The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 remains only a legal document without intense sensitisation of government…

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 marked a paradigm shift by expanding recognized disabilities from 7 to 21 and establishing a rights-based framework aligned with the UNCRPD. However, without widespread sensitisation, progressive legislation risks remaining a paper tiger.

Attitudinal and Administrative Gaps: Society persistently clings to a pity-charity model rather than a rights-based approach, perpetuating stigma in education, marriage, and employment. Among government functionaries, low disability budgeting, tardy creation of accessible public infrastructure, and under-resourced State Disability Commissioners severely impede implementation.

Citizen and Institutional Deficits: Citizens and employers remain largely unaware of statutory mandates like "reasonable accommodation" and grievance redressal avenues. Simultaneously, governance lacks structural empathy due to scarce disability etiquette training for bureaucrats, sign language interpreters in courts, and inclusive education modules for schoolteachers.

Translating the Act into ground reality requires mandatory disability audits, community-based rehabilitation, stronger District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRCs) and the mandatory accessibility standards the Supreme Court demanded in Rajive Raturi (2024), to build an inclusive society anchored in empathy rather than mere legal compliance.