Navigating the Present and Anticipating the Future of ICT for Disabilities

According to the Observer Research Foundation, there are approximately 40-90 million people with disabilities in India – roughly 4 to 8 percent of the population. For this community, access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is not a convenience; it is a gateway to education, employment, healthcare, and independent living. Yet for much of history, digital tools were designed without them in mind. That reality is now changing – driven by progressive legislation, growing NGO initiatives, international human rights commitments, and innovations like AI-powered assistive apps. This post examines where India stands today in applying ICT for persons with disabilities, and where the trajectory is headed.

The scale of the challenge: disability and digital exclusion in India 🔗

Being excluded from ICT-enabled services means more than missing out on the internet. As the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) notes, being shut out of ICT-enabled applications cuts people off not just from the information society, but from essential public services and the opportunity to live an independent life. In India, persons with disabilities face intersecting barriers – physical, economic, and attitudinal – that compound this exclusion. Many live in rural areas where even basic internet connectivity is unreliable, while accessible devices remain unaffordable for most. These twin challenges of access and affordability form the core difficulty that any effective ICT strategy must confront.

From welfare to rights: the UNCRPD turning point 🔗

The conceptual framework around disability in India underwent a significant transformation after the country’s engagement with international human rights law. India ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2007, aligning itself with the global shift towards a rights-based approach that values dignity, equality, and full inclusion. This was more than a diplomatic gesture – it fundamentally repositioned persons with disabilities from passive recipients of charity to active rights-holders.

The UNCRPD, adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2006, marks a movement from viewing persons with disabilities as “objects” of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing them as “subjects” with rights. In practice, this shift meant that accessible ICT was no longer optional goodwill – it became a legal obligation that states were required to fulfil.

In response to its UNCRPD commitments, India enacted the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, which replaced earlier welfare-oriented legislation and is widely considered a landmark effort to translate treaty commitments into enforceable rights. The Act expanded the definition of disability from 7 to 21 conditions and shifted toward a rights-based paradigm – for the first time making accessibility, including ICT accessibility, a legal entitlement rather than a welfare measure.

Government initiatives shaping the current ICT landscape 🔗

Several central government programmes now directly address ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities in India. Together, they represent a layered effort spanning infrastructure, standards, and assistive devices.

Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) 🔗

Launched on 3 December 2015, the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan addresses long-standing barriers faced by persons with disabilities. It focuses on achieving universal accessibility across three key domains – built infrastructure, transport systems and information and communication technology (ICT) – ensuring equal access and participation for all. On the digital front, this campaign has pushed government ministries to audit and upgrade their websites and digital platforms for accessibility compliance.

MeitY’s accessibility standards and digital tools 🔗

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has been at the forefront of promoting inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities, undertaking initiatives that include the formulation of ICT Accessibility Standards, Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW), Punarjjani, sign language accessibility for e-governance services, and a Virtual-Reality-based Assistive System for Learning and Assessment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. These are not peripheral projects – they represent attempts to embed accessibility into the foundational architecture of India’s digital public infrastructure.

A major milestone came in 2023 when IS-17802 was introduced under Rule 15 of the RPWD, titled “Accessibility for the ICT Products and Services.” This standard strengthens provisions regarding ICT products and services, mandates accessibility standards for all establishments – public or private – and aligns with global standards including WCAG 2.1 and EN 301 549. Compliance is no longer voluntary: the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) has been imposing penalties on establishments, including government ministries and private organizations, for failing to make their websites, mobile apps, and digital platforms accessible.

ADIP scheme and assistive devices 🔗

The Assistance to Disabled Persons (ADIP) scheme, run by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), subsidises assistive devices – including digital tools – for eligible individuals. A poignant illustration of its impact: a three-year-old girl from Nagpur diagnosed with bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss underwent cochlear implant surgery under the ADIP scheme. Eleven months after implantation, she could comprehend sounds, speak familiar words clearly, and follow verbal commands. Such cases demonstrate that when ICT-enabled assistive technology is made financially accessible, the outcomes can be transformative.

Recent initiatives at scale 🔗

Marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in December 2024, the government launched 16 new initiatives. These included a Sugamya Bharat Yatra programme inviting persons with disabilities to assess public spaces’ accessibility using an AI-enabled app, the E-Sanidhya portal for neurodiverse individuals, and a draft for a standardised Bharti Braille code in 13 Indian languages compatible with Unicode standards. In December 2024, the government also launched PM e-vidya Channel 31 on DTH, exclusively dedicated to Indian Sign Language (ISL) training for hearing-impaired students, special educators, and interpreters.

The role of NGOs in extending ICT access 🔗

Government schemes alone cannot reach every person with a disability in a country as vast and diverse as India. NGOs play a critical bridging role – translating policy into grassroots practice and advocating for community-specific needs.

Organisations like Sense International India work specifically with the deafblind community, providing training, advocacy, and support. Their collaboration with technology developers has produced tangible digital tools (discussed below). Similarly, organisations like the National Association for the Blind (NAB) have partnered with tech companies to deploy visual aid technologies in classroom settings, helping students with low vision participate more fully in learning environments.

The Digital Empowerment Foundation, which has participated in India’s Internet Governance Forum discussions on ICT and disability inclusion, works toward bridging the digital divide for marginalised groups, including persons with disabilities in rural India. These NGO partnerships are especially vital in ensuring that last-mile delivery of ICT benefits actually reaches those who need them most.

The Good Vibes app: a landmark innovation from India 🔗

Among the most compelling examples of India-originated assistive technology is the Good Vibes app. Developed in India, Good Vibes enables the deafblind to have two-way communication with their caregivers and loved ones using their smartphones. The app uses Morse code to convert vibrations into text or voice and vice versa.

The app has two different user interfaces. One is an invisible interface for the deafblind, which uses vibrations, taps and gestures, while the other is a visible, standard chat interface for the caregiver. With the deafblind interface, a person uses a combination of dots and dashes to send messages, and receives text or voice as vibrations in Morse code.

Good Vibes was developed in coordination with Sense International India, a not-for-profit organisation which helps the deafblind and sensitises people about the disability. The significance of this app extends beyond its technical ingenuity. In India, about half a million people are estimated to live with deafblindness, according to the Rehabilitation Council of India. For them, the only pre-existing mode of two-way interpersonal communication was pro-tactile sign language, which requires physical contact with a trained interpreter – a highly limiting dependency. Good Vibes broke that barrier by putting independent communication within reach of a standard Android smartphone.

Emerging trends: AI, universal design, and mobile-first accessibility 🔗

The current state of ICT for disability is impressive relative to a decade ago – but the future holds even more transformative potential. Three converging trends are redefining what’s possible.

Artificial intelligence as an accessibility enabler 🔗

AI is rapidly becoming the most powerful driver of assistive technology innovation. Across the globe, AI applications are enabling real-time speech-to-text conversion, object recognition for the visually impaired, emotion detection for individuals with autism, and predictive text systems for those with motor impairments. In India’s specific context, the challenge and the opportunity is linguistic diversity. AI systems need to understand and respond in dozens of regional languages and dialects to be genuinely inclusive. Initiatives focused on natural language processing for Indian regional languages are working toward voice-controlled assistive devices that work in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and other languages – not just English.

Universal design: accessibility as the default, not the exception 🔗

A key philosophical shift underway globally – and gradually in India – is the move toward universal design: building products and services that are accessible to everyone from the outset, rather than retrofitting accessibility as an afterthought. Universal design principles could be incorporated into accessibility inventions to address the cost and ease-of-access issue. Subsidising internet access and existing assistive technologies like adaptive Braille keyboards, AI-powered smart canes, and live-listen features could be a helpful step. When accessibility is baked into design from day one, it reduces cost, removes stigma, and expands the potential user base.

Smartphones as the primary platform for assistive technology 🔗

India’s digital ecosystem is fundamentally mobile-first. The widespread availability of affordable smartphones makes them the most practical vehicle for delivering assistive technology – particularly in rural areas where specialised devices may be unavailable or unaffordable. Apps like Good Vibes exemplify this model. The future of ICT for disability in India will likely be shaped significantly by innovations delivered through the smartphone – leveraging built-in sensors, cameras, haptic feedback, and connectivity to serve a wide range of disability needs.

Persistent gaps and the road ahead 🔗

Progress is real, but so are the gaps. India has come far with many schemes in place for facilitating access; nonetheless, last-mile delivery is lacking. Compliance with digital accessibility standards remains uneven across both public and private sectors. The EJIL: Talk! journal has noted that India’s reliance on facilitative guidelines rather than mandatory minimum standards has resulted in widespread non-compliance, leaving many persons with disabilities unable to realise their rights in practice.

Rural connectivity, digital literacy among caregivers, and the cost of assistive devices remain significant barriers. Many promising apps require training to use effectively – as seen with Good Vibes, where both the user and the caregiver need to learn Morse code. Scaling assistive technology beyond urban pilot projects to reach India’s vast rural population is the next frontier.

Under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s Digital India programme – Content Management Framework project – India has undertaken the enterprise of making its public websites compliant with web content accessibility guidelines. Universal conformity of the Indian IT ecosystem to these policies is the next logical step. A uniform national code of standardisation and accessibility compliance rules – covering all ICT equipment and services – is still needed to ensure that the gains are systematically enforced rather than selectively applied.

The trajectory is clear: ICT for disability in India is moving from welfare to rights, from charity to compliance, and from ad hoc innovation to systemic inclusion. The legal architecture is in place, flagship apps like Good Vibes show what’s possible, and AI promises to dramatically expand what assistive technology can do. The critical work now lies in implementation – closing the gap between policy and practice, between urban innovation and rural reality.

What do you think? With AI rapidly advancing, do you believe India’s current regulatory and infrastructure framework is ready to scale assistive ICT solutions to every corner of the country? And should accessibility be treated as a core design requirement for all digital products – not just those specifically aimed at persons with disabilities?

References

1. https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/from-access-to-empowerment-icts-for-persons-with-disabilities
2. https://www.itu.int/en/action/accessibility/Documents/The%20ICT%20Opportunity%20for%20a%20Disability_Inclusive%20Development%20Framework.pdf
3. https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/crpd/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-crpd
4. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2197426&reg=3&lang=2
5. https://www.senseintlindia.org/
6. https://www.ejiltalk.org/from-ratification-to-realisation-an-international-perspective-on-uncrpd-enforcement-mechanisms-and-the-path-forward-for-india/