad Hearing Impairment – Government ENT Hospital, Koti, Hyderabad

8. Schemes & Grants for Organisations & Individuals for Disabilities

8.1 There are no specific grants or schemes for organisations or individuals operating in the field of disabilities.

9. Disability Authorities

Andhra Pradesh has two authorities responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities:

Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens
Commissioner for Disabilities.

[1].http://socialjustice.nic.in/statewisedisabled.php

[2].http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradesh

[3]. Girl Child Protection Scheme

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-andhra-pradesh-revised

National Resource Kit : The Kerala Chapter (Call for Comments)

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:20:04Z

The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Kerala.

Note: The chapter is an early draft and will undergo subsequent modifications. We welcome comments and feedback from our readers.

Statistics

Capital: Tiruvananthapuram
HDI Rank: 1^st

Literacy: 1^st in India with a literacy of 93.91 per cent

Population:33,387,677
Population of Persons with Disability: 2.7 per cent. The district of Malappuram has the highest number of persons with disabilities, followed by Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam.[1]

Ministries and Departments

Department of Social Welfare – responsible for protection of rights of persons with disabilities.
Directorate of Social Welfare (under Department of Social Welfare) – nodal authority that implements central and state government programmes in Kerala.

Government run Organisations

The Kerala State Handicapped Persons Welfare Corporation
The Commissionerate of Persons with Disabilities
The National Institute of Speech and Hearing
The Central Social Welfare Board

Legal Provisions

Kerala does not have a legislation specifically for persons with disabilities in the state but implements the central legislation – the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995. The state also issues various schemes, policies and notifications for persons with disabilities. The Department of Social Welfare has implemented some central and state schemes for persons with disabilities in the state,[2] while some schemes are being implemented by the Kerala State Handicapped Persons Welfare Corporation (KSHPWC).[3] These are listed below under various categories as:

Accessibility
The Department of Local Self Governance vide G.O. (MS) No.41/11/LSGD, Thiruvananthapuram, dated 14/02/2011 have issued rules for housing which also include special provisions for accommodation of the requirements of persons with disabilities. These include provision of ramps, lifts, convenient parking slots and removal of architectural barriers.
Personal mobility

Persons with disabilities with a regular and reasonable income and having to travel regularly on work are given a subsidy of Rs. 2000 linked with bank loan for procuring motorised tricycles / vehicles.[4]

KSHPWC supplies aids and appliances every three years to Persons with Disabilities with annual income less than Rs. 60,000 (see note 3). These include: artificial limbs, tricycles, wheelchairs, callipers, crutches, hearing aids, white canes, colostomy bags, etc. The beneficiaries are selected at medical camps held at district, block and panchayat levels.
Subsidy of Rs.10,000 is provided by KSHPWC to each self-employed young disabled person for procuring motorized tricycle upon applying in the proper format with attested copies of original bill, registration and insurance documents, and photographs (see note 3).
Education
Through the Kerala Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010, the government provides free and compulsory education for children with disabilities until the age of 18. The rules also provide for inclusive education, special schools for severely disabled children, learning aids and appliances, training for special teachers and vocational training for children with disabilities.
Three seats are reserved for persons with disabilities in arts and science colleges and engineering colleges, nine seats are reserved in polytechnic colleges, five seats are reserved in ITIs, five per cent seats are reserved in junior technical colleges and 25 per cent seats are reserved for teachers in special schools (see note 4).

Scholarships are given to children with disabilities where annual income of parents is less than Rs. 24,000 at Rs. 30 per month for children in classes I – IV and Rs. 45 per month for children in classes V – VIII. For students in higher classes, scholarships are provided for day scholars and residential students with special allowance for readers. In addition to the scholarships, students with orthopaedic impairment are given Rs. 25 per month for maintenance of prosthetic / orthopaedic aids (at the recommendation of the head of the institution) and Rs. 50 per month as transportation allowance (see note 4).
Children with mental disabilities where the annual income of parents is less than Rs. 24,000 are given scholarships upto the age of 21 at the scale of Rs. 60 per month with dress allowance of Rs. 40 and school requisite allowance (see note 4).
The government runs two vocational training centres for persons with disabilities at Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode (see note 4).
Students with Disabilities who top their districts in the categories of Orthopaedic disability, speech and hearing impairment, visual impairment and mental retardation; in the SSLC and Higher Secondary exams are awarded Rs. 2,500 each. Awards of Rs. 5000 are given to state rank holders in the above categories (see note 3).
Health: Details of policies / schemes for health unavailable.
Rehabilitation: The state runs community based rehabilitation programmes and vocational training centres for persons with disabilities (see note 2).
Employment: The state provides three per cent reservation in classes I, II (videG.O. (RT) No. 291/2012/SWD dated, Thiruvananthapuram 20^th June 2012), III and IV (vide G.O. (P)No.20/98/P&ARd dated, Thiruvananthapuram, 14 July, 1998) of state government jobs and PSUs. Three per cent reservation is also provided on part-time contingency posts and one per cent worker class vacancies in the government, corporations and companies are reserved for persons with disabilities (see note 4).

An age relaxation of ten years on the upper age limit is provided to persons with disabilities for applying to government jobs. Upto 10 grace marks can be given to persons with disabilities at the discretion of the Public Service Commission for direct recruitment to various posts except those that are specifically excluded (see note 4).
Persons with disabilities are allowed a special casual leave of 15 days for treating an illness that is directly connected with their disability vide G.O. (P) 249/84/Fin. Dated 9–5–84.
Loans for self employment are being given to persons with disabilities by banks through KSHPWC for setting up self employment programmes. A subsidy of Rs. 2000 linked with the bank loan is given to each beneficiary (see note 4).
KSHPWC channelizes loans from the National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation to Persons with Disabilities at low interest rates for self-employment. Applicants must have at least 40 per cent disability and their family income should not exceed Rs. 3,00,000 for rural and Rs. 5,00,000 for urban applicants (see note 3).
KSHPWC runs the following commercial units to provide employment to persons with disabilities (see note 4): Sowbhagya Department Store – Thiruvananthapuram, Sowbhagya Department Store – Kozhikode, Sowbhagya Extension Counter, MLA Quarters – Thiruvananthapuram, Photocopier Unit, MLA Quarters – Thiruvananthapuram, and Envelope Making Unit – Thiruvananthapuram.
KSHPWC together with the Kerala State Lotteries Department implements the scheme through which disabled persons are identified throughout the state for undertaking agency for Lottery tickets and are given financial assistance of Rs. 5,000 for purchase and sale of lottery tickets.

Social Protection

Persons with disabilities in the categories of vision impaired, hearing impaired and orthopaedically disabled whose annual family income does not exceed Rs.3,600 are given a disability pension of Rs.85 per month.
Conveyance allowance of Rs.100 for vision impaired and locomotor disabled employees of aided schools and government departments and Rs.50 for part time employees are given vide G.O.(P) No. 521/87/Fin, dated 15.6.87.
Free travel facility is provided to the vision impaired on buses and boats and for the locomotor disabled on buses. Persons with 50 per cent or more locomotor disabilities are given 70 per cent concession on private buses to travel upto 40 kilometres (see note 4).
A distress relief fund has been created for persons with disabilities vide G.O. (MS) No. 4/95/SWD dated 24/1/95. A maximum amount of Rs. 2000 can be given for a case in a financial year and the amount can be extended to Rs. 8000 in exceptional cases. Persons with disabilities whose annual income does not exceed Rs. 12,000 can claim financial assistance for the following reasons (see note 4): for medical treatment including surgery, disability incurred due to an accident, any other purposes not covered by existing schemes for persons with disabilities, grant by the government under the grant-in-aid to persons with disabilities under the Deendayal Disabled Scheme (see note 2).
Under the Rajiv One Million Housing Scheme (see note 4), one per cent of the houses constructed for the economically backward class have been reserved for persons with disabilities.
KSHPWC operates a scheme for children who are below 8 years of age and have 60 per cent or more disability and whose parent’s have an annual income of less than Rs.60,000, the corporation deposits an amount of Rs. 15,000 for boys and Rs.20,000 for girls. The fund under this scheme is released after the child attains the age of 18 years for self-employment or marriage or as per requests after assessing the case. (see note 3).
A scheme run by the state offers marriage assistance to women with disabilities and to daughters of Persons with Disabilities (see note 2).
KSHPWC runs an old-age home for persons with disabilities at Parassala (see note 3).

Miscellaneous

State awards of Rs. 3000 per head are given to outstanding and efficient employees among persons with disabilities (see note 4)
Persons with disabilities are exempted from professional tax and road tax. They are given an additional income tax exemption of Rs. 5000 (see note 4).
The state also gives grant-in-aid for voluntary organisations running homes for the disabled and financial assistance for advocates with orthopaedic or visual impairment (see note 2).

Government Orders

Category	Headline	Issuing Authority	Number & Date	Briefs
Employment	Public Services Reservations for Physically Handicapped Persons – three per cent reservation for Class III and Class IV posts	Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Advice) Department	G.O. (P)No.20/98/P&ARD Dated, Thiruvananthapuram, 14 July, 1998	Orders issued for a maximum of 50 appointments each in the categories of subordinate service, last grade service and part-time contingent service being set apart every year for the appointment of persons with disabilities to the public services.
Employment	Reservation of three per cent vacancies in Class I and II posts in Public Services for appointment of physically disabled persons – post of Assistant Engineer (Civil), Public Works Department – eligibility for full participation in the selection process and appointment in respect of certain categories of physically disabled persons – clarified orders	Social Welfare Department	G.O. (RT) No. 291/2012/SWD. Dated, Thiruvananthapuram 20^th June 2012	This order has been issued in clarification to earlier orders issued for identification of posts for Persons with Disabilities.
Building construction	Kerala Panchayat Building Rules 2011	Local Self Governance Department	G.O. (MS) No.41/11/LSGD Dated, Thiruvananthapuram 14/02/2011.	Notification has been issued to regulate building construction. Provides for accessibility and elimination of architectural barriers.

Special Schools and Vocational Training Centres

Centre for Training and Rehabilitation of the Mentally Retarded, Thiruvananthapuram
Adarsha Rehabilitation Institute for Spastics and Neurologically Impaired, Kochi
Asha Niketan, Kozhikode
Jagathy Government School for the Blind, Thiruvananthapuram
Jagathy Government BHSS for the Deaf, Thiruvananthapuram
Kunnamkulam GS for the Blind, Kunnamkulam, Thrissur
Kunnamkulam GS for the Deaf, Kunnamkulam, Thrissur

Non Governmental Organisations for Persons with Disabilities

National Association of the Blind, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Federation of the Blind, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Institution of the Blind, Thrissur
All Kerala Association of the Deaf, Thrissur
Kerala Government Deaf Employees Union
Association for the Welfare of the Handicapped, Kozhikode
Kerala State Physically Handicapped Employees Association

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kerala-chapter-call-for-comments

Creating a National Resource Kit for Persons with Disabilities: An Introduction

anandi — 2013-03-18T05:58:04Z

The Centre for Internet & Society is engaged in a two-and-a-half year project starting from August 2012 to create a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India. This project is supported by the Hans Foundation. The Resource Kit will be brought out in both English and Hindi and disseminated to policy makers from panchayat to ministry levels throughout India.

CIS hopes that this resource kit will immensely benefit the disabled community in India by providing them with a ready reference on the facilities given by the government.

More often than not a facility isn’t enjoyed by the public as no one knows about its existence. It becomes important then to make it accessible and give it exposure. The National Resource Kit of Laws, Policies and Programmes for Persons with Disabilities will fill this gap of lack of comprehensive information in this field.

The rights of persons with disabilities have for long been a topic of international discussion in various forums. It is essential to not just promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights of persons with disabilities but also promote respect for their dignity. Making legal provisions for the rights of persons with disabilities is not only a mechanism that ensures that they have access to human rights but also a tool that enables them to contribute to the growth of their nation by providing them with the facilities that aid them in overcoming their challenges and enable them to lead fruitful lives.

To provide persons with disabilities in India equal opportunity for liberty, equality and dignity on par with all citizens, India has enacted three disability laws:

Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
National Trust for Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disability Act, 1999.
Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992.

India is now in the process of drafting a new law on the rights of persons with disabilities that aims to fill the gaps in the earlier laws through a deeper understanding of the real issues faced by them and providing solutions and opportunities on par with international standards.

Despite the existing legal provisions, the populace that continues to struggle with consuming issues like overpopulation, poverty, unemployment and lack of resources, often tend to neglect issues which concern persons with disabilities. An overwhelming public opinion that considers persons with disabilities to be incapable of making meaningful contribution to the society due to their disability has led to the exclusion of persons with disabilities from mainstream society.

One of the major reasons for this exclusion and neglect is the lack of awareness about the various facilities being extended by the government to persons with disabilities targeted at enabling them to overcome their challenges. Generating awareness by providing them with information that will help them gain access to education, vocational skills, employment training and opportunities and healthcare is a vital step in ensuring that the legal rights of persons with disabilities are enabled for them.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/creating-a-national-resource-kit-for-persons-with-disabilities