DISABILITY AND

REHABILITATION SERVICES
IN INDIA: ISSUES AND
CHALLENGES
 ABSTRACT
 Disability is an important health problem especially in developing
countries like India. The problem will increase in future because of in
trend of non-communicable disease and change in age structure with an
increase in life expectancy.
 The issues are different in developed and developing countries and
rehabilitation measures should be targeted according to needs of
disabled with community participation. In India a majority of disabled
resides in rural areas where accessibility, availability and utilization of
rehabilitation services and its cost effectiveness are the major issues to
be considered.
 Research or disability burden, appropriate intervention strategies and
their implementation to the present context in India is a big challenge.
 The paper discusses various issues and challenges related to disability
and rehabilitation services in India and emphasize to strengthen health
care and services delivery to disabled in community.
 INTRODUCTION

• Disabilities are an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and

participation restrictions.
• Disability is thus not just a health problem.
• It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a
person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.
•Disability is an impairment that may be cognitive, development, intellectual,
mental, physical, sensory, or some combination of these. It substantially affects a
person’s life activities and may be present from birth or occur during a person’s
lifetime.
• Any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in a manner or within the
range considered normal for human beings, resulting from impairment is termed
as disability.
• Impairment concerns the physical aspects of health; disability is loss of
functional capacity resulting from an impairment organ; handicap is a measure
of social and cultural consequences of an impairment and disability.
•The types of disability include loco-motor, hearing, speech, visual and mental
disability.
REHABILITATION ACT OF1973
•The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was enacted with the purpose of protecting individuals
with disabilities from prejudicial treatment by government funded programs, employers,
and agencies.
•There are many sections within The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that contains detailed
information about what is covered in this policy.
Section
501
An employer must hire an individual who meets the qualifications of a job description despite
any preexisting disabilities.
Section
503
Requires contractors or subcontractors, who receive more than $10,000 from the government
to hire people with disabilities and to accommodate them with the needs that they need to
achieve in the work force.
Section
504
States that receive federal money may not discriminate against any person with disabilities who
qualifies for a program or job.
 MEASURES
The measures are initiated by Ministry of Empowerment and Health
and Family Welfare in India.
It includes:-

Four Regional Rehabilitation

Training Centers (RRTC)
have been functioning
under the DRCs scheme at
Mumbai, Chennai, Cuttack District Rehabilitation
and Lucknow since 1985. Center (DRC) Project
started in 1985
National Information
Center on Disability and National
Rehabilitation council for
.. National Level Institutes Handicapped
—NIMH, NIHH, NIVH,
NIOH, IPH Welfare
 CHALLENGES
Understanding the
concept of disability
and acceptance of
One of the biggest CBR as a valid
challenges is providing intervention.
rehabilitation services to
the unreached persons
with disabilities living in
rural areas and small
towns.

The services should cover

all types of disabled who
need rehabilitation
services and it should be
part of mainstream
development in the
community

Poor planning and

management of CBR
with lack of intersectoral
coordination leads to
poor functioning of the
services to disabled.

Hospital-based
rehabilitation services will
lead to mystification of
knowledge with social
isolation and low efficiency
of services which will
benefit fewer disabled.
 programs and services
Invest in specific

for people with

disabilities. RECOMMENDATIONS
Advocacy for mainstreaming the
systems and services. It requires
commitment across all sectors and
built into n ew and existing
legislation, standards, policies,
strategies, and plans.

Focus on educating
disabled children as
close to the main
stream as possible.

understanding of
awareness and
Increase public
recruitment.

disability.
effective education, training, and
capacity can be improved through
managers. Human resource
providers and program
Capacity building of health care
 REFERENCES
1. http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih..gov/pmc/
articles/PMC3893941
2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/dis
ability
3. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/
4. Disability, Human Rights and
Contemporary Genetics- eLS-Scully-
Wiley Online Library