The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) is the apex government body, set up under an Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

, to regulate training programmes and courses targeted at disabled, disadvantaged, and special education

Special education

Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...

 requirement communities. It is the only statutory council in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 that is required to maintain the Central Rehabilitation Register which mainly documents details of all qualified professionals who operate and deliver training and educational programmes for the targeted communitieshttp://rehabcouncil.nic.in/index.htm. In the year 2000, the Rehabilitation Council of India (Amendment) Act, 2000, was introduced and notified consequently by the government of India

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

. The amendment brought definitions and discussions provided within the earlier Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992, under the ambit of a larger act, namely, Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2000/09/08/stories/140854rc.htm.

Professionals who can apply for RCI accreditation

As per RCI, the following categories of professionals can apply for RCI's accreditation

Accreditation

Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...

process. (To apply, the requirement is specifically that the professionals be providing services targeted towards communities for which RCI has been set up) http://rehabcouncil.nic.in/faq.htmhttp://www.hindu.com/edu/2006/08/07/stories/2006080700170400.htm:

• Prosthetists and Orthotists
• Audiologists and Speech Therapists
• Clinical Psychologists
• Rehabilitation Counsellors, Administrators
• Rehabilitation Workshop Managers
• Rehabilitation Psychologists
• Rehabilitation Social Workers
• Rehabilitation Practitioners in Mental Retardation
• Speech Pathologists
• Special Teachers for Educating and Training the Handicapped
• Vocational Counsellors, Employment Officers and Placement Officers
• Multi-purpose Rehabilitation Therapists, Technicians
• Orientation and Mobility Specialists
• Community Based Rehabilitation Professionals
• Hearing and Ear Mould Technicians
• Rehabilitation Engineers and Technicians

The council has reportedly registered around 12,000 such professionals across India. http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl2010/stories/20030523004311100.htm