10 years of the RPWD Act: What has changed for persons with disabilities in India?
This article is authored by NS Senthil Kumar, chief executive officer, Association of People with Disability.
When the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act was enacted in 2016, it marked a fundamental shift in India’s approach to disability, from charity and welfare to rights, dignity, and participation. By expanding recognised disabilities from seven to 21 categories and aligning policy with the UNCRPD, the Act laid down an ambitious blueprint for systemic inclusion. Ten years on, the promise is clear. The progress, however, remains uneven.
The language of rights has entered mainstream discourse, influencing policy, institutional practices, and public awareness. Disability is no longer viewed solely through a welfare lens, but increasingly as a matter of entitlement, participation, and citizenship. Schemes such as the Unique Disability ID (UDID) have enhanced access to benefits and improved the portability of services. Accessibility has become a national priority through initiatives like the Accessible India Campaign, while voting processes in several states have become more inclusive through accessible polling booths and assistive measures.
Equally significant is the growing role of civil society and community-led advocacy. Across the country, persons with disabilities and caregivers are engaging more actively with governance systems, demanding accountability, and shaping local solutions. This shift from beneficiaries to rights-holders represents one of the most powerful outcomes of the RPWD framework.
The most critical among them is the absence of reliable, granular data on disability. While the expansion from seven to 21 disabilities is progressive, national surveys and screening systems have not yet fully adapted. India still lacks a robust disability registry, limiting evidence-based planning across health, education, and rehabilitation. Without accurate data, policy design remains constrained, and service delivery often fragmented.
{{/usCountry}}The most critical among them is the absence of reliable, granular data on disability. While the expansion from seven to 21 disabilities is progressive, national surveys and screening systems have not yet fully adapted. India still lacks a robust disability registry, limiting evidence-based planning across health, education, and rehabilitation. Without accurate data, policy design remains constrained, and service delivery often fragmented.
{{/usCountry}}Accessibility, though prioritised, continues to progress unevenly. A March 2025 Rajya Sabha reply from the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) notes that 1,723 public buildings were retrofitted under AIC. However, CAG audits reveal significant gaps in implementation. In a sample of 170 retrofitting projects across older buildings handled by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), only 20% had completed mandatory pre-retrofit accessibility audits. Further, post-retrofitting accessibility audits were not conducted in 60 of these 170 buildings, according to the report.
{{/usCountry}}Accessibility, though prioritised, continues to progress unevenly. A March 2025 Rajya Sabha reply from the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) notes that 1,723 public buildings were retrofitted under AIC. However, CAG audits reveal significant gaps in implementation. In a sample of 170 retrofitting projects across older buildings handled by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), only 20% had completed mandatory pre-retrofit accessibility audits. Further, post-retrofitting accessibility audits were not conducted in 60 of these 170 buildings, according to the report.
{{/usCountry}}Despite audits and retrofitting efforts, public infrastructure across cities and towns remains largely inaccessible. The intent of the law is clear, but implementation has been slower than the scale and urgency of the task demands. These everyday barriers don’t remain confined to streets and buildings; they shape how people learn, move, and participate from a very early age.
This is most visible in education. While inclusive education is widely endorsed, mainstream schools often lack trained teachers, adaptive curricula, assistive technologies, and accessible environments. As a result, dropout rates among Children With Special Needs (CWSN) remain high, with CWSN enrolment dropping sharply from 2% at primary to 1.4% at higher secondary levels amid retention gaps, per Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) 2024-25 analysis. Strengthening this pipeline is essential, not only for social inclusion but for long-term economic participation. When early access is compromised, future opportunity narrows.
This narrowing of opportunity directly influences employment outcomes. According to the PwD Inclusion Index 2025, while reservations and corporate diversity initiatives have created some entry points, workforce participation of persons with disabilities (PwDs) in corporate India remains below 1%. With representation heavily concentrated in entry-level and blue-collar roles, and a negligible presence in white-collar and leadership positions. Moving from token inclusion to systemic integration requires sustained investment in workplace accessibility, skills development, and inclusive organisational cultures.
Yet, these gaps also highlight why this conversation is particularly relevant today. As life expectancy rises and non-communicable diseases increase, disability will touch more families, more frequently. Inclusion, therefore, is no longer a sectoral concern; it is a core development priority.
Equally, there is growing recognition that inclusive systems drive economic productivity, innovation, and social resilience. Investing in disability inclusion is not merely social spending; it is strategic nation-building.
The next decade must therefore focus on deepening implementation, through data-driven governance, stronger institutional capacity, meaningful enforcement, and partnerships across government, private sector, and civil society.
Ten years after the RPWD Act, the framework is in place, public awareness has grown, and early momentum is visible. The task ahead is to convert intent into impact, ensuring that every person with disability in India experiences not just legal recognition, but real opportunity, dignity, and participation.
This article is authored by NS Senthil Kumar, chief executive officer, Association of People with Disability.
