Centre for Internet and Society

National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility – An Analysis

anandi — 2013-12-27T07:49:47Z

Electronics and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are widely used in all areas of life such as education, health care, employment, entertainment, banking and finance management and other aspects of daily living.

They not only make life easier for people in general, but have the potential to revolutionise the lives of persons with disabilities through larger inclusion and participation in these areas and by enabling independent living through use of appropriate assistive technologies (ATs).

In the year 2010, the erstwhile Department of Information Technology, Government of India circulated a draft consultation paper on the National Policy for Electronic Accessibility that sought to regulate the provision of accessible Electronics and ICTs services and products and universal design concepts for persons with disabilities. Post consultation and deliberation, the Government of India has passed the National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility (National Policy) in 2013. This is a brief analysis of the policy and the provisions therein.

The draft consultation paper had clearly identified the requirements of persons with disabilities that had to be kept in view while designing electronic accessibility solutions:

Eliminating discrimination on the basis of disabilities and facilitating equal access to Information and Communication Technologies and Electronics (ICTE)
Understanding the diversity of persons with disabilities and creating solutions for their specific needs
Ensuring that accessibility standards and guidelines and universal design concepts are adopted and adhered to.

While the draft consultation paper only sought to provide equal access to ICTE products and services to persons with disabilities, the objective of the National Policy has been expanded to include not just equal but also barrier free access. The category of disabilities has also been expanded to include mental disabilities. Further, the policy seeks to facilitate local language support and sync universal access with barrier free access that should be usable without adaptation.

The scope of the National Policy continues to cover access to ICTE products and services to persons with disabilities in the areas of universal design, assistive technologies and independent living aids as in the draft consultation paper, but the National Policy expands on the broad roles and functions of the major stakeholders.

The National Policy clearly defines the following points that were not discussed in the Draft Consultation Paper:

The Department of Electronics and Technology is named as the nodal authority for monitoring the implementation of the policy.
Recommends constitution of a high level advisory committee of multiple stakeholders – central and state. ministries and department, industry, academia, disabled persons organisations and persons with disabilities for guiding and implementing the policy.
Recommends an amendment in the Information Technology (IT) Act to protect persons with disabilities who inadvertently break the law.
Lays emphasis on providing support in local languages to accessible Electronics and ICTs.

The strategy and Action Plan defined in the Draft Consultation Paper have been augmented and restructured to include the following points described in the National Policy:

Creating awareness on universal electronics accessibility and universal design

The National Policy specifically provides that the Department of Electronics and Information Technology will play the lead role.
Other central and state ministries, departments and agencies will also be responsible.
Carried out through Media, campaigns, conferences, workshops and seminars.
Will also include available and emerging assistive technologies and independent living aids and schemes.
Information to be made available in public domain in local languages in accessible format.

Capacity building and Infrastructure Development

The National Policy requires that schemes for capacity building on accessibility and assistive technologies be taken up within the government and for persons with disabilities.

Education and Assistive Technologies Centres

Accessibility standards and guidelines and universal design concepts to be included in the curriculum of Electronics and ICTs education.
Assistive technologies and independent living aids to be included in the curriculum of Special Education and Rehabilitation.
Model Electronics and ICTs centres to be set up to provide training and demonstration to special educators and persons with disabilities including persons with mental disabilities.

Conducting research and development

To develop assistive technologies and independent living aids based on accessibility standards and guidelines and universal design concepts
To provide incentives for the research and development of such products
To formulate schemes to support research and development organisations for developing such products
To include persons with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals in formulation, implementation and monitoring the schemes.

Accessibility Standards

The draft consultation paper provides that the accessibility standards and guidelines be taken or modified from existing standards and guidelines in accessibility
The National Policy specifically names existing accessibility standards and guidelines such as the following as examples

W3C Accessibility Standards
ATAG (Authoring Tools Accessibility Guidelines)
WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
UAAG (User Agent Accessibility Guidelines)

Accessibility compliance would be monitored for government websites, websites for disability issues, general citizen centric websites and important websites with high traffic or high consumer transaction.

Accessible format for content

Content published in electronic format including text books, journals, publications, multimedia etc are required to be published in accessible format
Support in local languages to be provided for all content

Developing programmes and schemes

The National Policy lays emphasis on schemes for women and children with disabilities

Developing procurement guidelines for Electronics and ICTs for accessibility and assistive needs

The draft Consultation Paper merely states that ICTE procurement guidelines and processes should include accessibility standards and guidelines.
The National Policy requires that Electronics and ICTs procurement policies be evolved to confirm to the requirements of the National Policy.
Higher cost of accessibility compliant hardware and software to be budgeted for at procurement.
Incentives to be provided by the government to assist with the procurement of such products.
Any scheme formulated by the central or state governments for persons with disabilities should be linked with ongoing schemes for universal electronic accessibility.

Affordable Access

The Draft Consultation Paper requires that schemes be formulated to provide access to ICTE services and products to persons with disabilities at affordable costs.
Information about these schemes to be made available in the public domain in local languages in accessible format.
The National Policy promotes open source usage to meet affordable access requirements.

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-policy-on-universal-electronic-accessibility-analysis

National Resource Kit: The Chhattisgarh Chapter (Revised)

anandi — 2014-02-12T06:48:05Z

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 Chhattisgarh.

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

The Department of Social Welfare is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in Chhattisgarh. The state has an estimated population of 419,887[1] persons with disabilities in a total population of 25,545,198[2] people. Chhattisgarh has issued one scheme under General Entitlements, one scheme under Women and Children with Disabilities, three schemes under Education, two schemes under Skill Development and Employment, three schemes under Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation & Recreation and one scheme under Schemes & Grants for Organisations & Individuals for Disabilities.

1. General Entitlements

1.1 The Gharonda scheme provides persons with disabilities above the age of 18 years accommodation in government shelter homes throughout their lifetime.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department of Social Welfare		Gharonda Scheme: Life-time accommodation in govt shelter hones Age above 18 years BPL category

2. Women and Children with Disabilities

2.1 The Gharonda (Aashraya Griha) Yojna provides accommodation in government shelter homes to children with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department of Social Welfare		Gharonda (Aashraya Griha) Yojna: Accommodation in govt shelter homes for children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental retardation & multiple disabilities Age up to 18 years

3. Education

3.1 Scholarship is provided to students with disabilities. Reader allowance is provided to students with visual impairment.

3.2 The Samarthya Vikas Yojna scheme provides students with disabilities scientific equipment and laboratory apparatus.

3.3 A braille press has been set up to provide study material / learning aids for students with visual impairment. Residential schools have been established for children with disabilities that provide food, clothing and shelter in addition to education and training.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Details
1	Social Welfare Department	Scholarship and reader allowance for disabled students Primary / Pre-matriculation / Secondary / Senior Secondary – Rs. 50 to Rs. 240 per month (based on class) Reader allowance – Rs. 50 to Rs. 100 per month (based on class)
2	Social Welfare Department	Samarthya Vikas Yojna Scheme: Scientific equipment and laboratory apparatus for disabled students
3	Social Welfare Department	Establishment of Braille press Establishment of residential schools for disabled children

4. Skill Development and Employment

4.1 The Chhattisgarh Nishaktjan Vitan & Vikas Nigam provides loans with low interest rates to persons with disabilities for starting their own businesses.

4.2 The Uthan Subsidy Yojna is a scheme for persons with disabilities availing loans for self-employment. The government provides 50 per cent subsidy on the remaining loan if the disabled person pays all the instalments regularly for three years.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Social Welfare Department		Nishaktjan Vitan & Vikas Nigam: Loans at low interest rates for starting business
2	Social Welfare Department		Uthan Subsidy Yojna Scheme: For loans taken for self employment 50% subsidy on remaining loan by govt if all instalments paid regularly for three years

5. Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation and Recreation

5.1   The Indira Gandhi Viklang Pension Yojna is a pension scheme for persons with disabilities.

5.2   The Indira Gandhi Vridhawastha Pension Yojna is an old age pension scheme that covers everyone above the age of 65 years including persons with disabilities.

5.3   The Nishaktjan Vivah Yojna is a marriage scheme that provides assistance for marriage for persons with disabilities.

5.4 Chhattisgarh provides assistive devices like hearing aids, callipers, wheelchairs, tricycles and Braille writing equipment to persons with disabilities.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Details
1	Social Welfare Department	Indira Gandhi Viklang Pension Scheme: Disability pension Pension – Rs. 200 per month Age between 18 – 64 years Total family income should not exceed Rs. 10,000 per annum Disability 80% or more / multiple disabilities
2	Social Welfare Department	Indira Gandhi Vridhawastha Pension Scheme: Disability pension for disabled senior citizens Pension – Rs. 300 per month Age above 65 years Should belong to BPL category
3	Social Welfare Department	Nishaktjan Vivah Yojna Scheme: Marriage assistance for disabled persons Grant – Rs. 21,000 Women: Age between 18 – 45 years Men: Age between 21 – 45 years
4	Social Welfare Department	Provision of assistive devices such as hearing aids, callipers, wheelchairs, tricycles and Braille slates

6. Accessibility

6.1 The government of Chhattisgarh is yet to implement schemes and policies under accessibility.

7. Certification

7.1 Chief Medical Officer of each district is the issuing authority for disability certificates. Parents / guardians may submit application on behalf of children / persons with mental disabilities

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Social Welfare Department		Application for disability certificates CMO of each district is issuing authority Application also to govt doctors treating disabled person Documents required: Proof of residence 2 Passport size photographs

8. Schemes & Grants for Organisations & Individuals for Disabilities

8.1 Voluntary organisations for persons with disabilities in the field of education are granted funds for their activities and given certification by the government.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Social Welfare Department		Certification and funding for voluntary organisations for education

9. Disability Authorities

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

Department of Social Welfare
Commissioner for Disabilities.

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

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

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

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

anandi — 2013-11-12T10:07:33Z

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 Delhi.

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

Executive Summary

The Department of Social Welfare is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Delhi NCT). The territory has an estimated population of 2,35,886[1] persons with disabilities in a total population of 16,753,235 [2] people.The government of Delhi NCT offers two schemes in Education, three schemes in Skill Training & Employment, and five schemes and three services in Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation & Recreation.

Legal Provisions

The government of Delhi NCT has framed the Delhi Persons with Disabilities (Protection of Rights, Equal Opportunities and Full Participation) Rules 2001[3] and the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Rules 2000.[4]

The various schemes brought out by Delhi NCT for persons with disabilities are listed below.[5]

Education

The government provides scholarships to students with disabilities in the following scale:

Year	Day Scholars (per month)	Hostellers (per month)	Reader Allowance
Class I – Class V	Rs. 50
Class VI – Class VIII	Rs. 70
Class IX – Class XII or equivalent	Rs. 125	Rs. 300	Rs. 150
BA / B Com / B Sc, etc.	Rs. 200	Rs. 400	Rs. 200
Professional Courses / In Plant Training	Rs. 250	Rs. 500	Rs. 250
PG Courses	Rs. 300	Rs. 500	Rs. 250

The government provides three per cent reservation in seats at I. T. I.s for persons with disabilities.

Skill Training & Employment

Delhi NCT provides three per cent reservation in Grade C and Grade D state government posts in direct recruitment for persons with disabilities.
Persons with disabilities are provided ten years relaxation in the upper age limit for applying to state government posts.
The government provides persons with disabilities five per cent reservation in allotment of DDA shops and kiosks. Persons with disabilities are also provided two per cent reservation in allotment of municipality shops.

Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation and Recreation

Persons with disabilities are issued Disability Identity cards at the offices of the sub-divisional magistrates under whose jurisdiction they reside from 9.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on all working days.[6] Applicants should carry the following at the time of application:

Filled-in application form
Attested photocopy of first three pages of ration card showing proof of three years residence in Delhi
Attested photocopy of medical Certificate in respect of disability from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, Hindu Rao Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Ram Manoher Lohia Hospital, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences etc.
Two passport size photographs – one should be attested by a gazetted officer
For issuance of duplicate identity card, Rs. 10/- to be deposited with the cashier of District and the receipt should be attached with the application form
Ration Card is required at the time of submission of application form

Persons with disabilities may also apply for Disability Identity card at the offices of the Deputy Commissioner / Additional Commissioner (Disabilities) of their respective districts.[7]

The government has identified the following hospitals for issuing disability certificates:

Lok Nayak Hospital
Aruna Asaf Ali Government Hospital
Hindu Rao Hospital
Satyavadi Raja Harish Chander Hospital (for rural areas)
Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital
Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, Shastri Nagar
Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital
Guru Gobind Singh Hospital
Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital
Rao Tula Ram Hospital (for rural areas)
Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital
Dr. Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan, Karkadoona
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini
Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Mangolpuri
Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital, Pitampura
Maharishi Valmiki Hospital, Pooth Khurd

Persons with mental illness, mental disabilities and neurological disorders can obtain disability certificates from:

Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences
GB Pant Hospital

Persons with disabilities up to the age of 60 years are eligible to receive financial assistance from the government under the 2009 scheme.[9]

Assistance of Rs. 1000 per month is provided to meet the rehabilitation and daily living requirements to those fulfilling the following requirements:

Disability should be at least 40 per cent
Total family income should not exceed Rs. 75,000 per annum
Should have resided in Delhi for at least five years before applying
Should possess disability certificate from the medical board of a government hospital
Should not be in receipt of similar assistance from another source

Persons with disabilities above the age of 60 years are eligible for financial assistance under the Scheme of Old Age Assistance. [10] Under this scheme persons in the age range of 60 to 69 years are eligible for a monthly pension of Rs. 1000 and persons 70 years and above are eligible for a pension of Rs. 1500 per month. Beneficiaries will be automatically transferred from the disability pension scheme upon completion of 60 years to the old age pension scheme. Likewise, upon completion of 69 years, beneficiaries will be automatically eligible for the higher pension. Applicants fulfilling the following conditions may apply in the prescribed format with proof of domicile, age and income:

Should have resided in Delhi NCT for the last five years
Total family income should not exceed Rs. 60,000 per annum
Should not be in receipt of pension from any other source

All voluntary organisations working for persons with disabilities will have to register with the department to be recognised by the Social Welfare Department under the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995.[11]

The Joint Director (Social Welfare) is the competent authority for this purpose. Organisations fulfilling the following conditions are eligible to apply to the office of the District Social Welfare officer:

Should have been in the field for not less than three years
Should be already registered under the relevant law
Should have a properly constituted managing body according to its written constitution
Should be a non profit organisation
Should be able to run the organisation without funding from the government
Professionals should be RCI registered
Premises should be disability friendly and have barrier free access
Should have audited accounts for the last three years

The Department of Social Welfare organises disability camps annually in association with government hospitals, DTC, Department of Education, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, National Trust, Indian Railways and disability NGOs.[12] The following services are provided at the camps:
Disability certificate from the government hospital of the area

DTC passes
Identity card from the office of the DC
Registration in integrated school
Railways concession pass
Services for autism and cerebral palsy
Aids and Appliances
Forms to avail various schemes

Persons with disabilities are provided one per cent reservation in allotment of DDA plots.

DTC issues free passes for persons with disabilities. Escorts for persons with visual impairment are given 50 per cent concession.

Persons with disabilities who are owners of vehicles are exempted from payment of road tax.

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

[2].http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/stock/profiles/en/IND007_NCT%20of%20Delhi.pdf

[3].No. F.2 (DDHW)/DSW/PDA/Pt.I/1949 dated 27.12.2001

[4].GSR 639(E) dated 26.7.2000.

[5].http://punarbhava.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150&Itemid=89

[6].http://www.delhigovt.nic.in/dept/pubserv/Handicap.asp

[7].http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_socialwelfare/SocialWelfare/Home/Our+Services/Welfare+of+Persons+with+Disabilities/Office+for+Issuance+of+I-Card

[8].http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_socialwelfare/SocialWelfare/Home/Our+Services/Welfare+of+Persons+with+Disabilities/Hospitals+for+Issuance+of+Disability+Certificates

[9].http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_socialwelfare/SocialWelfare/Home/Our+Services/Welfare+of+Persons+with+Disabilities/Schemes

[10].http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/DOIT_SocialWelfare/socialwelfare/home/our+services/financial+assistance+welfare+scheme+details+and+notifications+etc.

[11].http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_socialwelfare/SocialWelfare/Home/Our+Services/Welfare+of+Persons+with+Disabilities/Registration+Certificate+Under+Section+52+of+Disability+Act

[12].http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_socialwelfare/SocialWelfare/Home/Our+Services/Welfare+of+Persons+with+Disabilities/Disability+Camps

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

National Resource Kit: The Madhya Pradesh Chapter (Call for Comments)

anandi — 2013-11-07T08:51:38Z

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 Madhya Pradesh.

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

Executive Summary

The Department of Social Justice is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in Madhya Pradesh. The state has an estimated population of 14,08,528[1] persons with disabilities of the total population of 72,597,565 people.[2] Madhya Pradesh has issued five notifications for Education, one notification for Skill Training and Employment, six notifications for Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation and Recreation and one notification for Accessibility.

Legal Provisions

The notifications issued by the state for persons with disabilities are listed categorically as below:

Education

1.1 The government implements a scheme that provides scholarships for eligible students with disabilities to pursue higher education abroad. [3] Students applying for scholarship under this scheme should fulfil the prescribed educational requirements, not be more than 35 years of age on the 1st January of the year of application and the total family income should not be more than Rs. 96,000 per annum. This scholarship is available to only one child per family. Application should be made on the prescribed format with all required attachments including witness form, income certificate, caste certificate, disability certificate and domicile proof.

1.2 Madhya Pradesh implements a scheme that enables students with disabilities to pursue higher education in the fields of medicine, engineering, computer science and management studies through provision of maintenance and transport allowances and scholarships.[4]

Fees of the disabled students of government universities and colleges would be directly paid by the Department. For students studying in private universities and colleges, fees equal to the government fees would be paid by the department and the balance is to be borne by the student. The students are eligible for a maintenance allowance of Rs. 1500 for a period of ten months which will be directly paid to the college. Students with disabilities are eligible to receive an amount of Rs. 500 from the Nagar Nigram Kshetra and an amount of Rs. 300 from the Nagar Palik Kshetra towards transport allowance for a period of 10 months. This amount would be directly paid to the college authorities. Applications under this scheme are to be made in the prescribed format. Applicants should fulfil the following conditions:

Should have a minimum disability of 40 per cent.
Should be natives of Madhya Pradesh and should apply to study in universities and colleges within Madhya Pradesh.
Annual income of the family should not exceed Rs. 96,000.
Should not be in receipt of tuition fees and transport allowance from any other plan.
Students belonging to SC / ST or backward categories will have to choose to receive assistance for either SC/ST and backward classes, or for disabled students.

1.3 Scholarships are awarded to eligible students with disabilities at the following rates.[5]

Category	Boys	Girls
Primary School	Rs. 25 per month	Rs. 35 per month
Higher Primary	Rs. 30 per month	Rs. 40 per month
Middle School	Rs. 110 per year (SC / ST) (rural)	Rs. 120 per month (regular)
Middle School (Scholarships)	Rs. 500 per month	Rs. 500 per month
Higher Middle School (SC / ST)	(Daily) Rs. 60 per month	(regular) Rs. 60 per month
Higher Middle School (SC / ST)	Rs. 50 per month	(scholarship) Rs.60 per month
Pre University level (General / Other Backward Classes)	(Regular) Rs. 250 per month	(Regular) Rs. 250 per month
Pre University level (General / Other Backward Classes)	(scholarship) Rs. 500 per month	(scholarship) Rs. 500 per month
Pre University level (SC/ST)	(regular) Rs. 65 per month	(regular) Rs. 65 per month
Pre University level (SC/ST)	(scholarship) Rs. 60 per month	(scholarship) Rs. 60 per month
After Graduation (General / Other Backward Classes)	(regular) Rs. 300 per month	(regular) Rs. 300 per month
After Graduation (General / Other Backward Classes)	(scholarship) Rs.525 per month	(scholarship) Rs.525 per month
After Graduation (SC / ST)	Rs. 60 per month	Rs. 60 per month

Students with disabilities belonging to SC / ST category studying in technical colleges are also eligible to apply for scholarships. In addition to the scholarship given by the SC / ST boards, the Department of Social Justice also provides scholarship to weak SC / ST students. The annual income of parents whose children apply for scholarship should not exceed Rs. 96,000.

Students with disabilities belonging to SC / ST category who score 80 per cent in Class VIII are eligible to receive grant of Rs. 2500 as encouragement to continue higher studies. Similarly, disabled students of SC / ST category who score 60 percent in Class XII are eligible to receive Rs. 3000 as encouragement to continue higher studies in local colleges. Students with visual impairment belonging to SC / ST category and pursuing higher studies will be given reader allowance as listed below.

Course	Reader Allowance
Graduation	Rs. 100
Post Graduation	Rs. 125
Technical	Rs. 150

1.4 Madhya Pradesh implements a scheme to aid opening of hostels for students with disabilities.[6] The responsibility of opening and maintaining the hostel rests with the educational institution. Hostels may be opened with a minimum of five students. Separate hostels should be established for boys and girls. In case of rented buildings, the educational institution is eligible to receive a maximum of Rs. 1500 towards rent.

Boarding facilities are available only to students of government and non government educational institutions who are in Class XI or above and have applied for scholarship post matriculation. Students applying for hostels should be domiciled in Madhya Pradesh and their total family income should not exceed Rs. 96,000 per annum.

1.5 The Higher Primary Education Board has issued an order[7] stating that extra time of 20 minutes for every hour will be provided to students with disabilities in the upper limbs and students with cerebral palsy if attempting the exam without aid of a scribe. Extra time would not be granted to the students of the above category if using the services of a scribe. Extra time of 20 minutes per hour would be granted to students with visual impairment even if services of a scribe are used.

Skill Training and Employment

2.1 The government provides financial assistance to persons with disabilities as encouragement for succeeding in the civil services examination of Madhya Pradesh.[8] Assistance will be provided in the following scale

Level	Assistance
Passing preliminary examination	Rs. 20,000
Passing main examination	Rs. 30,000
Passing final selection	Rs. 20,000

Applications have to be made to the Composite Coordinators of Social Justice of the respective districts within 30 days of declaration of results.

Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation & Recreation

3.1 The Department of Social Justice implements a scheme called Persons with Multiple Disabilities and Mental Retardation Grant 2009.[9] Persons with multiple disabilities and mental retardation who are above six years of age and receive a grant of Rs. 500 under this scheme are eligible to be covered by the Niramaya health insurance scheme being implemented by the National Trust. All beneficiaries will be insured by the district administration.

3.2 Persons with disabilities in the age range of six to 18 years with disability of not less than 40 percent and belonging to BPL families are eligible for pension of Rs. 150 per month under the Overall Social Safety Pension Scheme.[10]

3.3 The government implements a scheme to encourage marriages for persons with disabilities by providing a grant of Rs. 25,000 for marriages where either the groom or the bride is disabled. For marriages where both the bride and groom are disabled, a grant of Rs. 50,000 is provided.[11]

Individuals who are natives of Madhya Pradesh and who are non income tax payers are eligible to apply. The grant is available only for the first marriage of the disabled person. Applicants should be above 18 years of age in case of women and 21 years of age in case of men and should have a minimum disability of at least 40 per cent to be eligible.

3.4 Persons with multiple disabilities or mental retardation who are above the age of six years and whose parents / guardians are below poverty line are eligible to apply for aid from the Department of Social Justice.[12] The grant-in-aid will be directly deposited in the bank account of the applicant. Applicants should fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

Should be natives of Madhya Pradesh.
Should produce age proof stating that they are above six years of age that is issued by the town municipality, city corporations, town Panchayat or the grama Panchayat.
Should produce a disability certificate stating a minimum of 40 per cent disability
The bank account of the beneficiary should be a joint account with either parents or guardians and should be held in a nationalised bank, a co-operative bank or a regional rural bank.

3.5 The government has enhanced The aid to beneficiaries from the aided voluntary organisations to Rs. 1000 per month.[13]

3.6 The government has issued an order providing disabled employees of the state government with travel allowance of Rs. 500 per month.[14]

Accessibility

4.1 The Department of Information Technology has issued an order notifying all government departments to make their websites WCAG 2.0 compliant and use Unicode font in order to make all information accessible for persons with disabilities.[15]

[1]. http://www.pacsindia.org/hi/node/325.

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

[3]. Department of Social Justice No. 1-3-36/2008/26-2 Dated: Bhopal, 24.11.2008.

[4]. Department of Social Justice Sl. F. 3-35-2008-20-2 Dated: Bhopal, 30.12.2009.

[5]. Department of Social Justice, Sr. No. 1-3-120/2007/26-2 Dated: Bhopal, 8.02.2008.

[6]. Department of Social Justice, No. 1-3-44/2008/26-2 Dated: Bhopal, 8.09.2008.

[7]. Higher Primary Education Board, Sl. No. 7 Vidyochith/2007 Dated: Bhopal, 8.01.2007.

[8]. Department of Social Justice No. 1-3-59/2008/26-2 Dated: Bhopal, 8.08.2006.

[9]. Department of Social Justice Sr. F 1897/2012/26-2 Dated: Bhopal, 10.09.2012.

[10]. Department of Social Justice No. F 2-87/2010/26-2 Dated: Bhopal, 25.06.2013.

[11]. Department of Social Justice No. 1-3-42/2008/26-2 Dated: Bhopal, 12.06.2008.

[12]. Department of Social Justice Sr. No. 1-3-40/2008 Dated: Bhopal, 18.06.2009.

[13]. Department of Social Justice No. 3-12/2013/126-2, Sr. No. 906/2013/26-2 Dated: Bhopal, 30.04.2013.

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

National Resource Kit: The Daman & Diu Chapter (Call for Comments)

anandi — 2013-11-07T09:09:05Z

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 union territory of Daman and Diu.

Executive Summary

The Department of Social Welfare is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in Daman & Diu. The union territory has an estimated population of 3171[1] persons with disabilities of a total population of 242,911.[2] Daman & Diu implements one scholarship scheme in Education, two schemes in Skill Training and Employment and two schemes in Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation and Recreation.

Legal Provisions

The Director of Social Welfare issues photo identity cards for persons with disabilities in Daman & Diu. The various provisions for persons with disabilities are listed below:

Education

1.1 Students with disabilities are eligible for scholarships under the central scheme of Integrated Education for Disabled Children as given in the following table.

Year	Books & Stationery (Yearly)	Other Allowances (Yearly)	Uniforms (Yearly)
Class I – Class IV	Rs. 300	Rs. 100	Rs. 200
Class V – Class VIII	Rs. 350	Rs. 150	Rs. 200
Class IX – First Year UG	Rs. 850	-	-
Second Year UG – Final Year UG	Rs. 1250	-	-
Technical Education	Rs. 1700	-	-

Skill Training and Employment

2.1 The government provides three per cent reservation for persons with disabilities in Grade C and Grade D government posts in direct recruitment. Reservations are provided at one per cent for visually impaired, one per cent for hearing impaired and one per cent for locomotor disabled.

2.2 Persons with disabilities are eligible for age relaxation of up to ten years in upper age limit for applying to government positions.

2.3 Persons with disabilities are provided an assistance of up to Rs. 5000 for self employment. 25 per cent of the amount is provided as subsidy while 75 per cent of the amount is provided as interest free loan. Persons with disabilities applying for the loan should have annual income less than Rs. 6000. Assistance is provided for the following options as listed.

Business	Assistance
Cycle shop	Rs. 2500
Tailoring shop	Rs. 2500
Purchase of typewriter	Rs. 4000
Cottage industries	Rs. 3000
Setting up of kiosks / handcarts	Rs. 5000

Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation and Recreation

3.1 The government provides a disability pension of Rs. 60 per month for persons with disabilities who are above the age of 55 years.

3.2 Students with disabilities are eligible for free transportation in government and private buses. Persons with disabilities and their escorts are eligible for 50 per cent concession in transportation.

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

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

[3].http://punarbhava.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=158&Itemid=87

For more details visit http://editors.cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/daman-diu-chapter

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

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:12:33Z

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 Puducherry.

Executive Summary

The union territory of Puducherry has not passed any legislation for persons with disabilities but implements the provisions under the central laws. The benefits that are currently being offered to persons with disabilities include educational scholarships and social protection programmes that provide financial assistance, aids and appliances and subsidised fuel among others. The government currently implements around 21 schemes for persons with disabilities.

Quick Statistics

Capital: Puducherry
Population: 1,247,953
Population of Persons with Disabilities: 25,857
Literacy: 85.85%[1]
HDI: 0.748[2]
Department: Social Welfare Department

Legal Provisions

The union territory of Puducherry has not passed any special legislation for persons with disabilities but implements the provisions under the three central laws:

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

Puducherry implements various schemes for the welfare of persons with disabilities that are listed below in various categories:

Education

The government offers scholarships to eligible students with disabilities in the following categories:

Class / Standard	Amount
Class I to Class V	Rs. 250 per annum
Class VI to Class VIII	Rs. 500 per annum
IX Std to XII Std	Rs. 850 per annum
UG courses	Rs. 1250 per annum
PG courses / Professional Courses	Rs. 1700 per annum

Students with disabilities applying for the scholarships should fulfil the following conditions:

Total income of the family should not be more than Rs. 35,000 per annum
Extent of disabilities of applicants should be 40 per cent or more
Applicants should not be less than five years of age and should have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years.

Social Protection

The government offers annual state awards in recognition of persons with disabilities and services rendered to them. An award of Rs. 10,000 is offered to one outstanding employee with disability in either government or private employment or a person who is self employed. An award of Rs. 15,000 is given to an individual serving the cause of persons with disabilities. An award of Rs. 25,000 is given to an institute serving the cause of persons with disabilities. The awards are given subject to selection by a state level committee. Persons with disabilities selected for awards should have a minimum of 40 per cent disability.

Persons with disabilities who are employees of the government are covered by a group insurance scheme. In case of death of any employee with disability due to an accident while in service, the sum insured would be paid to the family of the deceased employee as follows:

Category	Sum Assured
Group A	Rs. 1, 20,000
Group B	Rs. 60,000
Group C	Rs. 30,000
Group D	Rs. 15,000

Employees of the government with 40 per cent or more disability are covered under this scheme.

Persons with disabilities who are not employees of the Puducherry government are covered under the Insurance Scheme for Persons with Disabilities other than the employees of the Government of Puducherry 2004. In case of death of the disabled person due to an accident, an amount of Rs. 25,000 is paid to the family. In case of loss of one limb or one eye, an amount of Rs. 12,500 is paid to the person. The policy covers persons with disabilities in the age group of five to 74 years with disability of 40 per cent or more and who are residents of Puducherry for not less than five years.

The government of Puducherry issues identity cards to persons with disabilities for ready reference to avail the benefits of welfare schemes. Persons with disability of not less than 40 per cent and whose total income does not exceed Rs. 35,000 per annum are eligible to apply for identity cards.

The government provides marriage grant for persons with disabilities. For marriage between a disabled person and a non disabled person, a grant of Rs. 25,000 is provided, of which Rs. 5000 is given in cash and Rs. 20,000 is given in the form of National Savings Certificate. For marriage between persons with disabilities, a grant of Rs. 50,000 is given. Of this, Rs. 20,000 is paid in cash and Rs. 30,000 is given in the form of National Savings Certificate. Persons with disabilities applying for this grant should fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

Total income should not exceed Rs. 35,000 per annum
Should be above the age of 18 years (in case of women) and 21 years (in case of men).
Extent of disability should be 40 per cent or above
Should be the first marriage of the applicant
Marriage should be registered with the registrar
Should be a resident of the union territory of Puducherry
Application for the grant should be made within 120 days of the marriage

The government of Puducherry implements a scheme to provide subsidy on fuel to persons with disabilities who own motorised vehicles. The scheme provides 50 per cent subsidy on fuel to a maximum of 25 litres per month. Applicants who fulfil the following eligibility criteria are eligible to apply:

Total income should not exceed Rs. 35,000 per annum
Extent of disability should be 40 per cent or more
Applicant should have resided in Puducherry for more than five years
The vehicle should be registered in the name of the applicant
Applicant should have a valid driver’s licence

The government of Puducherry grants financial assistance to persons with disabilities. Persons whose extent of disabilities are between 40 percent and 65 per cent are eligible for a grant of Rs. 1100 per month, those with disabilities between 66 per cent and 85 per cent are eligible for a grant of Rs. 1400 per month and persons with more than 86 per cent disabilities are eligible for a grant of Rs. 1750 per month. Persons applying for financial assistance should not have income exceeding Rs. 35,000 per annum and should have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years. Extent of disabilities for visually impaired, orthopedically disabled and hearing and speech impaired should be 40 per cent or more and those with mental disabilities should have an IQ less than 69 to be eligible to apply.

The government offers reimbursement for maintenance of tricycles for persons with disabilities. A grant of Rs. 200 per annum is offered to persons who fulfil the following criteria:

Extent of disability should be 40 per cent or more
Applicant should have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years
Tricycle should have been supplied by the Department or NGO free of cost
Applicant should produce the bill for repair charges issued in their name

The government supplies motorised tricycles free of cost to persons with locomotor disability affecting the lower limbs. The disability should be not less than 65 per cent. Total annual income of the applicant’s family should not exceed Rs. 35,000. Applicant should have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years. The applicant should be certified by the concerned medical authority that he or she is able to operate the motorised vehicle. The applicant should not be in receipt of transport allowance for conveyance from the department or any other source. The applicant should be in gainful employment or be pursuing higher studies.

Persons with disabilities are provided aids and appliances such as callipers, crutches, tricycles, hearing aids, spectacles and low vision aids by the government upon the advice of the specialists concerned attached to government general hospitals at Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. Persons applying for these appliances should have an income not exceeding Rs. 24,000 per annum, should have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years and the extent of their disability should be 40 per cent or more.

The government provides free bus passes to persons with disabilities for travelling within the union territory. Persons with at least 40 per cent disabilities, who are residents of Puducherry for not less than five years and whose annual income does not exceed Rs. 35,000 are eligible to apply for the free bus passes.

Persons with disabilities are eligible to receive Rs. 100 per month through Anganwadi centres towards transport allowance. Persons applying for the allowance should fulfil the following eligibility criteria:

Total income should not exceed Rs. 35,000 per annum
Should be above five years of age
Extent of disability should be 40 per cent or more
Should not have any formal educational qualification
Should have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years

If the applicant is in possession of free bus pass, he or she should surrender the same to the Directorate of Social Welfare. Applicant should also declare in the application form whether he or she would prefer to avail the transport allowance or the free bus pass.

Organisations working for the welfare of persons with disabilities are eligible to received musical and sports equipment from the government. Organisations must be registered to be eligible for this scheme.

Persons with visual impairment are eligible to receive a radio from the government. Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Income should not exceed Rs. 35,000 per annum
Extent of disability should be 40 per cent or more
Should have been a resident of Puducherry for not less than five years

Persons with disabilities are provided sarees and dhotis during Deepavali and other regional festivals. Persons wishing to benefit from the scheme should have at least 40 per cent disability, should have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years and should have registered themselves with the local Anganwadi centres.

The government of Puducherry conducts a free annual tour for persons with disabilities to places of interest. Participants are selected for the tour conditionally upon meeting the following eligibility criteria:

Should be in the age group of 18 to 50 years
Extent of disability should be 40 per cent or more
Should not be a government employee or child of a government employee
Income should not exceed Rs. 35,000 per annum
Should not have attended the tour in the past ten years
Should not suffer from any contagious diseases
Should have registered their names in the local Anganwadi centres

The government of Puducherry celebrates the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on the 3rd of December every year with activities and games.

Puducherry implements the Perunthalaivar Karmaveerar Kamaraj scheme towards funeral expenses of persons with disabilities. A grant of Rs. 2000 is given for the funeral expenses of persons with at least 40 per cent disability who have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years and whose income was less than Rs. 35,000 per annum. The grant is paid to the family member under whose care the deceased person was living at the time of his or her death.

Miscellaneous

Puducherry offers cash incentive to eye donors to encourage eye donation. An incentive of Rs. 10,000 is awarded to a close relative of the donor. Donors should be 18 years of age or older to be eligible. Donors should have resided in Puducherry for not less than five years. The incentive can be claimed by a close relative only after the transplantation is completed. The incentive can be claimed only upto 90 days after the transplantation.

[1]. http://www.census2011.co.in/census/state/puducherry.html

[2].http://indiatext.net/states-of-india/

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

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

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:14:58Z

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 Maharashtra.

Executive Summary

The state of Maharashtra is in the process of finalising the Maharashtra State Policy for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. The draft is currently under discussion by the government and civil society organisations. The government of Maharashtra has issued notifications on providing assistive technologies to disabled employees in government and semi-government services.

State Profile

Capital: Mumbai
Population: 112,372,972
Population of Persons with Disabilities: 15,69,582 (2001 Census)
Literacy: 82.9%
HDI: 0.689 Rank: 12th (2005)[1]
Department: Department of Social Justice and Empowerment

Legal Provisions
The state of Maharashtra is in the process of putting together a state policy for persons with disabilities to implement the provisions in the three central laws. The draft of this document is presently being deliberated by the government and civil bodies for persons with disabilities.

The government has passed a few notifications for persons with disabilities. These are listed below:

Accessibility
The government of Maharashtra has published a list of supportive devices and assistive technologies that are required by blind and visually impaired employees in government and semi-government services to fulfil their duties. The order provides that the existing disabled employees as well as those who are to be appointed will have to be provided with these devices according to their needs.[2]

The government of Maharashtra has issued a notification to the effect that all employees with disabilities who are appointed to government and semi-government services will be provided with devices with assistive technology that enable them to carry out their designated tasks. The order provides that each disabled employee is eligible to purchase two devices worth a maximum of Rs. 50,000 per head and the charges borne by the employee for the purchase of the devices are to be reimbursed by the government within 15 days of the claim. The order further states that for devices worth more than Rs. 50,000 the department is responsible for purchasing the devices for the use of the employees.[3]

Education
The University of Mumbai has issued a circular approving the use of scribe and providing extra time to students with disabilities such as blindness, low vision and physical disability, and those suffering from conditions like dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia or equivalent conditions. The circular further provides that the principals of colleges and heads of institutes will be responsible for assisting the students in locating scribes and providing permission letters.[4]

[1]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtra

[2]. Social Justice and Special Support Department Government Decision Date: Court Order- 2011/C.No-4/Amendment – 3 Dated: 3rd June 2011

[3]. Social Justice and Special Services Department Government Circular No. Court Order – 2011/C No – 4/Amend Dated: 20th August 2011

[4]. No. Exam/COE/Benefit/102 of 2012 31st March, 2012

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

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

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:15:11Z

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 Uttarakhand.

Executive Summary

Uttarakhand is yet to enact any specific legislation for persons with disabilities. The state currently implements certain social security schemes and provides scholarships for students with disabilities.

State Profile

Capital: Dehradun
Population: 10,116,752
Population of Persons with Disabilities: 1, 94, 769 (2001 Census)
Literacy: 79.63%
HDI: 0.515 Rank: 7th[1]
Department: Social Welfare Department
Directorate: Directorate of Social Welfare

Legal Provisions
The government of Uttarakhand has not enacted any legislation specifically for persons with disabilities. The state has implemented some social protection initiatives and schemes for education. These are listed categorically as below:

Education
Students with disabilities or students whose guardians are persons with disabilities and whose monthly income does not exceed Rs. 2000 are eligible to receive scholarships.

Scholarships are provided from class 1 to post-graduate level education as per the below mentioned rates and standards:

Category	Standard for Scholarship			Period (Maximum)
Handicapped Student	Class	Rate Per Month	Limit of Income of Parents
	1 - 5	Rs. 50/-	Maximum Rs.2000/- per month	12 months
	6 - 8	Rs. 80/-	Maximum Rs.2000/- per month	12 months
	9 - 10	Rs. 170/-	Maximum Rs.2000/- per month	12 months
Standard for Scholarship	Rate Per Month		Limit of Annual Income of Parents	Period (Maximum)
	Hosteller	Day Scholar	Maximum upto Rs.24,000/- per year	From the date of admission to the month of examination of the last year. (If the admission is taken after the 20th day of the month than the scholarship will be applicable from following month).
Inter	Rs.140/-	Rs. 85/-
Graduation	Rs.180/-	Rs. 125/-
Post Graduation and other Vocational Course	Rs.240/-	Rs.170/-

Social Protection
The government of Uttarakhand provides a maintenance grant to destitute persons with disabilities at the rate of Rs. 600 per month. Disabled persons eligible for this pension should either belong to the BPL category or persons whose monthly income does not exceed Rs. 1000. Persons with disabilities in the age group of 18 to 65 years with 80 per cent or more disability or who have multiple disabilities and are below the poverty line are eligible to receive a grant of Rs. 400 from the state government and Rs. 200 from the Government of India under the National Disability Pension Scheme. Persons with disabilities who are leprosy cured are eligible for a grant of Rs. 1000 per month. Persons with disabilities applying for the grant should at least have 40 per cent of disability as certified by the concerned Chief Medical Officer. He / she should not have any other source of income. Those applicants whose sons / grandsons are below 20 years of age and who live below the poverty line are eligible to apply for the grant.

The government has brought out a scheme that honours employees for achievements with state level awards for the best employee in case of employees with disabilities and persons with disabilities who are self employed. Other categories include best employer and placement officers. The government provides a cash award of Rs. 500 along with a letter of appreciation by the Department of Social Welfare.

The state provides marriage grants for persons with disabilities provided that the couple are citizens of India and are domiciled in Uttarakhand or have been residing in the state for five or more years and provided that neither the bride nor the groom have been convicted in any criminal case. Rs. 11,000 is given as a grant when the bridegroom is disabled and a grant of Rs. 14,000 is given in cases where either the bride or both bride and groom are disabled.

The government of Uttarakhand has introduced a shop construction rehabilitation scheme wherein those persons with disabilities who have their own land will be provided a loan of Rs. 20,000 to set up their shop. The government provides Rs. 15,000 as loan at an interest of four per cent and the remaining Rs. 5000 is given as a grant.

Persons with disabilities are eligible to travel free of cost on buses belonging to the State Road Transport Corporation.

The Department of Social Welfare provides a maximum grant of Rs. 3500 to persons with disabilities for the purchase of artificial organ and hearing aid equipment. Persons with disabilities applying for this grant should not have a monthly income of more than 1000

Under the central ADIP scheme, persons with disabilities are provided grants to acquire artificial organs, aids and appliances through the implementing agencies / institutions. These are:

Narayan Sewa Sansthan Trust, Sewadham Sewanagar, Hiran Magari, Sector-4, Udaipur – 313040 – Rajasthan
Bajaj Institute of Learning, 155, Rajpur Road, Dehradun
National Institute for the Blind, 116, Rajpur Road, Dehradun.

The state government conducts camps and seminars for persons with disabilities to sanction their pensions. These camps are conducted near their village panchayats or judicial panchayats for the convenience of persons with disabilities.

[1].https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttarakhand

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

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

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:14:03Z

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 Punjab.

Executive Summary

Punjab has not enacted any specific law or state policy for persons with disabilities in the state. The Social Security and Women and Child Development Department, which is primarily responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities within the state, has implemented several schemes for the benefit of persons with disabilities. There are eight schemes in education, seven schemes in employment and four schemes in social protection.

State Profile

Capital: Chandigarh
Population: 27,704,236
Population of Persons with Disabilities: 4,24,523 (2001 Census)
Literacy: 76.68%
HDI: 0.679 Rank: 9^th (2005)[1]
Department: Social Security and Women and Child Development Department

Legal Provisions
The government of Punjab has not enacted any law for persons with disabilities nor has any state policy been introduced or implemented for persons with disabilities. However, the department that is primarily responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in Punjab has been implementing several schemes for the persons with disabilities. These schemes have been listed below as:

Education
Students with visual impairment are allowed The government provides three per cent reservation for persons with disabilities in different courses in all the universities in Punjab.

Students with visual impairment are allowed the use of a scribe while appearing for their examinations. The government provides students with visual impairment a sum of Rs. 50 per month as allowance for their helper.

The government provides a scholarship of Rs. 200 per month for students with disabilities up to class VIII and Rs. 300 per month scholarship for disabled students from class IX onwards. In addition to the above scholarship, girls with disabilities and disabled rural learners up to class X are provided an attendance scholarship of Rs. 1500 every year along with a scholarship of Rs. 1000 per year towards uniform and stationery. The government has a provision to award a scholarship of Rs. 1500 per year towards clothes and Rs. 1500 per year towards stationery for girls with disabilities studying in class XI and above.

The Punjab School Education Board has exempted students with visual impairment and students with hearing impaired from appearing for the middle standard Examinations.

Students with disabilities are exempted from appearing for practical examinations. They are graded based on their performance in the written examination.

The government of Punjab provides free books to students with visual impairment upto the age of 18 years.

Students with visual impairment are permitted to select two optional subjects in place of science and mathematics. These include additional languages, music and musical instruments.

Employment
The government of Punjab provides three per cent reservation for direct recruitment of persons with disabilities in all the state departments, boards and corporations. The government further provides three per cent reservation in the promotion of employees with disabilities in groups A, B, C and D. The three per cent reservation is split up as one per cent for visually impaired, one per cent for hearing impaired and one per cent for physically disabled.

The state government has opened an employment office for providing employment opportunities to persons with disabilities at SCO no. 118-119, Sector 22, Chandigarh.

The government of Punjab provides three per cent reservation for direct recruitment of persons with disabilities in all the state departments, boards and corporations. The government further provides three per cent reservation in the promotion of employees with disabilities in groups A, B, C and D. The three per cent reservation is split up as one per cent for visually impaired, one per cent for hearing impaired and one per cent for physically disabled.

The state government has opened an employment office for providing employment opportunities to persons with disabilities at SCO no. 118-119, Sector 22, Chandigarh.

Punjab provides persons with disabilities an age relaxation of ten years in fixed age limit during the recruitment process. The government has also extended the service period for persons with disabilities by extending their retirement age to 60 years from the regular 58 years.

Persons with disabilities who are unable to type are exempted by the government from taking the typing examination during the tests for recruitment of clerks.

Persons with disabilities who are employees of the state government are provided a conveyance allowance of Rs. 450 per month in addition to their salaries.

The National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation, Faridabad provides loans at low interest rates for persons with disabilities to start their own business ventures. The state government has declared the Scheduled Caste and Finance Corporation the state channelizing agency.

The department runs the Government Workshop for the Physically Disabled at Ludhiana to impart training to persons with disabilities in occupations such as weaving, hosiery, caning, candle making etc. Trainees enrolled for the courses are eligible to receive a scholarship of Rs. 300 per month.

Health & Rehabilitation
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (Government of India) has established the Regional Spine Injuries Centre at Sector 70 SAS Nagar, Mohali. Spinal operations for the patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir are done at this centre.

Social Protection
The government provides a disability pension of Rs. 250 per month to persons with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities who are unemployed and have registered themselves with the employment exchange are provided with unemployment allowance based on their disability and educational qualification.

Category	Matric / Under graduate	Graduate / Post Graduate
Visually impaired / Hearing impaired	Rs. 450 p.m.	Rs. 600 p.m.
Physically disabled	Rs. 225 p.m.	Rs. 300 p.m.

The state government has made provisions to award employees with disabilities for outstanding achievement at the workplace. The state government also recognises outstanding employers, institutions for the disabled, social workers and other players for their contribution through cash awards.

Persons with disabilities who are visually impaired or physically disabled are eligible for free transport on state transport buses – Punjab Roadways and PRTC.

[1]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab,_India

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

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

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:14:29Z

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 Odisha.

Executive Summary

Odisha has the highest percentage (2.78%) of persons with disabilities in the country. The state has framed the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Amended Odisha Rules 2012 to implement the provisions under the central Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995. The state has issued two notifications in education, one notification in employment and one notification for health and rehabilitation.

State Profile

Capital: Bhubaneswar
Population: 41,947,358[1]
Population of Persons with disabilities: 10, 50,000 (2.78%)[2]. (Census 2001)
HDI: 0.452 Rank: 27th
Literacy: 73.45%
Department: Women and Child Development Department
Directorate: Directorate for Welfare of Persons with Disabilities

Legal Provisions

The state of Odisha has framed the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Amended Odisha Rules 2012 to implement the provisions under the central Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995 (Persons with Disabilities Act).[3] These rules have been issued as an amendment to the previous Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Odisha Rules 2003.

The government of Odisha has formed the Directorate for Welfare of Persons with Disabilities under the Women and Child Development Department to cater to the requirements of persons with disabilities in the state.[4] The government has appointed the Collectors of each district as Deputy Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities for their respective district to assist the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in discharging their functions.[5]

The state in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) (i) and (2) (h) of Section 13 of the persons with Disabilities Act, appointed the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) and Chairperson, Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights as members of the State Co-ordination Committee as constituted in the Department Notification No. 708-WCD, dated the 8th January 2003.[6]

The various provisions by the state of Odisha for the persons with disabilities are listed categorically as under:

Education
The government of Odisha has framed the guidelines for establishment, recognition and grant-in-aid to institutions imparting education to children with disabilities to fulfil the mandates under the Persons with Disabilities Act, National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act 1998 and the Right of Education Act, 2009. [7]

Odisha offers an integrated scholarship scheme for students with disabilities titled ‘Banishree – A Scholarship for Students with Special Needs’.[8] The scheme is open to students to continue their education from Class I to university education. Students from middle school and upwards (Class V and upwards) are eligible to apply under this scheme only if they do not receive any scholarship from the Government of India. Students from special schools registered under the Persons with Disabilities Act are eligible to apply provided that they are not in receipt of any grant-in-aid from the central or state government. Students with disabilities pursuing distance education through recognised universities and government organisation, or those pursuing professional, technical or professional courses in any of the recognised institutes are eligible to apply.

Applicants must fulfill the following eligibility criteria:
Should be bonafide resident of Odisha
Should be a regular student of the educational institution
Total income of the applicant’s family should not be more than Rs. 60,000 per annum.
Should not be in receipt of any assistance, stipend or scholarship from the central or state governments under any other scheme.
Should enrol and regularly attend any institution irrespective of whether the applicant has passed the examination or not in a particular year.

The rates of the scholarship offered under the scheme are given as below:

Within the state:

Class I – Class V: Rs. 100 per month
Class VI – Class XI: Rs. 140 per month
Class +2 and Class +3: Rs. 160 per month
University – Post Graduation: Rs. 190 per month
Technical and Vocational: Rs. 190 per month

Outside the state:

Students prosecuting normal course of study or technical/ vocational / professional education/training not available in the State and not covered by Govt. of India Scholarship are given a scholarship of Rs. 250 per month.

Reader allowance for students with visual impairment:

Primary school: Rs. 100 per month
Middle and High School: Rs. 150 per month
Other studies: Rs. 200 per month

Students with orthopaedic disabilities who have 75 per cent or more disability are eligible for a special transport allowance of Rs. 100 per month.

Employment

The government has made provisions to extend the benefits of the Odisha Revised Pay Rule 2008 to the teaching staff of the special schools for persons with disabilities.[9]

Health & Rehabilitation

The District Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) Bhubaneswar has been renamed as the State Institute of Disability Rehabilitation Bhubaneswar and will function as the nodal centre for disability rehabilitation in the state and will be under the control of the Directorate for Welfare of Persons with Disabilities.[10]

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

[2]. http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=39515

[3]. Women & Child Development Department, No. 1814 Cuttack Saturday September 22 2012/ Bhadra 31 1934, S.R.O No. 518/2012 Dated: 22 June 2012

[4]. Women & Child Development Department, No. 1881 Cuttack Friday, September 28th 2012/ Aswina 6 1934, No. 16140-DW-II-68/2012-WCD Dated: 15th September 2012

[5]. Women & Child Development Department, No. 1588 Cuttack Wednesday July 13 2011/ Asadha 22 1933, S.R.O. No. 537/ 2011 Dated: 30th June 2011

[6]. Women & Child Development Department, No. 982 Cuttack Thursday May17th 2012/ Baisakha 27 1934, No. 7871-DW-II-E-90/2010-WCD Dated: 4th May 2012

[7]. Women & Child Development Department, No. 112 Cuttack Monday, January 14th 20 13/ Pausa 24D 1934, No. 532/2013-WCD

[8]. Women & Child Development Department, No. 1426 Cuttack Friday July 25 2008/ Sravana 3 1930, No. 15776-HW-2-23/2008-WCD

[9]. Women & Child Development Department, No. 2189 Cuttack, Friday September 23 2011/ Aswina 1 1933 No. 15084-DW-I-(A)-40/2011-WCD

[10]. Women & Child Development Department, No. 1290 Cuttack Thursday June 2 2011/ Jaistha 12 1933, No. 10080-DW-H-E-412011-WCD

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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

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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)

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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)

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