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Special Education

Notes retardation is equal to other citizens in the country, in that they live independently to the maximum
extent possible and through constant professional endeavors, National Institute for the Mentally
Handicapped empowers the persons with mental retardation to access the state of the art rehabilitation
intervention viz., educational, therapeutic, vocational, employment, leisure and social activities, sports,
cultural programmes and full participation. The objectives for which NIMH works are listed as under:-
29.1 Rehabilitation Council of India

RCI is a statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which is the nodal
ministry for disability rehabilitation in the country. The major objectives of RCI are:
• Regulate human resource development in rehabilitation through out the country.
• Certify qualified personnel and professionals in the field of disabilities
• Ensure quality, standard and uniformity in the rehabilitation programmes offered throughout
the country.

In 1992, Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) Act was passed which brought about major
development in human resource development in the area of disabilities.

All HRD programmes including those for intellectual disabilities are regulated and monitored by
RCI throughout the country. It also ensures that the the registered professionals are updated with
recent developments in the field by organizing continuing rehabilitation education programmes
and making participation mandatory for renewal of registration. So far, 16 categores of professionals
numbering 28,460 are registered by the Council, and 42 long term rehabilitation courses are
standardized by the Council which is carried out in various organizations through out the country.
Among the courses six are exclusively in the area of mental retardation which include all disabilities
cover mental retardation also.

Human resource development programmes ranging from training of grass root level
functionaries to master trainers are regulated by RCI and a standard register of
professionals are maintained by RCI.

29.2 Objectives of RCI

There are following objectives of RCI:
• To regulate the training policies and programmes in the field of rehabilitation of persons with
disabilities.
• To bring about standardization of training courses for professionals dealing with persons with
disabilities.
• To prescribe minimum standards of education and training of various categories of
professionals/ personnel dealing with people with disabilities.
• To regulate these standards in all training institutions uniformly throughout the country.
• To recognize institutions/ organizations/ universities running master's degree/ bachelor's
degree/ P.G.Diploma/ Diploma/ Certificate courses in the field of rehabilitation of persons
with disabilities.

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