The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) has been set up as a statutory body by an Act of Parliament, i.e. Rehabilitation Council of India,1992 and mandated to standardize, regulate and monitor the training programmes in the field of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, prescribe minimum standard of education and training for sixteen categories of professionals and personnel allocated to RCI and to recommend to the Government for recognition of institutions/universities to run RCI approved programmes. The Act also casts the responsibilities to maintain a Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR) for registration of qualified professionals/personnel and to promote research in disability rehabilitation and special education. The Act also prescribes that any person delivering services to persons with disabilities, who does not possess qualification approved by RCI, could be prosecuted.
There is a huge gap between demand and supply of human resource in the field of disability rehabilitation and special education. According to a study conducted by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR) in 2009, there is a shortfall of 1,58,598 professionals/personnel in the disability sector and by 2016 this shortfall is likely to come down to 1,04,531. Further, a landmark judgment dated 16th September, 2009 by the Hon’ble Court of Delhi has resulted in increased demand for trained special teachers to be appointed two in each school of NCT of Delhi. Hon’ble High Court has also directed to grant equivalence to B.Ed.(Special Education) and B.Ed. (General) and D.Ed. (Special Education) with D.Ed./TTC for the purpose of appointment of Special Teachers in all schools in the State as well as schools run by the local bodies of Delhi Govt.. Therefore, the demand of rehabilitation professionals and Special Education Teachers has increased and will further be impacted manifold in near future, thus creating more and more career opportunities in this sector. Other rehabilitation professionals will also be required as Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is also streamlining the professions.
Job Opportunities for Trained Professionals/Personnel
The professionals/personnel in the field of rehabilitation and special education may get job opportunities in Government departments/organizations/institutions/universities, non-government organizations, local self-bodies, medical and paramedical services, general and special schools in public as well as private sector. They can also work as policy planners, researchers, counselors and able to help the people in the society. Many courses such as BASLP, MASLP, M.Phil also offer opportunities for self employment.
Rehabilitation Professionals/Personnel under the purview
of the Council
As per Section 1 (2) (n) of the RCI Act, following categories of professionals/personnel have been notified under the purview of the Council:
(i) Audiologists and Speech Therapists
(ii) Clinical Psychologists
(iii) Hearing and Ear Mould Technicians
(iv) Rehabilitation Engineers and Technicians
(v) Special Teachers for Educating and Training the persons with disabilities
(vi) Vocational Counsellors, Employment Officers and Placement Officers dealing with persons with disabilities
(vii) Multi-purpose Rehabilitation Therapists & Technicians
(viii) Speech Pathologists
(ix) Rehabilitation Psychologists
(x) Rehabilitation Social Workers
(xi) Rehabilitation Practitioners in Mental Retardation
(xii) Orientation and Mobility Specialists
(xiii) Community Based Rehabilitation Professionals
(xiv) Rehabilitation Counsellors/Administrators
(xv) Prosthetists and Orthotists
(xvi) Rehabilitation Workshop Managers
(xvii) Any other category of professionals included from time to time
Standardization of Training Programmes
RCI is mandated for development, standardization and to maintain uniform standards all over the country for the allocated categories of professionals/personnel. To meet the human resource requirement under these categories, sixty programmes / courses developed / standardized by the Council at Certificate, Diploma, Degree, PG Diploma, Master, M.Phil and Psy. D Level are presently operational across the Country at RCI’s recognized institutions/universities department. Details of these courses/programmes are as under:
Regular Mode
For more details about eligibility/admission criteria, admission schedule, etc. please log on to RCI
website: www.rehabcouncil.nic.in
Approval of Training Institutions
The Council lays down policy parameters regarding various aspects of training and education in the field of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and all institutions have to seek approval to run courses as per provision of RCI Act, 1992. Institutions desirous of conducting the RCI approved courses must apply online to RCI for approval. For more detail, may please see the RCI’s website. Details of courses as mentioned above, run by approved institutions/universities are available on RCI’s website: www.rehabcouncil.nic.in
Candidate desirous to undergo any of the approved training courses in the field of rehabilitation and special education are advised to seek admission only in institutions/universities approved by RCI. Any rehabilitation qualification obtained after pursuing a course or training in an institution not approved by RCI shall not be valid for registration in Central Rehabilitation Register of the Council. List of approved institutions along with courses/ programmes offered, is also being published from time to time in the national newspapers for information to public concerned. Updated list of such institutions is also available on RCI’s website: www.rehabcouncil.nic.in
Distance Education
In order to bridge the gap between demand and supply of trained human resource personnel to cater the need of PwDs, need based special education programmes through Open & Distance Learning (ODL) Mode were initiated by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) in the year 2001, in collaboration with different Open Universities, Central Universities & State Universities.
In due course of time, as per the demand of the ODL courses in special education, the RCI has launched B.Ed.Spl.Ed. – ODL programme in regional languages like Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi in addition to Hindi & English under the respective State Open Universities in the country. As on date there are 14 Universities offering such courses through ODL mode including Foundation courses for in-service teachers in their respective State(s). For updated status, prospective candidates may log on to the website of the concerned University/RCI.
Programmes offered by Central/ State Open Universities through Open & Distance Learning Mode in collaboration with RCI
For updated information regarding the said courses, prospective candidates may access the information from the website of the concerned Universities/ RCI’s website.
Registration of Professionals/Personnel
In accordance with Section 23 of the RCI Act, a Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR) for registering the Professionals/Personnel possessing a recognized rehabilitation qualification is maintained by the Council. Registration of professionals/personnel in the CRR authorizes them to practice in the field of disability rehabilitation and special education in the country.
Professionals/Personnel having Council’s recognized qualification need to apply online on appropriate form to get themselves registered in the CRR. Details of fee are given below:
Revised registration fee w.e.f. September, 2013 is as under:
Registration fee is to be paid through Demand Draft drawn in favour of Rehabilitation Council of India payable at New Delhi.
Online Registration
The Council has introduced the system of online registration of Professionals/Personnel in the Central Rehabilitation Register since January, 2010. Accordingly, professionals/personnel can register online on http://regisfration.nic.in or http://rehabcouncil.nic.in. Detailed guidelines for registration, renewal of registration, addition of qualifications, etc. are available on RCI’s website.
Library and Documentation
Library and Documentation Centre having a wide collection of books on different aspects of special education and disability rehabilitation is functional in the Council to cater to the needs of professionals/researchers. The services of library can be availed from Monday to Friday between 09:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. (except Gazetted holidays).
Publications
The Council brings out publications in the field of disability rehabilitation and special education from time to time. Some regular priced publications of the Council are (1) Journal of Rehabilitation Council of India (JRCI), (2) Status of Disability in India (3) Manuals of course related for Diploma Courses, etc. The above said publications can be purchased/subscribed by the Institutions and individuals from RCI. Please visit RCI’s website for more details about complementary as well as priced publications.
Universally Accessible Website
RCI maintains a universally accessible website for PwDs also conforming to W3C 2.0 Guidelines. Website gives comprehensive information about activities of RCI and registered professionals/personnel. Other salient features of the Council’s website are, facility of Online Registration of Professionals/ Personnel, Online facility for submission of proposals through Academic Monitoring and Analysis System (AMAS). The website is updated regularly.
