World Cerebral Palsy Day – 6 October

05-10-2026 · English

Topics: Important Days · 5 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

World Cerebral Palsy Day is observed on 6 October. The 2026 theme is '#UniqueANDUnited': it celebrates each person's own experience while building one shared voice for access and inclusion. In India the National Trust is holding a virtual National Meet on 6 October 2026.

Key facts

Background

• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 lists 21 disabilities (up from 7 in the 1995 Act); cerebral palsy is under locomotor disability. It gives 4% reservation in government jobs and 5% in higher education; 'benchmark disability' means at least 40%.
• National Trust Act, 1999 covers Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities; schemes include Niramaya (health insurance), Disha, Vikaas and Gharaunda.
• India ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007.
• International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 3 December.

What is cerebral palsy? A group of permanent, non-progressive disorders of movement and posture caused by damage to the developing brain, mostly before or around birth. Types: spastic (most common), dyskinetic, ataxic and mixed. It is not contagious.

Tamil Nadu link: Vidya Sagar (formerly the Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu) was founded in Chennai in 1985 by Poonam Natarajan, who later chaired the National Trust. The National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD) is at Muttukadu, Chennai. The term 'Maatru Thiranaali' (differently abled) was adopted by the Tamil Nadu Government.

Source: National Trust circular (1 Oct 2026); worldcpday.org

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