Standards & the Canon
Built on the world's best frameworks.
A standard the whole field can trust cannot be invented in isolation. The Alliance's standard is built upon the established frameworks of WHO, the UN, the professional federations, ISO and India's own education architecture — accurately cited, openly stated.
01 Rehabilitation & disability
The foundations.
The standard begins with the global architecture of rehabilitation and disability rights.
- WHO ICF ↗ — the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health — the common language of function.
- WHO ICD-11 ↗ — the international classification of diseases and conditions.
- UN CRPD ↗ — the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- UN SDGs ↗ — Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 8 and 10.
- WHO Rehabilitation 2030 ↗ — the global initiative to scale rehabilitation as an essential health service.
02 Clinical & professional education
How practitioners are formed.
Clinical formation follows the standards of the world's rehabilitation professional federations — WFOT Minimum Standards, World Physiotherapy education standards, ASHA / IALP standards — and WHO Health Workforce 2030.
03 Education, qualification & credentialing
How learning is structured and recognised.
Curriculum and credentialing rest on ISO 21001 (educational organisations), ISO/IEC 17024 (certification of persons), outcome- and competency-based education, Bologna/ECTS-style credit articulation, and India's NEP 2020, NSQF and National Credit Framework.
- ISO 21001 ↗ — management systems for educational organisations.
- NEP 2020 ↗ — India's National Education Policy — outcome-based, credit-mobile, industry-linked.
04 Assessment, mobility & recognition
How competence travels.
Fair assessment and global mobility rest on the Standards for Educational & Psychological Testing (AERA/APA/NCME), OSCE methodology, the WHO Global Code on International Recruitment, the UNESCO Global Convention on Recognition of Qualifications (2019), and ENIC-NARIC.
05 Research & data
How evidence is built and shared.
The research commons follows ICMR National Ethical Guidelines, Good Clinical Practice, the Declaration of Helsinki, CONSORT/STROBE/PRISMA reporting, FAIR data principles, and the health-data standards HL7-FHIR, ICD-11, ICHI and SNOMED CT.
- SNOMED CT ↗ — the international clinical terminology.
- ISO/IEC 27001 ↗ — information security management — how data is protected.
06 Tele-delivery, community & access
How reach is extended.
Remote and community delivery follow ATA/WHO tele-rehabilitation guidelines, ISO 13131 (telehealth services), WHO Community-Based Rehabilitation Guidelines, and UDID and accessibility standards.
07 Governance, quality & assurance
How the Alliance holds itself to account.
The Alliance's own conduct rests on ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001 / 27701, ISO/IEC 42001 (AI management), ISO 37301 (compliance), EFQM/Baldrige excellence models, Theory of Change / LogFrame, and recognised not-for-profit governance codes.
08 Relationship with the RCI
Complements, does not supplant.
The Rehabilitation Council of India is the statutory regulator under the RCI Act 1992, with its nodal ministry MSJE/DEPwD. The Alliance's standard aligns with the RCI's post-reform mission and complements it; it claims no authority reserved to the regulator and seeks recognition and partnership.
The Invitation
Join the Alliance built on these frameworks — membership is free in the establishment period.
members@irwfa.org · 9100 181 181