A high-level inter-departmental committee has rejected recommendations to include nine medical conditions such as asthma, epilepsy, and single-sided deafness in the list of recognized disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act.
The nine conditions reviewed were palmoplantar keratoderma, single-sided deafness, epilepsy, Factor-XIII deficiency, ichthyosis, asthma, laryngectomy, vital organ failure, and ostomy. The committee met on August 20 under the leadership of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), with DEPwD Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal chairing the session. After examining stakeholder inputs, the panel concluded that none of these conditions met the criteria for inclusion as specified disabilities.
Regarding palmoplantar keratoderma, the panel noted that most affected individuals experience only minor physical issues, and more severe cases can be covered under the existing locomotor disability category. For single-sided deafness, though hearing is lost in one ear, the overall disability percentage does not reach the required threshold because the calculation is based on hearing ability in both ears.
On epilepsy, the committee pointed out that chronic drug-resistant epilepsy is already acknowledged under “chronic neurological conditions” in the March 2024 disability assessment guidelines, so no further listing was deemed necessary. Factor-XIII deficiency, a rare bleeding disorder, was found to seldom cause significant physical impairment and can be subsumed under other existing disability categories if needed.
Ichthyosis, a skin disease, typically causes mild restrictions, with severe cases fitting under locomotor disability provisions. Asthma, classified as a chronic but manageable illness, was considered unsuitable for inclusion since it does not produce long-term disability. The panel confirmed that laryngectomy is already recognized as a permanent disability impacting speech and language under recent DEPwD guidelines.
Medical conditions such as vital organ failure were determined to require clinical interventions like treatment or transplantation, making them more appropriate for healthcare schemes than disability recognition. The committee also ruled out ostomy, since it is a medical procedure that may be reversible and does not constitute a permanent disability.
Taken together, the High-Powered Inter-Departmental Committee recommended against adding any of these nine conditions to the Schedule of specified disabilities under the RPwD Act, 2016.
The meeting included senior representatives from the ministries of health, education, women and child development, along with experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), AIIMS, National Medical Commission, and Directorate General of Health Services.
Inclusion in the RPwD Act’s Schedule grants affected individuals formal acknowledgment as persons with disabilities, enabling access to a range of government benefits such as education and employment reservations, financial aid for assistive tools, and legal protection against discrimination.
