On August 20, a high-powered central inter-departmental committee rejected proposals to include nine medical conditions on the list of disabilities specified under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act. Including them would grant legal recognition to the affected as ‘persons with disabilities’, making them eligible to government welfare schemes, reservation in education and employment, greater inclusivity without discrimination, and financial support for assistive devices.
The nine rejected medical conditions are palmoplantar keratoderma (disorder in which the palm and sole skins thicken due to genetics, internal malignancy or infections), single-sided deafness, epilepsy, Factor-XIII deficiency (a rare disorder due to deficiency in Factor XIII protein that stabilises blood clots), ichthyosis (a skin disorder featuring mild to severe dry, thickened and scaly skin due to genetic factors, or acquired later in life due to medical reasons), asthma, laryngectomy (surgical removal of the voice box due to cancer or severe damage), vital organ failure, and ostomy (surgically-made opening, called stoma, in the intestines during colostomy, ileostomy, or gastrostomy to allow excretion of waste).