Twenty-one specific types of disabilities are widely recognized, particularly under comprehensive legal frameworks such as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, in India. This landmark legislation significantly expanded the categories of disability from previous, more limited definitions, ensuring a broader and more inclusive understanding of the diverse challenges faced by individuals.
Comprehensive List of 21 Disabilities
The expanded list acknowledges a wider spectrum of conditions, moving beyond earlier, more limited definitions. These categories encompass a range of physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental conditions, aiming to provide targeted support and recognition.
S.No. | Type of Disability | Description |
---|---|---|
1. | Blindness | A condition where a person has no sight or has a visual acuity less than 3/60 or 10/200 (Snellen) in the better eye with correcting lenses, or limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of 10 degrees or less. |
2. | Low-vision | Refers to a condition where a person has a visual acuity not exceeding 6/18 or 20/60 (Snellen) in the better eye with correcting lenses, or limitation of the field of vision subtending an angle of 40 degrees or less but greater than 10 degrees. |
3. | Leprosy Cured Person | People who have been cured of leprosy but are suffering from loss of sensation in hands or feet, or deformities and paralysis, or severe disability in the eyes, preventing them from engaging in any gainful occupation. |
4. | Hearing Impairment (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) | Hearing loss means loss of 60 decibels or more in the better ear in the conversational range of frequencies. Deaf refers to persons having 70 dB hearing loss or more in the speech frequencies in both ears. Hard of Hearing refers to persons with 60 dB to 70 dB hearing loss in the speech frequencies in both ears. |
5. | Locomotor Disability | Refers to 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. This includes conditions like loss of a limb, cerebral palsy, or polio. |
6. | Dwarfism | A medical or genetic condition resulting in an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches (147 centimeters) or less. |
7. | Intellectual Disability | A condition characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and in adaptive behavior, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills. Also known as mental retardation. |
8. | Mental Illness | A substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation, or memory that grossly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life. It does not include mental retardation. |
9. | Cerebral Palsy | A group of permanent disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture, caused by non-progressive disturbances that occur in the developing fetal or infant brain. |
10. | Specific Learning Disabilities | A group of conditions that affect a person’s ability to acquire or use: (a) listening, (b) speaking, (c) reading, (d) writing, (e) reasoning, or (f) mathematical abilities. This can include dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. |
11. | Autism Spectrum Disorder | A neuro-developmental condition characterized by challenges with social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. |
12. | Multiple Sclerosis | A chronic, typically progressive disease involving damage to the sheaths of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, whose symptoms may include numbness, impairment of speech and of muscular coordination, blurred vision, and severe fatigue. |
13. | Parkinson's Disease | A progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. Symptoms often start gradually and worsen over time, including tremors, stiffness, slowness of movement, and impaired balance. |
14. | Haemophilia | A rare genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This can lead to prolonged bleeding after injury or surgery, or spontaneous bleeding. |
15. | Thalassemia | An inherited blood disorder that causes your body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Hemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to all parts of the body. |
16. | Sickle Cell Disease | A group of inherited red blood cell disorders where red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a sickle. This can block blood flow, causing pain and organ damage. |
17. | Multiple Disabilities | A combination of two or more disabilities, such as deaf-blindness, which causes a significant level of support need in more than one area. |
18. | Acid Attack Victim | Refers to a person disfigured due to violent assaults involving the throwing of acid or similar corrosive substances. This results in severe and permanent disfigurement, often affecting mobility and sensory functions. |
19. | Muscular Dystrophy | A group of genetic diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. In muscular dystrophy, abnormal genes interfere with the production of proteins needed to form healthy muscle. |
20. | Chronic Neurological Conditions | Conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, which are typically long-term and progressive. Examples include epilepsy, stroke, dementia, and motor neuron disease. |
21. | Speech and Language Disability | A permanent disability resulting from conditions such as Laryngeal cancer or Aphasia affecting the ability to speak and understand, making communication difficult. |
These categories serve as a comprehensive framework for identifying individuals who may require specific accommodations, support, and interventions to ensure their full participation in society and to protect their rights.
Why 21 Types?
The expansion to 21 types of disabilities reflects an evolving understanding of disability from a purely medical model to a more holistic social and human rights model. This broader classification aims to recognize a wider range of impairments that significantly impact an individual's life, ensuring greater inclusivity and better access to entitlements and services for a more diverse population of persons with disabilities. It acknowledges the complexity and varied nature of disabilities and the necessity for comprehensive support systems that address unique needs.