Understanding Disability Categories: Definitions and Criteria Under 1995 and 1999 Acts for Disabilities and Severe Disabilities.

The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 defines "disability" to include blindness, low vision, leprosy-cured, hearing impairment, loco motor disability, mental retardation, and mental illness. The National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999 expands this to include autism, cerebral palsy, and multiple disabilities. A "person with disability" is someone with at least 40% disability, while a "person with severe disability" has 80% or more disability. "Severe disability" involves 80% or more of one or more multiple disabilities.

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