The Beginning

India did not have any ACT to protect the needs of a person with disabilities. For many years disability in India was almost like a punishment for the sins of the previous life. However today the picture is quite different. The first stone in this journey was etched in 1973. All India federation of the Deaf invited the then Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi as the chief Guest for the celebrations of International Day of Deaf. Looking at Deaf people for the first time our late Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi announced the 3% reservation in 3 categories :- Deaf and Dumb; Blind ; Locomotors Disabilities . 21 years later in 1994 a committee was set up to draft the People’s With Disabilities Act. Dr Onkar Sharma specifically for the disabled in our country.

From here on people with disability were treated with sympathy and charity. In 2006 the UNCRPD was approved by the United Nations. The World Federation of the Deaf was a member of the committee drafting the UNCRPD. The Govt of India ratified the UNCRPD on 1st Oct 2007. A lot of hard work, dedication and determination by Disabled Rights Group [DRG] lobbied with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to set up a drafting committee for the New Disability Law. The Ministry set up the committee and had a hard of Hearing person as a representative of the Deaf. The DRG and NAD protested and were finally heard. This led to the addition of one more representative from the Deaf community. Mr A.S.Narayanan, General Secretary of NAD.

Two years of hard work on the draft Rights of Persons with Disabilities [RPWD] Bill the committee finally had the Bill ready in 2012.