The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 is an important legislation that aims to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities in India. Some of the results and improvements, and shortcomings of the act include:
Results:
Increased awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities
Improved accessibility in public spaces
Greater participation of persons with disabilities in education and employment
Increased opportunities for persons with disabilities in sports and cultural activities
Improvements:
The act recognizes a broader range of disabilities and provides for a more inclusive definition of disability.
The act mandates the creation of a National and State Fund for Persons with Disabilities to provide financial support to people with disabilities.
The act provides penalties for non-compliance with accessibility norms.
Shortcomings:
The implementation of the act has been slow, and many of its provisions have yet to be fully implemented.
There is a lack of awareness and sensitization among the public and policymakers about the rights and needs of persons with disabilities.
The act does not provide specific provisions for certain groups, such as persons with psychosocial disabilities and persons with intellectual disabilities.
References:
Ali, A. (2020, April 20). Three years on, the implementation of the RPWD Act remains an issue. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-years-implementation-rpwd-act-remains-issue-arman-ali
Hamid, Z. (2019, October 17). Difficult to obtain certificates, say persons with disabilities. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/difficult-to-obtain-certificates-say-persons-with-disabilities/article29719796.ece
Math, S. B., Gowda, G. S., Basavaraju, V., Manjunatha, N., Kumar, C. N., Philip, S., & Gowda, M. (2019). The Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016: Challenges and opportunities. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(Suppl 4), S809-S815.
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