16 December 2016 was a momentous day for us! The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016, which had been pending for more than two years, was finally passed in the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha had passed the bill on 14 December 2016.

The bill will replace the PwD Act, 1995 which was enacted 21 years ago. It increases the number of recognized disabilities from 7 to 21, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Intellectual Disability and Specific Learning Disabilities among many others. It also increases the reservation for differently-abled persons in vacancies in government establishments from 3% to 4%.

We are extremely excited about the new act taking shape. We will keep you updated about any new developments!