Recognition by the law: a victory for people with autism

While a new law recognises autism as a disability, there are still battles to be won in the educational system

Mumbai: This month, the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act, passed by Parliament in December 2016, will come into operation. The Act is being hailed as a game-changer for people with autism; for the first time ever, the neurodevelopmental disorder has found mention in the law, along with 20 other conditions. Importantly, it will open avenues for higher education and employment for those dealing with autism, giving them an opportunity to be a part of the mainstream.

For disability rights advocates, it is a major battle won. Just getting autism categorised as a disability within the Act has been a decade-long struggle, says Parul Kumtha, Founding Trustee and President of the Forum for Autism (FFA), a parents’ support group. “The new Act was passed after a lot of follow-up with the government and a strong push from various parents’ groups and others working for autism.” While this is a big step, there is more to accomplish. The next level of the struggle is to gain concessions in colleges for children with autism. For instance, with examinations, the Forum has been trying for some time to get extra time for the children to write their papers, to have writers allowed, as with children with visual or other physical disabilities, and to allow them to appear for board examinations from their own schools rather than a new centre (among other things, a change of scene can be very unsettling for people with autism).

With increasing awareness about the disorder and the push from parents, most schools have started offering these aids. But colleges are yet to follow suit. Ms. Kumtha says, “With the new Act in place, colleges will also have to provide these facilities. This will help in better education of people with autism and hence open up mainstream employment avenues.”

Children with autism often show above average intelligence; many excel in creative fields like craft and drawing. “The right kind of approach can help in placing them in jobs across sectors,” says Babita Raja, who work with the FFA.

The Right of Persons with Disabilities Act had a 3% reservation for the disabled in higher education institutions and government jobs. The cut-off has now been increased to 5%. “Now that autism has been recognised as a disability, people with this disorder can avail of the job quota as well,” says Ms. Raja, who has a 23-year-old autistic son. “All their basic rights will come under the government ambit now.”