“Let be positive in negative situation.” -Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
THE SCHEDULE
[See clause (zc) of section 2]
SPECIFIED DISABILITY
1. Physical disability.—
A. Locomotor disability (a person’s inability to execute distinctive activities associated with
movement of self and objects resulting from affliction of musculoskeletal or nervous system or both),
including—
(a) “leprosy cured person” means a person who has been cured of leprosy but is suffering
from—
(i) loss of sensation in hands or feet as well as loss of sensation and paresis in the eye and
eye-lid but with no manifest deformity;
(ii) manifest deformity and paresis but having sufficient mobility in their hands and feet
to enable them to engage in normal economic activity;
(iii) extreme physical deformity as well as advanced age which prevents him/her from
undertaking any gainful occupation, and the expression “leprosy cured” shall construed
accordingly;
(b) “cerebral palsy” means a Group of non-progressive neurological condition affecting body
movements and muscle coordination, caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the
brain, usually occurring before, during or shortly after birth;
(c) “dwarfism” means a medical or genetic condition resulting in an adult height of 4 feet 10
inches (147 centimeters) or less;
(d) “muscular dystrophy” means a group of hereditary genetic muscle disease that weakens
the muscles that move the human body and persons with multiple dystrophy have incorrect and
missing information in their genes, which prevents them from making the proteins they need for
healthy muscles. It is characterised by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle
proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue;
(e) “acid attack victims” means a person disfigured due to violent assaults by throwing of
acid or similar corrosive substance.
B. Visual impairment—
(a) “blindness” means a condition where a person has any of the following conditions, after
best correction—
(i) total absence of sight; or
(ii) visual acuity less than 3/60 or less than 10/200 (Snellen) in the better eye with best
possible correction; or
(iii) limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of less than 10 degree.
(b) “low-vision” means a condition where a person has any of the following conditons,
namely:—
(i) visual acuity not exceeding 6/18 or less than 20/60 upto 3/60 or upto 10/200 (Snellen)
in the better eye with best possible corrections; or
(ii) limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of less than 40 degree up to 10
degree.
C. Hearing impairment—
(a) “deaf” means persons having 70 DB hearing loss in speech frequencies in both ears;
(b) “hard of hearing” means person having 60 DB to 70 DB hearing loss in speech
frequencies in both ears;
D. “speech and language disability” means a permanent disability arising out of conditions such
as laryngectomy or aphasia affecting one or more components of speech and language due to organic
or neurological causes.
2. Intellectual disability, a condition characterised by significant limitation both in intellectual
functioning (rasoning, learning, problem solving) and in adaptive behaviour which covers a range of
every day, social and practical skills, including—
(a) “specific learning disabilities” means a heterogeneous group of conditions wherein there is a
deficit in processing language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself as a difficulty to
comprehend, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations and includes such
conditions as perceptual disabilities, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and developmental
aphasia;
(b) “autism spectrum disorder” means a neuro-developmental condition typically appearing in the
first three years of life that significantly affects a person's ability to communicate, understand
relationships and relate to others, and is frequently associated with unusal or stereotypical rituals or
behaviours.
3. Mental behaviour,—
“mental illness” means a substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation or
memory that grossly impairs judgment, behaviour, capacity to recognise reality or ability to meet the
ordinary demands of life, but does not include retardation which is a conditon of arrested or
incomplete development of mind of a person, specially characterised by subnormality of intelligence.
4. Disability caused due to—
(a) chronic neurological conditions, such as—
(i) “multiple sclerosis” means an inflammatory, nervous system disease in which the myelin
sheaths around the axons of nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to
demyelination and affecting the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate
with each other;
(ii) “parkinson's disease” means a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by
tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly affecting middle-aged and
elderly people associated with degeneration of the basal ganglia of the brain and a deficiency of
the neurotransmitter dopamine.
(b) Blood disorder—
(i) “haemophilia” means an inheritable disease, usually affecting only male but transmitted by
women to their male children, characterised by loss or impairment of the normal clotting ability
of blood so that a minor would may result in fatal bleeding;
(ii) “thalassemia” means a group of inherited disorders characterised by reduced or absent
amounts of haemoglobin.
(iii) “sickle cell disease” means a hemolytic disorder characterised by chronic anemia, painful
events, and various complications due to associated tissue and organ damage; “hemolytic” refers
to the destruction of the cell membrane of red blood cells resulting in the release of hemoglobin.
5. Multiple Disabilities (more than one of the above specified disabilities) including deaf blindness
which means a condition in which a person may have combination of hearing and visual impairments
causing severe communication, developmental, and educational problems.
6. Any other category as may be notified by the Central Government.
[See clause (zc) of section 2]
SPECIFIED DISABILITY
1. Physical disability.—
A. Locomotor disability (a person’s inability to execute distinctive activities associated with
movement of self and objects resulting from affliction of musculoskeletal or nervous system or both),
including—
(a) “leprosy cured person” means a person who has been cured of leprosy but is suffering
from—
(i) loss of sensation in hands or feet as well as loss of sensation and paresis in the eye and
eye-lid but with no manifest deformity;
(ii) manifest deformity and paresis but having sufficient mobility in their hands and feet
to enable them to engage in normal economic activity;
(iii) extreme physical deformity as well as advanced age which prevents him/her from
undertaking any gainful occupation, and the expression “leprosy cured” shall construed
accordingly;
(b) “cerebral palsy” means a Group of non-progressive neurological condition affecting body
movements and muscle coordination, caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the
brain, usually occurring before, during or shortly after birth;
(c) “dwarfism” means a medical or genetic condition resulting in an adult height of 4 feet 10
inches (147 centimeters) or less;
(d) “muscular dystrophy” means a group of hereditary genetic muscle disease that weakens
the muscles that move the human body and persons with multiple dystrophy have incorrect and
missing information in their genes, which prevents them from making the proteins they need for
healthy muscles. It is characterised by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle
proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue;
(e) “acid attack victims” means a person disfigured due to violent assaults by throwing of
acid or similar corrosive substance.
B. Visual impairment—
(a) “blindness” means a condition where a person has any of the following conditions, after
best correction—
(i) total absence of sight; or
(ii) visual acuity less than 3/60 or less than 10/200 (Snellen) in the better eye with best
possible correction; or
(iii) limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of less than 10 degree.
(b) “low-vision” means a condition where a person has any of the following conditons,
namely:—
(i) visual acuity not exceeding 6/18 or less than 20/60 upto 3/60 or upto 10/200 (Snellen)
in the better eye with best possible corrections; or
(ii) limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of less than 40 degree up to 10
degree.
C. Hearing impairment—
(a) “deaf” means persons having 70 DB hearing loss in speech frequencies in both ears;
(b) “hard of hearing” means person having 60 DB to 70 DB hearing loss in speech
frequencies in both ears;
D. “speech and language disability” means a permanent disability arising out of conditions such
as laryngectomy or aphasia affecting one or more components of speech and language due to organic
or neurological causes.
2. Intellectual disability, a condition characterised by significant limitation both in intellectual
functioning (rasoning, learning, problem solving) and in adaptive behaviour which covers a range of
every day, social and practical skills, including—
(a) “specific learning disabilities” means a heterogeneous group of conditions wherein there is a
deficit in processing language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself as a difficulty to
comprehend, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations and includes such
conditions as perceptual disabilities, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and developmental
aphasia;
(b) “autism spectrum disorder” means a neuro-developmental condition typically appearing in the
first three years of life that significantly affects a person's ability to communicate, understand
relationships and relate to others, and is frequently associated with unusal or stereotypical rituals or
behaviours.
3. Mental behaviour,—
“mental illness” means a substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation or
memory that grossly impairs judgment, behaviour, capacity to recognise reality or ability to meet the
ordinary demands of life, but does not include retardation which is a conditon of arrested or
incomplete development of mind of a person, specially characterised by subnormality of intelligence.
4. Disability caused due to—
(a) chronic neurological conditions, such as—
(i) “multiple sclerosis” means an inflammatory, nervous system disease in which the myelin
sheaths around the axons of nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to
demyelination and affecting the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate
with each other;
(ii) “parkinson's disease” means a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by
tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly affecting middle-aged and
elderly people associated with degeneration of the basal ganglia of the brain and a deficiency of
the neurotransmitter dopamine.
(b) Blood disorder—
(i) “haemophilia” means an inheritable disease, usually affecting only male but transmitted by
women to their male children, characterised by loss or impairment of the normal clotting ability
of blood so that a minor would may result in fatal bleeding;
(ii) “thalassemia” means a group of inherited disorders characterised by reduced or absent
amounts of haemoglobin.
(iii) “sickle cell disease” means a hemolytic disorder characterised by chronic anemia, painful
events, and various complications due to associated tissue and organ damage; “hemolytic” refers
to the destruction of the cell membrane of red blood cells resulting in the release of hemoglobin.
5. Multiple Disabilities (more than one of the above specified disabilities) including deaf blindness
which means a condition in which a person may have combination of hearing and visual impairments
causing severe communication, developmental, and educational problems.
6. Any other category as may be notified by the Central Government.