India is the largest democratic country with a population of over a billion people and with one of the highest densities of population in the world. It is geographically and ethnically heterogeneous with numerous languages, religions and customs. The people with disabilities have been the largest minority group. The disabled persons are those who suffer some kind of bodily impairment that interfere with their normal functioning. Indian heritage has viewed persons with disabilities as contributing members of the larger society. Services for persons with disabilities have grown gradually in India. In pre independent India there were few special schools for children who were blind or deaf established by voluntary organization. When the constitution of India was framed in 1950, articles under the directive principle of State Policy emphasized the Right to Education, employment (Article 41) and Free and Compulsory Education for all children under 14 years old (Article 45). With the literacy rate generally improving, (16% in 1951 to 36% in 1981; Narasimhan and Mukharjee, 1986, 65.4% census, 2011), focus on education of children with disabilities gained importance. A major turning point in the rehabilitation of persons with disability was the paradigm shift from charity to rights; sympathy to equality, as indicated by the ‘Persons with Disabilities Act 1995’, which promotes equal opportunity, protection of rights, and full participation of persons with disabilities (Kundu,2000).
[1] Assistant Professor, Avila College of Education , Edacochin. Cochin-10.
[2] Lecturer in English, SUM College of teacher Education, Kannur
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