1. Short title and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Act, 2016.
(2) It shall come into force on such 1
date as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “appellate authority” means an authority notified under sub-section (3) of section 14 or
sub-section (1) of section 53 or designated under sub-section (1) of section 59, as the case may be;
(b) “appropriate Government” means,—
(i) in relation to the Central Government or any establishment wholly or substantially
financed by that Government, or a Cantonment Board constituted under the Cantonments Act,
2006 (41 of 2006), the Central Government;
(ii) in relation to a State Government or any establishment, wholly or substantially financed
by that Government, or any local authority, other than a Cantonment Board, the State
Government.
(c) “barrier” means any factor including communicational, cultural, economic, environmental,
institutional, political, social, attitudinal or structural factors which hampers the full and effective
participation of persons with disabilities in society;
1. 19th April, 2017, vide notification no. S.O. 1215 (E) dated 19th April, 2017, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II,
Section 3 (ii).
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(d) “care-giver” means any person including parents and other family Members who with or
without payment provides care, support or assistance to a person with disability;
(e) “certifying authority” means an authority designated under sub-section (1) of section 57;
(f) “communication” includes means and formats of communication, languages, display of text,
Braille, tactile communication, signs, large print, accessible multimedia, written, audio, video, visual
displays, sign language, plain-language, human-reader, augmentative and alternative modes and
accessible information and communication technology;
(g) “competent authority” means an authority appointed under section 49;
(h) “discrimination” in relation to disability, means any distinction, exclusion, restriction on the
basis of disability which is the purpose or effect of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment
or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the
political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field and includes all forms of discrimination
and denial of reasonable accommodation;
(i) “establishment” includes a Government establishment and private establishment;
(j) “Fund” means the National Fund constituted under section 86;
(k) “Government establishment” means a corporation established by or under a Central Act or
State Act or an authority or a body owned or controlled or aided by the Government or a local
authority or a Government company as defined in section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013)
and includes a Department of the Government;
(l) “high support” means an intensive support, physical, psychological and otherwise, which may
be required by a person with benchmark disability for daily activities, to take independent and
informed decision to access facilities and participating in all areas of life including education,
employment, family and community life and treatment and therapy;
(m) “inclusive education” means a system of education wherein students with and without
disability learn together and the system of teaching and learning is suitably adapted to meet the
learning needs of different types of students with disabilities;
(n) “information and communication technology” includes all services and innovations relating to
information and communication, including telecom services, web based services, electronic and print
services, digital and virtual services;
(o) “institution” means an institution for the reception, care, protection, education, training,
rehabilitation and any other activities for persons with disabilities;
(p) “local authority” means a Municipality or a Panchayat, as defined in clause (e) and clause (f)
of article 243P of the Constitution; a Cantonment Board constituted under the Cantonments Act, 2006
(41 of 2006); and any other authority established under an Act of Parliament or a State Legislature to
administer the civic affairs;
(q) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette and the expression
“notify” or “notified” shall be construed accordingly;
(r) “person with benchmark disability” means a person with not less than forty per cent. of a
specified disability where specified disability has not been defined in measurable terms and includes a
person with disability where specified disability has been defined in measurable terms, as certified by
the certifying authority;
(s) “person with disability” means a person with long term physical, mental, intellectual or
sensory impairment which, in interaction with barriers, hinders his full and effective participation in
society equally with others;
(t) “person with disability having high support needs” means a person with benchmark disability
certified under clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 58 who needs high support;
(u) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
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(v) “private establishment” means a company, firm, cooperative or other society, associations,
trust, agency, institution, organisation, union, factory or such other establishment as the appropriate
Government may, by notification, specify;
(w) “public building” means a Government or private building, used or accessed by the public at
large, including a building used for educational or vocational purposes, workplace, commercial
activities, public utilities, religious, cultural, leisure or recreational activities, medical or health
services, law enforcement agencies, reformatories or judicial foras, railway stations or platforms,
roadways bus stands or terminus, airports or waterways;
(x) “public facilities and services” includes all forms of delivery of services to the public at large,
including housing, educational and vocational trainings, employment and career advancement,
shopping or marketing, religious, cultural, leisure or recreational, medical, health and rehabilitation,
banking, finance and insurance, communication, postal and information, access to justice, public
utilities, transportation;
(y) “reasonable accommodation” means necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments,
without imposing a disproportionate or undue burden in a particular case, to ensure to persons with
disabilities the enjoyment or exercise of rights equally with others;
(z) “registered organisation” means an association of persons with disabilities or a disabled
person organisation, association of parents of persons with disabilities, association of persons with
disabilities and family members, or a voluntary or non-governmental or charitable organisation or
trust, society, or non-profit company working for the welfare of the persons with disabilities, duly
registered under an Act of Parliament or a State Legislature;
(za) “rehabilitation” refers to a process aimed at enabling persons with disabilities to attain and
maintain optimal, physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological environmental or social function
levels;
(zb) “Special Employment Exchange” means any office or place established and maintained by
the Government for the collection and furnishing of information, either by keeping of registers or
otherwise, regarding—
(i) persons who seek to engage employees from amongst the persons with disabilities;
(ii) persons with benchmark disability who seek employment;
(iii) vacancies to which persons with benchmark disabilities seeking employment may be
appointed;
(zc) “specified disability” means the disabilities as specified in the Schedule;
(zd) “transportation systems” includes road transport, rail transport, air transport, water transport,
para transit systems for the last mile connectivity, road and street infrastructure, etc;
(ze) “universal design” means the design of products, environments, programmes and services to
be usable by all people to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised
design and shall apply to assistive devices including advanced technologies for particular group of
persons with disabilities.