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National Resource Kit: The Andhra Chapter (Revised)

anandi — 2014-02-12T05:21:41Z

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 Andhra Pradesh.

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

The Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in Andhra Pradesh. The state has an estimated population of 13,64,981[1] persons with disabilities of the total population of 84,655,533[2] people. The state has issued three notifications under General Entitlements, one notification under Women & Children with Disabilities, four notifications under Education, ten notifications under Skill Development and Employment, ten notifications under Social Security, Health &Rehabilitation and Recreation, three notifications under Accessibility and has identified and notified medical boards for disability certification.

1. General Entitlements

1.1 Persons with disabilities with 40% or more disability may apply for the benefits under the schemes implemented by government / NGOs.
1.2 Dwarf persons are included in the category of locomotor disabled.
1.3 AP Tax on Professions, Trades, Callings and Employments Act 1987 exempts persons with disabilities from payment of professional tax.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 27, dated: 09.08.2000	People with at least 40% disability may apply for Govt / NGOs schemes
2	Revenue Department	G.O.MS.No. 1063 Dated: 02.08.2007	Exemption from professional tax

2. Women & Children with Disabilities

2.1 Girls with 80% or more disability are eligible for benefits under GCPS.[3]

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	Memo No. 7861/JJ/A1/2004, Dated 11.06.2008	Girls with 80% or more disability eligible for GCPS Annual family income not more than Rs. 1,00,000 Single child / both children girls conditions are not applicable Girls with one / two brothers also eligible

3. Education

3.1 Post matric scholarship / fee reimbursements provided to disabled students in govt / university colleges / institutions and Category A convenor quota students in private colleges.

3.2 Exemption from 2nd and 3rd languages to students with hearing impairment at SSC level.

3.3 Concessions in evaluation, scribe, language exemption and extra time provided to students appearing for Class 7 and Class 10 public examination.

3.4 Disabled students whose annual family income does not exceed Rs. 1,00,000 are eligible to apply for scholarships / fee reimbursements.

S.No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 21 Dated: 3.07.2008	Post matric Scholarship & fee reimbursement for govt / university colleges / institutions All eligible applicants entitled for reimbursement Fees directly reimbursed to institutions No fees to be collected during admission
2	Education (Exams) Department	G.O.Rt.No.1161 Edn. Dated:24.06.1992	Exemption from 2nd & 3rd language for hearing impaired students at SSC level Divisions awarded based on performance in other papers
3	Education (Exams) Department	G.O.Ms.No. 33 Dated: 19.03.2001	Concessions to students appearing for Class 7 and Class 10 exams Minimum marks required for passing is 20 Jumbling system for evaluation abolished and only trained teachers engaged Scribe provided to visually impaired students is of Class 10 Exemption from 2nd and 3rd languages and fees is applicable to all disabled students Half hour extra time during exams provided to all disabled students from classes 7th to 10th
4	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 9 Dated: 10.4.2008	Scholarship for students with annual family income not exceeding Rs. 1,00,000 Books / instruments – ITI / Polytechnic students Musical instruments – Professional music students Scholarships – Students with mental disabilities & research scholars Typewriting / Short hand / Examination coaching – Professional examinations

4. Skill Development & Employment

4.1 Reservation of 3% in all state government positions for persons with disabilities. Preference given for those with higher degree of disability.

4.2 Reservation for identified posts will be carried forward for three consecutive years for recruitment of suitable candidate. If candidate with right disability for the reserved post is not identified, the post will be filled by interchanging among the three categories. Disabled women given 33% reservation within the 3%reservation on a rotational basis between the three categories.

4.3 3% reservation for promotion of persons with disabilities applicable to all the services of the state government with cadre strength more than five. Candidates must be fully qualified and eligible under existing rules and guidelines.

4.4 Persons with disabilities are allowed age relaxation of ten years on upper age limit for recruitment to government employment and exempted from the application fee for applying to the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission.

4.5 The rural development scheme with standard schedule rates for persons with disabilities employed for wages in rural development provides that wage rates for persons with disabilities would be operated at 30 per cent extra over the rural standard schedule rates on items of labour component only.

4.6 Persons with disabilities are given three per cent reservation in the allotment of fair price shops.

4.7 Three per cent of the shops and stalls constructed by the municipality will be leased to persons with disabilities for a payment of Rs. 2.50 per square feet or 50 per cent of the rent being paid by the neighbouring shop considering whichever is lower without the regular channel of public auction.

4.8 Persons with visual impairment who completed SSC / higher education directly without qualifying Class 7 are eligible for posts of attender / Group 4 posts in the Andhra Pradesh Last Grade Services.

4.9 Persons with disabilities who completed graduation / post graduation directly without completing Intermediate are eligible to apply for Group 4 posts in AP Ministerial Services / other services except at the office of the Head of Department where Intermediate is prescribed as minimum qualification.

4.10 Persons with disabilities given three per cent reservation in all coaching / training facilities and programmes of welfare departments for attempting competitive examinations.

S.No.	Issuing Authority	Notification Number	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS. NO. 56 Dated: 02.12.2003	3% reservation in employment, preference for those with greater disability
2	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.Ms.No. 23 Dated: 26.05.2011	Carrying forward of reservation, interchanging among categories and reservation for women with disabilities
3	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 42 Dated: 19.10.2011	3% reservation for promotion in government employment
4	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS. No. 22 Dated: 25.05.2011	10 years relaxation in age limit and exemption from application fees for applying for government jobs
5	Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department	G.O.MS.No. 146 Dated: 24.4.2007	Wages for persons with disabilities employed in rural development Applicable only if all persons in the group are disabled.
6	Food, Civil Supplies and consumer Affairs Department	G.O.Ms.No.99 Dated: - 22-10-1998	3% reservation in allotment of fair price shops
7	Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department	G.O.Ms.No. 63 M.A Dated: 14.02.1996	3% reservation in allotment of municipal shops and stalls
8	General Administration Department	G.O.Ms.No. 34 Dated:17-05-2003	Eligibility of VI persons without Class 7 qualification to apply for Group 4 posts In case of non availability of visually impaired candidates with the basic educational qualification prescribed for the posts in Service Rules.
9	General Administration Department	G.O Ms.NO.33 Dated:03-02-2003	Eligibility to apply for Group 4 posts for disabled persons without the qualification of intermediate Posts such as junior assistants/ junior typists / junior stenographers / junior accountant
10	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.Ms.No. 32 Dated: 13.07.2011	3% reservation in coaching and training facilities in welfare departments for competitive exams

5. Social Security, Health & Rehabilitation, and Recreation

5.1 Persons with disabilities are awarded a pension of Rs. 500 per month. In case of minor children, the pension will be given to the parents of the child.

5.2 Three percent of housing sites are reserved for persons with disabilities with annual income not exceeding Rs. 11,000 and will be allotted free of cost.

Adult, unmarried persons with disabilities also are eligible for allotment of houses / flats under the Housing Department as separate units / families. The ground floor of all the houses under the Indira MMS scheme are reserved for persons with disabilities and the flats / houses are designed to be disability friendly. In case of persons with mental disabilities, the house / flat is allotted to the guardian in the name of the person with the disability.

5.3 Persons with disabilities are eligible to receive at least three per cent reservation in physical or financial coverage in the poverty alleviation schemes of the state departments and local authorities.

5.4 Marriage grant of Rs. 10,000 is provided to couples for marriage between person with disabilities and person without disabilities.

5.5 Persons with disabilities may enjoy benefits under multiple schemes irrespective of the nature of the benefit to them provided that each benefit / scheme gives a different type of support or rehabilitative support to them.

5.6 Students with 80% or more disabilities pursuing higher education / professional education are given direct loans from the government for procuring improved prosthetic aids or motorised vehicles from the funds given to the Managing Director, Andhra Pradesh Vikalangula Co-operative Corporation.

5.7 State government employees with disabilities are eligible for conveyance allowance at 10% of their basic pay to a maximum of Rs. 650 per month. Vehicle maintenance allowance is provided to persons with disabilities at the rates mentioned in the table below.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department	G.O.MS.No. 454 Dated: 14.11.2008	Rs. 500 disability pension per month
2	Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department	G.O.MS.No. 117 Dated: 29.03.2007	Disability pension provided to all. In case of disabled children, parents given the pension
3	Social Welfare Department	G.O.Ms.No.133 Dated: 17.09.1997	3% housing sites allotted free of cost to persons with disabilities with annual income less than 11,000
4	Housing Department	G.O.RT.No. 106 Dated: 27.3.2008	Persons with disabilities allotted houses / flats under Housing Board Ground floor of apartments reserved for persons with disabilities Guardians of mentally disabled are allotted houses / flats in the name of the beneficiary
5	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 1 Dated: 9.01.2002	3% reservation in Coverage in poverty alleviation schemes
6	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 18 Dated: 19.6.2008	Marriage grant of Rs. 10,000 for marriage between disabled and non-disabled persons
7	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 19, Dated: 25.6.2008	Granting enjoyment of multiple schemes like scholarship / pension / economic support at the same time as long as each scheme provides a different support
8	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.RT.No. 194 Dated: 30.06.2008	Government loans for procuring prosthetic aids and motorised vehicles Rs. 5000 given as incentive / subsidy Remaining amount not exceeding Rs. 60,000 – loan to be recovered in three years
9	Finance Department	G.O.Ms.No. 197 Dated:06-07-2006	Conveyance allowance to state government employees at 10% of basic pay not exceeding Rs. 650 p.m.
10	Finance Department	G.O.MS.No. 276 Dated: 15.10.2005	Vehicle maintenance allowance to persons with disabilities Cycles – Rs. 125 per month Motorised vehicles – Rs. 700 per month.

6. Accessibility

6.1 All departments / local authorities / agencies are required to provide barrier free environment in all new buildings and public utilities for easy access of persons with disabilities.

6.2 Teachers and lecturers with visual impairment are given readers allowance for engaging readers to access printed material.

6.3 Committee constituted to prescribe JAWS software knowledge and practical ability instead of or along with typewriting for visually impaired candidates for the posts of typists, stenographers and data entry operators.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 30 Dated: 17.6.2002	Barrier free access to all new buildings and public utilities
2	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 34 Dated: 16.07.2010	Reader’s allowance for visually impaired teachers and lecturers Secondary grade teachers (including craft instructors) – Rs. 400 per month School assistants – Rs. 500 per month Junior lecturers and above – Rs. 600 per month
3	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O. MS. No. 36 Dated: 03.08.2011	Committee for prescribing use of JAWS software for visually impaired typists / stenographers / data entry operators

7. Certification

7.1 All hospitals / government teaching hospitals in district head quarters are notified as district medical boards authorised to give certificates for persons with disabilities.

In case of loss of certificate, the person may apply to the board with FIR and the non-traceable certification from the police and a new certificate will be issued within 20 days of application.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens	G.O.MS.No. 31 Dated: 1.12.2009	All govt hospitals / govt teaching hospitals in district headquarters can issue disability certificates If original certificate is lost, application for duplicate should be made with FIR and police non traceable report Duplicate is issued within 20 days of application Disability-wise Appellate Boards: Orthopedically DISABLED / locomotor disability / dwarfs / hunchback / muscular dystrophy / leprosy-cured Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad & Gandhi Hospital, Hyderabad Blindness / Low vision – Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, Hyderabad Mental Retardation – Institute for Mental Health, HYDERABAD & National Institute for Mentally Handicapped Mental Illness – State Institute for Mental Health, Hyderabad Hearing Impairment – Government ENT Hospital, Koti, Hyderabad

8. Schemes & Grants for Organisations & Individuals for Disabilities

8.1 There are no specific grants or schemes for organisations or individuals operating in the field of disabilities.

9. Disability Authorities

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

Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens
Commissioner for Disabilities.

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

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

[3]. Girl Child Protection Scheme

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-andhra-pradesh-revised

National Resource Kit: The Andaman & Nicobar Chapter (Call for Comments)

CLPR — 2014-03-06T16:21:24Z

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 Andaman and Nicobar.

Click to download the chapter in the revised format.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-andaman-nicobar-chapter-call-for-comments

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)

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/the-west-bengal-chapter

National Resource Kit : The Meghalaya Chapter: Call for Comments

Manojna Yeluri — 2013-11-07T06:17:57Z

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 Meghalaya.

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

Executive Summary

Meghalaya is one of the few north-eastern states, which has appointed a Commissioner for Disabilities. Most of the schemes and benefits given to persons with disabilities in Meghalaya are under centrally sponsored schemes. Very few schemes are initiated by the state government. Most of these schemes are in the fields of education and health and rehabilitation, and unfortunately one of the biggest lapses is that the state government has not yet identified jobs for persons with disabilities in the government sector and not provided for the mandatory 3 per cent reservation of jobs in the public sector for persons with disabilities.

Quick Statistics:

Capital: Shillong
Population: 29,64,007
Population of Persons with Disabilities: 1,00,000/- (approx)
Literacy: 75.48%
Department and Directorates:

The Social Welfare Department, Government of Meghalaya: This department provides services to persons with disabilities. Requirements for the welfare of the disabled people are taken into consideration including the type of disability, prevention, early detection and rehabilitation. The state has appointed a commissioner for disabilities as required under the Persons with Disabilities Act.

Legal Provisions

The state 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 (Persons with Disabilities Act)
National Trust for Persons with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999 (National Trust Act)
Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992

The schemes for persons with disabilities that are being implemented by the state are listed as under:

Employment

Currently there is no evidence that the state government has reserved 3 per cent of jobs for persons with disabilities in the government. The orders and notifications for reservations in government jobs show reservations made for various tribes and scheduled castes, but there is no reference to reservations for persons with disabilities.

Although the state has not provided reservation for persons with disabilities in government jobs, it has introduced the following schemes for vocational training, self-employment and for starting small businesses:

Vocational Training to Physically Handicapped for Self Employment Scheme: This Scheme provides financial assistance to NGOs for carrying out vocational training.
Uddyam Prabba: This is an interest subsidy scheme for self-employment. A person with disability who takes a loan from any bank or NHFDC can get interest subsidy of 5 per cent if he/ she is below poverty line (“BPL”) or 3 per cent otherwise on loan amount upto Rs. 1 lakh.
ARUNIM: Association for Rehabilitation under National Trust Initiative of Marketing has been launched to help persons with disabilities in product designing, production processes, packaging and marketing to enable them to be financially independent.
There are several centrally sponsored schemes for encouraging business and self-employment for persons with disabilities through loans and financial support under the following schemes:

National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation Schemes for Financing Projects
Self-Employment in Small Businesses
Assistance to Disabled Entrepreneurs
Assistance for Higher Studies, Professional Training
Assistance for Agricultural Activities
Scheme to Promote Manufacturing / Production of Assistive Devices for Disabled Persons
Assistance for Skills and Entrepreneurial Development Programmes
Schemes to promote Self-employment amongst Persons with Mental Retardation, Cerebral Palsy and Autism

Education

In the field of education, the state has provided schemes for scholarships, financial assistance, grant-in-aid, etc. These include schemes from the state government and some centrally sponsored schemes.

Scholarships and allowances: The state has enacted schemes to provide scholarships to students with disabilities in recognized schools, colleges, and institutions from nursery to post-graduate levels. The rates of scholarships vary according to the level of education and whether students are hostelites or day scholars. Reader allowance is also given to visually impaired students studying from class IX onwards. Awards are also given to meritorious disabled students. These awards provide for additional allowances to students per month.

Financial assistance to disabled students: This scheme provides financial assistance to disabled students for uniform grant, book grant, conveyance allowance and unempoyment allowance.

The Integrated Education of Disabled Children (I.E.D.C.) Scheme: This is a centrally sponsored scheme which provides educational opportunities for disabled children in common schools, to facilitate their retention in the school system and also to place in common schools, such children already placed in special schools after they acquire the communication and daily living skills at the functional level.

Grant-in-aid to Voluntary Organisations: This scheme provides financial assistance to voluntary organisations for maintenance of special schools and vocational training for persons with disabilities.

Aspiration Scheme under the National Trusts Act: This is an early intervention programme for school readiness. The scheme is to work with children of 0-6 years with developmental disabilities, to make them ready for mainstream and social schools. The activities carried out under this scheme are: awareness generation amongst parents of persons with disabilities, assessment and evaluation of children with disabilities, motivation and counselling to parents and families, training for daily living activities, pre-school skills – (pre-reading, pre-maths, etc.), Therapeutic services which includes physiotherapy / occupational therapy / speech / psychotherapy and psychiatric intervention, audio logical assessment and suitable referral, music drama / play therapy / pre-vocational training, facilitation in getting admission into special school and inclusive school and respite care services (for parents).

Gyan Prabba: A scholarship scheme for doing any employment oriented course after schooling. Under the scheme, a monthly scholarship of Rs. 700/- shall be paid for upto 1 year.

Samarti: This is a centrally sponsored scheme introduced for residential services – both short term (respite care) and long term (prolonged care). Activities in a Samarth centre would include early intervention, special education or integrated school, open school, pre-vocational and vocation training, employment oriented training, recreation, sports, etc. The facilities in the home would be available to both men and women on a 50-50 per cent basis and shall cover all the four disabilities under the National Trust.

Centrally sponsored schemes for the establishment and development of special schools.

Health & Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation Treatment for the Disabled Scheme: This scheme provides financial assistance to disabled persons who cannot afford to undergo treatment inside and outside state.

Gharaunda Scheme: GHARAUNDA or Group Home and Rehabilitation Activities Under National Trust Act for Disabled Adults is a new scheme for providing life long shelter and care to persons with disabilities in group homes.

Sabyogi: It is a new and revamped scheme of caregivers training and deployment. A new training module has been designed and a system of training and deployment of caregivers has been provided for under the scheme.

Assistance to voluntary organizations: This is for the rehabilitation of leprosy-cured persons.

Assistance to organizations: This is for persons with cerebral palsy and mental retardation.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-the-meghalaya-chapter-call-for-comments

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

anandi — 2013-11-07T06:20:04Z

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 Kerala.

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

Statistics

Capital: Tiruvananthapuram
HDI Rank: 1^st

Literacy: 1^st in India with a literacy of 93.91 per cent

Population:33,387,677
Population of Persons with Disability: 2.7 per cent. The district of Malappuram has the highest number of persons with disabilities, followed by Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam.[1]

Ministries and Departments

Department of Social Welfare – responsible for protection of rights of persons with disabilities.
Directorate of Social Welfare (under Department of Social Welfare) – nodal authority that implements central and state government programmes in Kerala.

Government run Organisations

The Kerala State Handicapped Persons Welfare Corporation
The Commissionerate of Persons with Disabilities
The National Institute of Speech and Hearing
The Central Social Welfare Board

Legal Provisions

Kerala does not have a legislation specifically for persons with disabilities in the state but implements the central legislation – the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995. The state also issues various schemes, policies and notifications for persons with disabilities. The Department of Social Welfare has implemented some central and state schemes for persons with disabilities in the state,[2] while some schemes are being implemented by the Kerala State Handicapped Persons Welfare Corporation (KSHPWC).[3] These are listed below under various categories as:

Accessibility
The Department of Local Self Governance vide G.O. (MS) No.41/11/LSGD, Thiruvananthapuram, dated 14/02/2011 have issued rules for housing which also include special provisions for accommodation of the requirements of persons with disabilities. These include provision of ramps, lifts, convenient parking slots and removal of architectural barriers.
Personal mobility

Persons with disabilities with a regular and reasonable income and having to travel regularly on work are given a subsidy of Rs. 2000 linked with bank loan for procuring motorised tricycles / vehicles.[4]

KSHPWC supplies aids and appliances every three years to Persons with Disabilities with annual income less than Rs. 60,000 (see note 3). These include: artificial limbs, tricycles, wheelchairs, callipers, crutches, hearing aids, white canes, colostomy bags, etc. The beneficiaries are selected at medical camps held at district, block and panchayat levels.
Subsidy of Rs.10,000 is provided by KSHPWC to each self-employed young disabled person for procuring motorized tricycle upon applying in the proper format with attested copies of original bill, registration and insurance documents, and photographs (see note 3).
Education
Through the Kerala Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010, the government provides free and compulsory education for children with disabilities until the age of 18. The rules also provide for inclusive education, special schools for severely disabled children, learning aids and appliances, training for special teachers and vocational training for children with disabilities.
Three seats are reserved for persons with disabilities in arts and science colleges and engineering colleges, nine seats are reserved in polytechnic colleges, five seats are reserved in ITIs, five per cent seats are reserved in junior technical colleges and 25 per cent seats are reserved for teachers in special schools (see note 4).

Scholarships are given to children with disabilities where annual income of parents is less than Rs. 24,000 at Rs. 30 per month for children in classes I – IV and Rs. 45 per month for children in classes V – VIII. For students in higher classes, scholarships are provided for day scholars and residential students with special allowance for readers. In addition to the scholarships, students with orthopaedic impairment are given Rs. 25 per month for maintenance of prosthetic / orthopaedic aids (at the recommendation of the head of the institution) and Rs. 50 per month as transportation allowance (see note 4).
Children with mental disabilities where the annual income of parents is less than Rs. 24,000 are given scholarships upto the age of 21 at the scale of Rs. 60 per month with dress allowance of Rs. 40 and school requisite allowance (see note 4).
The government runs two vocational training centres for persons with disabilities at Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode (see note 4).
Students with Disabilities who top their districts in the categories of Orthopaedic disability, speech and hearing impairment, visual impairment and mental retardation; in the SSLC and Higher Secondary exams are awarded Rs. 2,500 each. Awards of Rs. 5000 are given to state rank holders in the above categories (see note 3).
Health: Details of policies / schemes for health unavailable.
Rehabilitation: The state runs community based rehabilitation programmes and vocational training centres for persons with disabilities (see note 2).
Employment: The state provides three per cent reservation in classes I, II (videG.O. (RT) No. 291/2012/SWD dated, Thiruvananthapuram 20^th June 2012), III and IV (vide G.O. (P)No.20/98/P&ARd dated, Thiruvananthapuram, 14 July, 1998) of state government jobs and PSUs. Three per cent reservation is also provided on part-time contingency posts and one per cent worker class vacancies in the government, corporations and companies are reserved for persons with disabilities (see note 4).

An age relaxation of ten years on the upper age limit is provided to persons with disabilities for applying to government jobs. Upto 10 grace marks can be given to persons with disabilities at the discretion of the Public Service Commission for direct recruitment to various posts except those that are specifically excluded (see note 4).
Persons with disabilities are allowed a special casual leave of 15 days for treating an illness that is directly connected with their disability vide G.O. (P) 249/84/Fin. Dated 9–5–84.
Loans for self employment are being given to persons with disabilities by banks through KSHPWC for setting up self employment programmes. A subsidy of Rs. 2000 linked with the bank loan is given to each beneficiary (see note 4).
KSHPWC channelizes loans from the National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation to Persons with Disabilities at low interest rates for self-employment. Applicants must have at least 40 per cent disability and their family income should not exceed Rs. 3,00,000 for rural and Rs. 5,00,000 for urban applicants (see note 3).
KSHPWC runs the following commercial units to provide employment to persons with disabilities (see note 4): Sowbhagya Department Store – Thiruvananthapuram, Sowbhagya Department Store – Kozhikode, Sowbhagya Extension Counter, MLA Quarters – Thiruvananthapuram, Photocopier Unit, MLA Quarters – Thiruvananthapuram, and Envelope Making Unit – Thiruvananthapuram.
KSHPWC together with the Kerala State Lotteries Department implements the scheme through which disabled persons are identified throughout the state for undertaking agency for Lottery tickets and are given financial assistance of Rs. 5,000 for purchase and sale of lottery tickets.

Social Protection

Persons with disabilities in the categories of vision impaired, hearing impaired and orthopaedically disabled whose annual family income does not exceed Rs.3,600 are given a disability pension of Rs.85 per month.
Conveyance allowance of Rs.100 for vision impaired and locomotor disabled employees of aided schools and government departments and Rs.50 for part time employees are given vide G.O.(P) No. 521/87/Fin, dated 15.6.87.
Free travel facility is provided to the vision impaired on buses and boats and for the locomotor disabled on buses. Persons with 50 per cent or more locomotor disabilities are given 70 per cent concession on private buses to travel upto 40 kilometres (see note 4).
A distress relief fund has been created for persons with disabilities vide G.O. (MS) No. 4/95/SWD dated 24/1/95. A maximum amount of Rs. 2000 can be given for a case in a financial year and the amount can be extended to Rs. 8000 in exceptional cases. Persons with disabilities whose annual income does not exceed Rs. 12,000 can claim financial assistance for the following reasons (see note 4): for medical treatment including surgery, disability incurred due to an accident, any other purposes not covered by existing schemes for persons with disabilities, grant by the government under the grant-in-aid to persons with disabilities under the Deendayal Disabled Scheme (see note 2).
Under the Rajiv One Million Housing Scheme (see note 4), one per cent of the houses constructed for the economically backward class have been reserved for persons with disabilities.
KSHPWC operates a scheme for children who are below 8 years of age and have 60 per cent or more disability and whose parent’s have an annual income of less than Rs.60,000, the corporation deposits an amount of Rs. 15,000 for boys and Rs.20,000 for girls. The fund under this scheme is released after the child attains the age of 18 years for self-employment or marriage or as per requests after assessing the case. (see note 3).
A scheme run by the state offers marriage assistance to women with disabilities and to daughters of Persons with Disabilities (see note 2).
KSHPWC runs an old-age home for persons with disabilities at Parassala (see note 3).

Miscellaneous

State awards of Rs. 3000 per head are given to outstanding and efficient employees among persons with disabilities (see note 4)
Persons with disabilities are exempted from professional tax and road tax. They are given an additional income tax exemption of Rs. 5000 (see note 4).
The state also gives grant-in-aid for voluntary organisations running homes for the disabled and financial assistance for advocates with orthopaedic or visual impairment (see note 2).

Government Orders

Category	Headline	Issuing Authority	Number & Date	Briefs
Employment	Public Services Reservations for Physically Handicapped Persons – three per cent reservation for Class III and Class IV posts	Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Advice) Department	G.O. (P)No.20/98/P&ARD Dated, Thiruvananthapuram, 14 July, 1998	Orders issued for a maximum of 50 appointments each in the categories of subordinate service, last grade service and part-time contingent service being set apart every year for the appointment of persons with disabilities to the public services.
Employment	Reservation of three per cent vacancies in Class I and II posts in Public Services for appointment of physically disabled persons – post of Assistant Engineer (Civil), Public Works Department – eligibility for full participation in the selection process and appointment in respect of certain categories of physically disabled persons – clarified orders	Social Welfare Department	G.O. (RT) No. 291/2012/SWD. Dated, Thiruvananthapuram 20^th June 2012	This order has been issued in clarification to earlier orders issued for identification of posts for Persons with Disabilities.
Building construction	Kerala Panchayat Building Rules 2011	Local Self Governance Department	G.O. (MS) No.41/11/LSGD Dated, Thiruvananthapuram 14/02/2011.	Notification has been issued to regulate building construction. Provides for accessibility and elimination of architectural barriers.

Special Schools and Vocational Training Centres

Centre for Training and Rehabilitation of the Mentally Retarded, Thiruvananthapuram
Adarsha Rehabilitation Institute for Spastics and Neurologically Impaired, Kochi
Asha Niketan, Kozhikode
Jagathy Government School for the Blind, Thiruvananthapuram
Jagathy Government BHSS for the Deaf, Thiruvananthapuram
Kunnamkulam GS for the Blind, Kunnamkulam, Thrissur
Kunnamkulam GS for the Deaf, Kunnamkulam, Thrissur

Non Governmental Organisations for Persons with Disabilities

National Association of the Blind, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Federation of the Blind, Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Institution of the Blind, Thrissur
All Kerala Association of the Deaf, Thrissur
Kerala Government Deaf Employees Union
Association for the Welfare of the Handicapped, Kozhikode
Kerala State Physically Handicapped Employees Association

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kerala-chapter-call-for-comments

National Resource Kit : The Haryana Chapter (Revised)

anandi — 2014-02-20T09:00:49Z

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 Haryana.

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

Introduction

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is responsible for the welfare of persons with disabilities in Haryana. The state has an estimated population of 4,55,040 persons with disabilities in a total population of 25,353,081.

Haryana implements two schemes under Women and Children with Disabilities, three schemes under Education, three schemes under Skill Development and Employment, and five schemes under Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation and Recreation.

1. General Entitlements

Haryana does not implement any scheme / policy that can be listed in this category.

2. Women & Children with Disabilities

2.1 Financial assistance is provided to children with disabilities not attending school due to their disability.

2.2 Haryana provides financial assistance to children of persons with disabilities.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Social Justice & Empowerment Department	No. 2351-SW(4)-2008 Dated: 30.01.2009	Financial assistance to disabled children not attending school due to disability
2	Social Justice & Empowerment Department	No. 1953-SW(4)-2009 Dated: 30.10.2009	Financial assistance for non school going children with severe disability Disability more than 70% / IQ less than 50% for mental disability Assistance of Rs. 300 per month Assistance provided to multiple children from same family Age up to 18 years Domiciled and resided in Haryana for past six months Total family income not to exceed Rs. 3510 per month Beneficiaries drawing other assistance are not eligible to apply
3	Social Justice & Empowerment Department		Financial assistance to children of persons with disabilities Assistance – Rs. 500 per month Age below 21 years Total family income not exceeding Rs. 30,000 per annum Domiciled and residing in Haryana

3. Education

3.1 Rules outlined for residential school for visually impaired students ‘Government Institute for the Blind’ in Panipat. Application forms available at the offices of Dy Commissioner, SDOs (Civil), Tehsildars and Department of Social Justice & Empowerment DSJE).

3.2 Scholarship is provided to disabled students. Applicants should not be in receipt of assistance from any other source. Rates of scholarship listed below:

Sr. No.	Class	Scholarship (Day scholars) per month	Scholarship (hostellers) per month	Reader Allowance (only visually impaired) per month
1	Class 1 – 4	400/-	-	-
2	Class 5 – 8	500/-	-	-
3	Class 9 – 12	600/-	600/-	300/-
4	B.A/B.Sc/B.Com	600/-	800/-	400/-
5	B.E/B.Tech./MBBS/LLB/B.Ed and diploma in professional & engineering studies etc.	800/-	1000/-	500/-
6	MA/MSC/M.Com/LLM/M.Ed/M.Tech etc	1000/-	1000/-	500/-

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment	No. GA.I SW. 71, Dated Chandigarh	Rules for residential school for the visually impaired Age between 6 – 18 years Eligibility up to middle school Domiciled and residing in Haryana
2	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment	No. 1971 /DDSW-GA-II/71	Criteria for scholarship Age up to 20 years Total family income not exceeding Rs. 10,000 per month Domiciled and residing in Haryana
3	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment	Memo No. 848-SW(4)-2011 Chandigarh, dated 28-11-2011	Rates of scholarship (given in table above)

4. Skill Development & Employment

4.1 Rules outlined for residential skill training facility for the visually impaired ‘Training Centre for Adult Blind’ at Panipat. Application forms available at the offices of Dy Commissioners, SDOS (Civil), Tehsildars and DSJE.

4.2 Annual awards given to most efficient disabled employees, disabled self-employed, outstanding employers and placement officers for disabled.

S.No	Category of Award	Nature of the Award No. of Awards	Present rates and certificate	Revised rates and certificates
1	Employee/ Self Employed	First Prize (one) Second Prize (one) Third Prize (two) Fourth Prize(three)	Rs.5000/- and certificate Rs. 4000/- ad certificate Rs. 3000/- and certificate Rs. 2000/- and certificate	Rs. 10000/- and certificates. Rs. 8000/- and certificate Rs. 6000/- and certificate Rs. 4000/- and certificate.
2	Employers of disabled	First Prize (one) Second Prize (one)	A big shield and certificate of merit. A small shield and certificate of merit.	Rs. 5000/- and certificate of merit. Rs. 3000/- and certificate of merit.
3	Placement Officer of disabled	One Prize	Rs. 4000/- and certificate of merit.	Rs. 8000/- and certificate of merit.

4.3 Age relaxation up to 10 years in the upper age limit for joining government service for persons with disabilities. Retirement age of persons with 70% or more disability is increased to 60 years.

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment	No. GA.I SW. 71, Dated Chandigarh No. 1971 /DDSW-GA-II/71	Rules for residential skill training unit for visually impaired Trainees granted maintenance for 3 years Extra 6 months for persons above 52 years old Domiciled and residing in Haryana
2	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment	No. 1759SW(1) /2008 Chandigarh, Dated: 4.02.2008	Awards for disabled employees, employers and placement officers (for details see table above)
3	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment		10 years relaxation in upper age limit in recruitment to govt service Retirement age increased to 60 years for persons with 70% or more disability

5. Social Security, Health, Rehabilitation and Recreation

5.1 Unemployment allowance given to all educated unemployed persons with disabilities. Rates of allowance are:

Sr. No.	Education	Allowance per month	Allowance per month for 100% disabled
1	Matric/ Middle Pass Diploma Holder	Rs. 200	Rs. 1000
2	Graduate/ Matric Pass Diploma Holder	Rs. 250	Rs. 1500
3	Post Graduate, Graduate Diploma Holder	Rs. 300	Rs. 2000

5.2 Disability pension to persons with 70% or more disability (IQ less than 50 for persons with mental disabilities). (note 3)

5.3 Financial assistance of Rs. 500 per month to dwarf persons. (note 3)

5.4 Persons with visual impairment and 100% orthopaedic impairment are eligible for free travel on state transport buses. Disabled employees of the state government are provided a conveyance allowance of 10% on basic pay. (note 4)

5.5 Visually impaired employees of the state government are given priority in allotment of government accommodation. (note 4)

Sr. No.	Issuing Authority	Notification No.	Details
1	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment	No. 3012-SW (1)2003. Dated, 8.12.2003 No. 94-SW (1)2007. Dated: 24.01.2007	Unemployment allowance (for rates see table above) Allowance given for 6 years from date of registration with employment exchange Applicants must not be in receipt of any other assistance
2	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment		Disability pension for persons with 70% or more disability (less than 50 IQ for mentally disabled) Pension – Rs. 500 per month Pension (for 80% or more disability) – Rs. 750 per month Income not to exceed income of unskilled labourers as specified by Labour Department.
3	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment		Financial assistance of Rs. 500 per month to dwarf persons
4	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment		Free travel on state transport buses for persons with visual impairment and 100% orthopaedic impairment 10% conveyance allowance for government employees with disabilities
5	Department of Social Justice & Empowerment		Priority for visually impaired employees in allotment of govt accommodation

6. Accessibility

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

7.    Certification

7.1 Haryana has not identified any hospital / medical officer for issueing of disability certificates.

8.    Schemes & Grants for Organisations & Individuals for Disabilities

8.1    The government of Haryana is yet to implement schemes and policies under this category.

9. Disability Authorities

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

Department of Social Justice and Empowerment
Commissioner for Disabilities

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-haryana-chapter-call-for-comments

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

Manojna Yeluri — 2013-03-05T05:09:13Z

The Centre for Internet & Society and the Hans Foundation are pleased to bring you its research on the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Bihar.

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

Summary

The Department of Social Welfare became an independent department on the subject of Women and Child Development on April 1, 2007. The key mandate of the Department is the protection of the interests and rights of women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities, with focus on the marginalised sections of society. The state of Bihar is in the process of formulating a comprehensive state policy on disability. The Bihar State Policy on Disability is an extension of the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities and is currently in a draft form awaiting Government approval and notification.

Click to download the full chapter.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-bihar-chapter-call-for-comments

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 https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-policy-on-universal-electronic-accessibility-analysis

National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility

radha — 2011-08-24T06:02:07Z

Minutes of the meeting on draft National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility held on August 17, 2009 in E-Governance Hall, 1st Floor, Electronics Niketan, CGO Complex, New Delhi.

Minutes of the meeting on draft National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility held on August 17, 2009 in E-Governance Hall, 1st Floor, Electronics Niketan, CGO Complex, New Delhi.

The following participated:

DIT

Shri N. Ravi Shanker, Joint Secretary, DIT
Dr. Govind, Sr. Director, DIT
Dr. S.K. Aggarwal, Director, DIT
Ms. Tulika Pandey, Addl. Director, DIT (Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment)
Shri T.D. Dhariyal, Dy. Chief Commisioner (M&C), Min. Of Social Justice & Empowerment

NGOs

Shri Javed Abidi, Director, NCPEDP
Ms. Muthamma B. Devaya, NCPEDP
Ms. Shilpa Sawant, NCPEDP
Ms. Dorodi Sharma, NCPEDP
Shri Sunil Abraham, Centre for Internet & Society
Ms. Nirmita, Centre for Internet & Society
Shri Rahul Gonsalves, Web Accessibility Consultant

MNCs

Shri Deepak Maheshwari, Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Shri Ibrahim Ahmad, Cyber Media India Ltd.
Ms. Ritu Ghosh, Sun Microsystems
Ms. Vikas Goswami, Microsoft
Shri Vijay Kapur, Microsoft
Miss Gitanjali, UN Solution Exchange
Ms. Shilpi Kapoor, Barrier Break Technologies

ERNET

Shri B.B. Tiwari, ERNET India
Ms. Tejal Tiwari, ERNET India

NIC

Shri D.P. Misra, NIC
Shri Lokesh Joshi, NIC

CDAC

Shri Amit Srivastava, CDAC

2. Shri N. Ravi Shanker, Joint Secretary, DIT chaired the meeting and welcomed all the participants and requested Shri Javed Abidi, Honorary Director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) to give an insight on how the draft policy got prepared. He also mentioned that the Department has nominated Dr. Govind, Sr. Director in a committee constituted by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for reviewing the work of development of Disabled Friendly websites.

3.1 Shri Abidi thanked the Ministry officials for their co-operation. He elaborated on how India has seen a paradigm shift from charity and welfare to rights and development in the past one decade. This is reflected in the Disability Act, 1995, the United Nations Convention for the Rights of UNCRPD and the XIth Five Year Plan. In fact, India was the 7th and the first most prominent country, to have ratified UNCRPD. It truly reflects the commitment that the present Government has towards disability. The XIth Five Year Plan has a full chapter on disability which mandates accessibility to information and communication. The Plan has the approval of the Prime Minister and Planning Commission.

3.2 Ms. Shilpi Kapoor, Director, Barrier Break Technologies presented the draft policy. She began by saying that the basic premise on which the policy was drafted were:

The Constitution of India
United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD)
The Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995

She mentioned that the draft policy takes into consideration accessibility to hardware and accessibility to user interface (websites and software). As far as content is concerned, it considers only the delivery of the content and not the content itself.

3.3 Ms. Nirmita Narasimhan of Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) elaborated on the available policies on web and electronic accessibility in other countries. Countries like UK and Italy have made it mandatory for providers of public information and services to be accessible to persons with disabilities. Other countries such as US, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan have made the policies mandatory for Government and advisory for the private sector.

3.4 Dr. S.K. Aggarwal, Director, DIT raised a query in respect of coverage of the following 3 issues:

How could the policy be made mandatory for private sector?
Whether the policy making function in this regard is under the jurisdiction of the IT Ministry alone?
What is the kind of model envisaged for R&D funding under the proposed policy?

He also opined that the draft of the policy needs to be refined, properly worded, made more crisp and coherent, repetitions to be deleted and paragraphs to be numbered.

3.5 Shri Abidi responded by saying that all services available in the public domain should follow the policy and India should not look at the West anymore and should be a pioneer in this effort and policy should cover all sectors. As far as jurisdiction is concerned, the XIth Five Year Plan clearly mandates that all Departments / Ministries must formulate detailed rules and guidelines / policies in their respective domain areas and ensure that not less than 3% of their funds are reserved for disability issues which can take care of funds required for R&D also.

3.6 Shri Sunil Abraham of CIS said that maybe instead of saying ‘private companies’, we could say ‘essential service providers and utilities services’. He further suggested that in order to make the policy more acceptable to a broader set of stakeholders, the phrase ‘open source’ could be deleted since the accessibility policy endorsed specific open standards like WCAG which would level the playing ground for bother proprietary and Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) vendors. Alternatively, he suggested that both proprietary and Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) could be mentioned.

3.7 Members said that there is a need to define clearly the hardware, software and user interfaces covered under the policy. Ms. Shilpi Kapoor and Ms. Nirmita Narasimhan gave examples of ATMs, mobile phones and even Set Top Boxes which would fall under hardware. Ms. Shilpi Kapoor also emphasized on making the issue of Universal Electronic Accessibility mandatory in the procurement process by various Ministries. She stated that most of these service providers have products which are compliant to accessible norms which they sell in Europe or America.

3.8 Shri T.D. Dhariyal, Dy. Chief Commissioner, Dept. Of Disability, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment expressed his concern about how to make the technology accessible to all, including the poor.

3.9 Shri Vijay Kapur of Microsoft said that in order to have a comprehensive policy covering entire range of hardware products, representation of the electronics industry would be appropriate. It was felf that representation from Industry Association such as MAIT, TEMA, NASSCOM etc. may be obtained. Further he mentioned about inviting industry associations such as CII, FICCI, Asocham etc.

4. As a next step towards finalising the policy, following committee was constituted:

Shri N. Ravi Shanker, Joint Secretary, DIT
Representative from Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Shri Javed Abidi, Director, NCPEDP
Ms. Shilpi Kapoor, Barrier Break Technologies
Smt. Neeta Verma, Sr. Technical Director, NIC
Shri Deepak Maheshwari, Director, Microsoft
Shri Sunil Abraham, Centre for Internet and Society
Representative from MAIT / NASSCOM / CII / FICCI / Asocham
Officer from E-Infrastructure Division, DIT - Convenor

It was proposed that the draft policy be finalised at the earliest for its approval by Government of India.

The meeting ended with vote of thanks to the Chair.

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

National Consultation on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Development Process

praskrishna — 2014-03-12T13:46:35Z

On February 12, 2014, CBM India in collaboration with United Nations Solution Exchange (UNSE) for Gender Community organized a 'National Consultation on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Development Processes' at the World Health Organization (WHO), Regional office for South-East Asia in New Delhi. Around 85 delegates attended the consultation

Anandhi Viswanathan participated in a panel discussion. She made a presentation on the National Resource Kit project, the challenges faced during the research phase of the project and contributed to the recommendations being submitted to the government of India by CBM regarding inclusion of persons with disabilities in development processes.

See more details of the event of CBM website.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/news/national-consultation-on-inclusion-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-development-process

National Conference on: Harnessing technology for the empowerment for the persons with visual impairments

praskrishna — 2014-02-03T10:38:53Z

Dr. Nirmita Narasimhan participates as a speaker at this event. The event is organized by NIVH.

Click to read the complete agenda published by NAB Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies

Background Note

As we all are aware, Assistive Technolgy has played an unprecedented role in equalizing opportunities and in improving the quality of life of people with disabilities in last few years, with solutions helping in the elimination of barriers in all kinds of environments.

However, inspite of the advanced development, the Assistive technology for the VI has been confined to special devices leading mostly to disparate solutions. These devices also are most often rendered incompatible with the quickly changing technological landscape interfacing with all sectors of development, making it unaffordable or obsolete for people with disabilities to communicate with the highly digital and networked society in the contemporary world. This disparity further isolates the disabled population calling out for a more holistic approach to make the mainstream technology accessible from the designing stage.

Moreover, increasingly all services in every sphere of life, be it employment, education, communication, entertainment, civic participation, or government functions are moving either primarily or exclusively online worldwide.

While for PWDs, the Internet has a great potential to enhance their freedom to access goods, services and information independently through online services; a sizeable population of people especially with visual impairment are increasingly finding it difficult to access online services and information due to design barriers. This is becoming an alarmingly serious issue in the near future, considering the engagement of vital sectors like banking and publications with technology.

We already face a rate of unemployment that is more than 3 times as high as the rest of the population and experience similar gaps in educational achievement. High levels of inaccessibility on the Web and Internet-enabled mobile technologies are threatening to exclude people with visual impairment even further, who experience disability from the information society.

The potential of an accessible Internet is immense which could not only increase the inclusion of people with disabilities and facilitate online education, telework, participation in e-government, but also would enable social relationships that overcome barriers and challenges presented by the physical world.

We are, therefore, in a situation of necessity, to harness the enormous prospects of technology to create an empowering, economically progressive and inclusive society, with a new approach to implement the public policy to eliminate the virtual barriers that are in place, ensuring that people with disabilities are not marginalized.

The need of the hour is to develop an accessible technology plan to

Define the accessible technology strategy,
Identify requirements,
Design, develop, and purchase technology,
Implement and Train in a timely manner

The national conference on ` Harnessing technology for the empowerment for the persons with visual impairments’ being organised by the NIVH, a premier Institute of Government of India in the field of visual disability functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment to be held on 19th Nov 2013 aims to create opportunities of exploring the potential of inclusive solutions which are designed to serve all people regardless of their physical abilities.

The conference would bring together best practices models from India and abroad. It would facilitate interaction between the inclusive design experts for online services & accessible information and the officials from all levels of government and PSUs. The conference will in particular address the problems and potential solutions with reference to access to banking services, web and online services, access to documents and publications in digital, Braille and audio formats, and access to Digital Television
On the sidelines of the conference, a small exhibition will display a range of products hardware and software rendering possible solutions.

It is understood that all the participants invited to this conference have a critical role in the implementation of legal commitments and policy decisions for creating an accessible, enabling and empowering environment in which people can access all the services and information intended to benefit all citizens of the country.

Draft agenda

9:00 – 9:30 a.m.: Registration
9:30 a.m.- 10:20 a.m.: Inaugural Session
9:30 a.m.: Felicitations
9:36 a.m.: Lighting of Lamp followed by a devotional song
9:40 a.m.: Welcome address by J.S. DDA and objectives of the Conference
9:45 a.m.: Address by Secy. DDA
9:55 a.m.: Key Note address
10:15 a.m.: Vote of Thanks by Director NIVH
10:20-10:40 a.m.: Tea Break
10.40 a.m.: Plenary Session 1
11.40 a.m.: Plenary Session 2
2.15 p.m.: Plenary Session 3
4.00 p.m.: Plenary Session 4

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/news/nabcentreforwomen-november-19-2013-national-conference-on-harnessing-technology-for-the-empowerment-for-the-persons-with-visual-impairments

National Conference on ICTs for the differently- abled/under privileged communities in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship 2009 - (NCIDEEE 2009)

radha — 2011-08-31T10:48:22Z

A national level conference on the use of Information and Communication Technology for the differently abled / under privileged community in education, employment and entrepreneurship.

The management, staff and students of Loyola College and the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), Bangalore (in association with department of IT, Government of India and pioneers in educating differently abled and professional bodies like NASSCOM, CSI-Chennai chapter), are proud to announce that we will be hosting a national level conference on the use of Information and Communication Technology for the differently abled / under privileged community in education, employment and entrepreneurship. This conference which will be a momentous occasion will be held from the 1^st to the 3^rd of December and will be attended by individuals from all walks of life including representatives of the differently abled and under privileged community, government officials, educationalists, researchers, program managers, representatives of international business missions, NGOs and students etc.

The main aim of this conference is to devise a successful formula through which the lesser privileged people of our society can be provided the opportunity to use the Information and Communication Technology to grow on par with the modernized world. The program will be a three day event ending on the 3^rd which happens to be e-accessibility day and the World Disability Day and hence in addition to the specific topics with the opinions, ideas and criticisms of each and every individual which will be heard, discussed and analyzed carefully, we will also be recognizing the many individuals who have contributed their tireless efforts in making Information and Communication technology accessible to all.

Some of the main aims and themes of this conference would be the Institutional and national responses to technological change, the intersections of Political economy and educational technology. The architecture of learning, Pedagogy in the evolving tech environment, Informal and formal adult education, Multi-grade education, Instructional design and delivery, evaluation and assessment, Strategies and tools for teaching and learning, simulations and gaming, Effects on training institutions and industry, Impacts on educational institutions: effects on faculty, staff, administration, and students; curriculum and program development Intellectual property, Building communities of teachers/educators, e-governance and leadership and so on.

The focus would be on the various problems faced by the differently abled and the under privileged people in our society especially with respect to education and the use of Information and Communication Technology for their development and tools for language learning especially English, Tamil and Hindi. During the conference, discussions would be made on the ways to implement data mining in such a way that it includes multimedia facilities such as voice over, Globalization and ICT in the labour market, ICT applications and systems contributing to desirable goals, learning, knowledge growth and career patterns in ICT, leadership roles, human needs, skills and competencies needed for proper growth and its effects, etc. These problems and solutions would be discussed on every possible front including the political, the educational the financial level with its usefulness and effects on the under privileged in mind.

We would also strive with our utmost effort to reach our desired goals such as humanization, bridging the digital gap, freedom of expression, peace, sustainability, human welfare and quality of life. The most important of them all will be the devising of important decisions and strategies that could be implemented in order to help the differently abled people use Information and Communication Technology for their employment by means of introduction of newly devised hardware and software that could benefit them and enable them to develop further.

It is hoped that this conference will be a memorable experience for both the participants as well as the hosts resulting in decisions that are aimed at making life better and easier for all the differently abled and under privileged throughout the country.

Registration

About Loyola College:

Loyola College, Chennai is one of the leading colleges not only in the state of Tamilnadu alone but also in India. It has been rated A+ by the NAAC for several years in a row and is also one among the top ten colleges in the country. All this is proof enough that the college takes utmost interest in the development of students. The main aim of the college is not to provide the highest quantity of education but the highest quality of education to its students. To carry out its aim, the college arranges for several conferences, seminars, educational tours, Industrial visits etc. in order to make sure that the knowledge of the students is not limited within the classroom alone. Hence the great support that the college provides to the staff and students of the various departments is quite evident in the many successful conferences, seminars and other such programs that have been conducted in the past and this is sure to continue in the future.

Organizers

RCDA: The Resource centre for differently abled (RCDA) started in the year 2006 as one of the Centers of Excellence at Loyola College has successfully carried out the task of making education and learning an accessible tool for the less privileged members of our society. As a joint venture with some of the departments of the College, the resource center has decided to organize the National Conference on ICTs for the differently- abled/ under privileged communities in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship 2009 (NCIDEEE 2009).

http://www.loyolacollege.edu/rcda.html

The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) is a Bangalore based non-profit organization, bringing together a team of practitioners, theoreticians, researchers and artists to work on the emerging field of Internet and Society in order to critically engage with concerns of digital pluralism, public accountability and pedagogic practices, with particular emphasis on South-South dialogues and exchange.

We focus on areas such as Anonymity/Privacy, Censorship, Surveillance, Free and Open Source Software, Open Standards, Open Access, Family, Sexual practices, Addiction, Intellectual Property Rights and Trade, Piracy, ICT4D, Digital and Participation Divide and
Digital Communities and Movements.

Website: www.cis-india.org

Program

The conference will be divided into four tracks which will be running simaltaneously ,, except for the main session and the concluding session on the first and last days which are to be common for all participants. The tentative schedule for the different tracks is as follows:

Track 1:

Day 1. Presentations of papers

Day 2. OCR Round Table- Deployment of OCR technologies in Indian languages: present state and road ahead

Day 3. TTS Round Table: Assessing the state of TTS in Indian languages: current position and future road map.

Track 2

Workshop on Web Accessibility for web developers- Web developers and designers from various sectors will be initiated into the need for and the techniques of compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 formulated by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The tentative schedule for this track is given below:

WCAG Training Session Plan (2 Day)

Day 1
14:00-15:30 - Introductory Session

Disability - 5 major types
The W3C and the WCAG
How people with disabilities use computers (could use a movie here)

Group Exercise/Discussion

Split participants into small groups and give them questions/problems to talk about and solve
Example: If your friend is deaf, how do you make sure that s/he understands what a video is about? OR How does someone who can't see or hear answer/check their email? OR X lost his hands in a car accident. How does he do a Google search?

15:30-16:00- coffee/tea break
16:00-17:30

Session 1 - Building an Accessible Website

Laying Accessible Foundations
Table-less layouts
Well-structured markup
Valid Code

Day 2

09:30-11:00 Group Exercise
11:00-11:30- tea/coffee break
11:30-13:00

Session 2 - Building an Accessible Website

Removing Barriers
Guideline 1 - Perception
Non-text content
Audio/Visual content
Adaptability
Contrast

13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:30 Group Exercise
15:30-16:00-tea/coffee break
16:00-17:30

Session 3 - Guideline 2

Operable
Keyboard Access
Enough Time
Seizures
Navigable

Wrap Session - Feedback and Clarifications

Day 3

09:30-11:00 - Session 4 - Guideline 3 and 4

Understandable
Natural Language
Predictable
Input Assistance
Robust
Compatible

11:00-11:30- tea/coffee break
11:30-13:00

Session 5 - Accessibility Testing

Automated Testing + Tools
Manual Testing

13:00-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:30 Concluding session- feedback, clarification and action points of participants
15:30-16:00 tea/coffee break

Track 3

Capacity building for persons with visual impairments

This track is designed to equip students with visual impairments with skills and information required to face the employment world. It has courses such as goal orientation, soft skills and etiquettes and managing challenges in the work environment. It informs the students on what to expect when they go out to look for jobs and how to deal with potential logistic and attitudinal barriers. This is a very popular module which is currently being offered by Enable India Solutions,Bangalore and is being replicated in two days for the benefit of college students in Chennai.

The tentative sessionwise schedule for this track is given below:

Sessions

14:00-15:30- Why/How to be a finished product
15:30-16:00- Tea/coffee
16:00-17:30- Awareness on different jobs

Day 2

09:30-11:00- Goal orientation session
11:00-11:30- Tea/coffee break
13:30-13:00Employability awareness session 1 – Case studies of jobs and skills

Employability awareness session 2 – Computer skills (efficiency / quality)

13:00-14:00- Lunch
14:00-15:30- Employability awareness session 3 – Understand the real world perspective (& sighted point of view)
15:30-16:00- Tea/coffee break
16:00-17:30- Employability awareness session 4 - Importance of mobility
16:00-17:30- Employability awareness session 5 – Case studies on problem solving, workplace solutions, employed visually impaired

Day 3

Equipping for the employment world: Sessions

09:30-11:00
Soft skills including Social skills and etiquettes
Independent living skills
Emerging technologies - GPS, Mobile based OCr etc

11:00-11:30- tea/coffee break
11:30-13:00 Working in the corporate world- Managing challenges in work environment

Track 4

Capacity building for NGOs

This track is designed for general capacity building and information dissemination. It will cover topics like legal challenges, special needs for different disabilities, setting up resource centres, experimenting with new pedagogic techniques and using ICTs to impart education, presentation of case studies and so on.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/events/ncideee-2009

National Compendium of Laws, Policies, Programmes for Persons with Disabilities

nirmita — 2016-02-05T02:16:36Z

This compendium was compiled by the Centre for Internet & Society in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India. Prasanna Kumar Pincha, Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, has written the Foreword.

Preface

India, one of the longest continuous civilizations in the world is also home to one of the largest populations of persons with disabilities. According to the 2011 census, around 2.21% of its population or around 26.8 million people have disabilities of some form or the other. While the country is developing rapidly, persons with disabilities are often left out of the process. Sometimes they are completely neglected from consideration and measures do not take into account their needs by virtue of being non inclusive. On other occasions, there may be special measures for some disadvantaged groups, but persons with disabilities may not be recognised as a separate group, with distinctive needs.

Overall, there is a clichéd understanding about the needs and abilities of persons with disabilities, limiting efforts made towards their progress. Even in cases where some effort has been made, information about these measures is not available to persons with disabilities and their family members, who are consequently unable to avail of them. Additionally, the insensitivity of rules/ schemes/ procedures/ persons makes it difficult for persons with disabilities to benefit from them. However, regardless of the reason, the fact remains that there is a huge gap in the communication of information from policy makers, administrators and law makers to persons with disabilities as well as their family members, organisations and other concerned groups and institutions.

It is extremely important to bridge this information gap in order to enable persons with disabilities to participate equally in development. Better access to information will enable them to avail of schemes/provisions for their benefit and will consequently enable governments to assess whether they have made adequate provision in various domains as well as identify gaps which need to be addressed.
Finally, accessibility of information will also facilitate the participation of government and persons with disabilities in implementation of measures and increase transparency and accountability

With this aim in mind, The Hans Foundation decided to engage with Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) to put together a comprehensive resource on disability related policies across India. It gives us great pleasure to publish this resource and we hope that it be of great help to the community.

Ms. Sweta Rawat
Chairperson
The Hans Foundation

Click to download the PDF version of the book here. (File size 1.72 Mb approx.)

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-compendium-of-laws-policies-programmes-for-persons-with-disabilities

N.C.P.E.D.P. and BarrierBreak Technologies put forward National Policy on Electronic Accessibility

sachia — 2011-04-02T15:43:42Z

Article in Disability News and Information Service, 15 July 2009

D.N.I.S. News Network: National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (N.C.P.E.D.P.) in association with BarrierBreak Technologies has come up with a draft for a National Policy on Electronic Accessibility. The objective of the policy is to provide persons with disabilities equal access to electronic and information and communication technology and services. This policy expands on the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which India has ratified.

Shilpi Kapoor, Managing Director, BarrierBreak Technologies says, “Technology today is there in all aspects of life. Using electronic and information and communication technology, we can bridge the barriers that exist for persons with disabilities. Such a policy needs to be applicable across different ministries and departments.”

The National Policy on Electronic Accessibility emphasizes the importance of creating awareness on accessibility and universal design and creating and implementing standards and guidelines. It also aims at promoting research and development in the area of universal design and assistive technology and independent living aids and schemes in the area of accessible electronic and information and communication technology.

The policy also emphasizes the importance of building capacity to ensure that accessible products and services can be developed in India.

Nirmita Narasimhan, Programme Manager, Centre for Internet and Society, feels positive about the draft. "Having a National Electronic Accessibility Policy would be an extremely positive move for India towards bridging the digital divide; it will serve as a leading example to other developing countries to take similar initiatives and create a truly inclusive and accessible world," she said.

The draft will be placed before N.C.P.E.D.P.’s Core Group on Communication and Information Technology in its meeting on July 23 and the National Committee on the Rights of People with Disabilities on July 24. Once the policy is approved at these two forums, it will be placed before the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for their consideration.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/news/n.c.p.e.d.p.-and-barrierbreak-technologies-put-forward-national-policy-on-electronic-accessibility

Most popular smartphone apps inaccessible to disabled: Study

praskrishna — 2016-12-10T05:12:25Z

Booking cabs, buying food and making payments online seem like they're just a swipe and a tap away, but for millions of disabled Indians, these apps are not designed for them to use.

The article was published by ET Telecom on December 7, 2016. Nirmita Narasimhan was quoted.

Booking cabs, buying food and making payments online seem like they're just a swipe and a tap away, but for millions of disabled Indians, these apps are not designed for them to use.

According to a study conducted by Centre for Internet and Society last month, many of the most-commonly used mobile apps for food delivery, online payments, grocery shopping and transportation were not accessible to the visually challenged. The study covered 22 popular apps. The 2011 census puts the number of disabled in the country at 26 million, while advocacy groups say the real figure is closer to 150 million. Last year, India recorded nearly nine billion downloads of mobile-based applications last year.

"The national policy for universal electronic accessibility says that all IT products and services should be accessible. However, the government is still unable to implement it. Several government apps are inaccessible," said Nirmita Narasimhan, policy director at CIS. CIS's survey of some key government mobile-based applications like MyGov, EPathshala and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official app found them to be severely lacking. The illiterate, aged and those not proficient in English would also struggle with the apps, the study found. The guidelines for government websites laid out accessibility standards in 2009. The 2013 national policy on universal electronic accessibility clearly upholds equal rights "ensuring that accessibility standards and guidelines and universal design concepts are adopted and adhered to."

However, most commonly-used app fail to follow this. All 22 of the apps studied were privately-owned but not all were fully compliant with universal standards. Of taxi-hailing apps Meru, Ola and Uber, only Uber was completely accessible to the disabled. The others had mis-labelled or unlabeled buttons and graphics.

When it came to food delivery, Zomato was the best at replicating the user experience for disabled people. Swiggy and Foodpanda were difficult for new users, and Freshmenu was completely inaccessible.

Of the marketplace apps, Amazon and Snapdeal were the only accessible ones. Myntra and Flipkart had incorrectly labelled buttons and misleading graphic tags, which made them impossible for the disabled to use. For instance, customers would be able to select the product they wanted to buy but had no way of choosing the quantity, the study said.

Online grocery delivery apps Grofers and Zop Now were hard for the disabled to use, while Big Basket was relatively better though pages change during orders. Online payment portals Paytm, Oxigen and FreeCharge were relatively accessible, the study found.

"Designers, developers and industries need to realize that there are more people out there who use this technology. The market is much bigger and they should work towards being inclusive," said Narasimhan of CIS.

Albinder Dhinda, co-founder of grocery delivery service Grofers, said their app meets all accessibility requirements. "However, the disability tools provided by Google Play Store or the App Store often don't benefit the user and are hard for them to use. We are trying to make it better. Things like online payments won't be accessible to the disabled as those apps are supported by third-party sites, and don't fall within our settings. We're trying to make it better. We're three years behind the US, in the playground they made. It'll be a while before we reach their level," he said.

The national policy for universal electronic accessibility says that all IT products and services should be accessible. However, the government is still unable to implement it. Several government apps are inaccessible

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/accessibility/news/et-telecom-december-7-2016-most-popular-smartphone-apps-inaccessible-to-disabled-study