Key Details
The proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Amendment) Rules, 2026 would add provisions on Assistive Products and Technology (Standards and Accessibility) to the 2017 Rules. They are open for objections and suggestions for 30 days from the date the Gazette copies were made available to the public; the provisions are not yet in force.
Three product categories: Essential products for everyday activities, specialised products for particular needs, and emerging products such as AI-enabled communication tools. The lists would be reviewed as technologies develop.
Standards and purchasing: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or another designated authority would set standards for essential and specialised products. Government procurement of specialised products would be limited to certified manufacturers.
Wheelchair safety: Standard manual and powered wheelchairs would have transit-ready tie-down brackets. Makers of powered mobility devices would provide a Mobility Aid Passport recording details such as dimensions, weight and battery type.
Costs and repairs: Central and State governments would frame financial-support schemes. The draft also proposes coverage of repair and replacement costs and extends the Right to Repair initiative to essential and specialised assistive products.
Complaints and incidents: An accessible national helpline would have a proposed 30-day resolution period. Investigations of accidents caused by malfunctioning devices would feed into a national database.
An Assistive Product Is More Than a Device
The draft defines assistive technology to include the services that make a product usable: assessing a person’s needs, fitting or customising the product, training them to use it, and providing maintenance and repairs. That matters for a wheelchair that does not fit its user, a hearing aid needing adjustment or software that requires ongoing support. Supplying the product alone may not secure independent use.
Classifying products as essential, specialised or emerging would allow different treatment as technology develops. An emerging product could move into another category once its specifications and manufacture become more established.
Standards Would Shape Both Safety and Public Purchasing
BIS or another designated authority would prescribe standards for essential and specialised products, prioritising devices associated with accidents where standardisation is lacking. Only products made to the prescribed specifications could carry the relevant standard mark. The draft does not say that every emerging product must already meet a standard before it can be used.
The proposed purchasing rules draw a further distinction: government buyers could obtain essential products from self-certified entities, while specialised products would have to come from certified manufacturers. Wheelchair tie-down brackets and the Mobility Aid Passport address a more specific safety problem—securing and handling mobility devices during travel.
Support Would Continue After Purchase
The proposed framework addresses costs that can arise throughout a product’s use. Governments would frame schemes providing financial assistance to eligible users, including subsidies, reimbursement and insurance coverage. The draft also proposes that government schemes and insurance policies cover replacement and repair, not just initial purchase.
An online portal would bring together applications, certification, procurement, distribution tracking and complaints. A toll-free helpline would offer voice, text and Indian Sign Language access, while accident investigations would inform future standards. In emergencies and disasters, the draft assigns national and State disaster-management authorities a role in promptly providing or replacing essential assistive technology.
The proposal follows the Supreme Court’s call for clearer, non-negotiable accessibility rules under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. This is a consultation on how such rules would apply to assistive products, not an announcement that the proposed benefits or standards are already available.
Policy Relevance
The draft connects three aspects of access that are often treated separately: a safe product, an affordable product and a product that remains usable over time. Common standards could improve confidence in device quality and guide public purchasing; repair and replacement support could prevent a broken device from becoming a prolonged loss of mobility or communication.
Its reach will also depend on how the final rules define responsibilities. Manufacturers and certifiers would need workable routes to demonstrate compliance, while governments, service providers and insurers would need clarity on who pays for fitting, repairs and replacement. Those choices are especially consequential for specialised products, where quality assurance matters but the pool of suppliers may be smaller.
Follow the Full Draft Rules Here: Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities: Draft Rules on Assistive Technology Standards