Chapter III: The Principles of the Act

All provisions of the present act will be by the following principles:

1. Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including freedom to make one’s own informed choices and independence of persons which governed means that Persons with disability should be seen as individuals in their own right (as opposed to only being members of a family, community or a group of beneficiaries) and that Persons with disability should be treated with dignity and should have the opportunity, support and access to information to make their own decisions. The appropriate government must ensure respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy, informed choices and independence.
2. Non discrimination and Equality of Opportunity which means that Persons with disability should not be discriminated against on account of being disabled, Persons with disability should be seen to have similar needs with substantively equal access to different and specific ways of fulfilling these needs. The appropriate government will ensure non discrimination on the basis of disability
3. Dual discrimination on the basis of poverty and disability which means that the negative impact of poverty on persons with disability (including the magnification of poverty due to disability) must be acknowledged and addressed by the appropriate government in all its policies and programs especially those for poverty alleviation and social security
4. Persons with disability face multiple difficulties and thus are subject to multiple or aggravated forms of discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic, indigenous or social origin including caste, property, birth, age or other status. The risk of such multiple vulnerability increases in times of conflict and disaster. The appropriate government will ensure non discrimination of all Persons with disability who are multiply vulnerable
5. Full and effective participation which means that Persons with disability should be able to participate and make decisions regarding their own lives and should be able to contribute to decision making regarding the community that they belong to. Such processes of participation should not label or isolate Persons with disability. The appropriate government must ensure full and effective participation of Persons with disability
6. Respect for differences and acceptance of all persons with disability as part of human diversity which means that all Persons are different from each other and the human experience and human form has range of ways of being and that disabled Persons represent a part of such a continuum
7. Accessibility which means (to be added by Shivani)
8. Equality between men and women which means men and women are equal and must have an equal access to resources
9. Women and girls with disabilities are often at greater risk, both within and outside the home, of discrimination, violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation. The appropriate government will ensure the non discrimination of women with disabilities and protection from neglect, abuse, maltreatment and exploitation
10. Children with disabilities should have full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis
11. Respect for evolving capacities of children and persons with disabilities which means that the abilities of all children and persons with disabilities are likely to progressively surface, unfold, develop or change specially when the children and persons experience facilitative and enabling environments
12. Respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities which means that all children with disabilities have a right to experience environments which help them develop and integrate multifarious identities including that of being a disabled person
13. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society in India and is entitled to protection by society and the State, and that persons with disabilities and their family members should receive the necessary protection and assistance to enable families to contribute towards the full and equal enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities. When the rights of any person with disability are infringed, violated or in conflict with his/ her family, the appropriate government will ensure the protection of the rights of person with disability and support him/ her through other mechanisms and not through family