22 year old Meena hails from Rajasthan. Despite her blindness, she has successfully completed her Company Secretaryship and secured a role in a prestigious CS firm in Bangalore. She is thrilled at the prospect of living independently in a bustling metropolis. However, only in a few days of moving in, her challenges have compounded. At the beginning of each month, she has to share her Internet banking credentials with her neighbour to pay rent and household expenses. Her bank’s website has an inaccessible interface. This affects her privacy and dignity. Likewise, at work, despite being well versed in the subject, she is kept away from key assignments as most of the government websites on which the firm’s work is based are not accessible, not even readable using her assistive software. Her assignments are confined to back office and admin functions.

18 year old Ajman hails from a remote town in North India. Despite the lack of academic exposure and having a locomotor disability, he secured admission to a leading Business school for his graduation. However, he has had a torrid time there.
Most of the classrooms are situated on the first and second floor. There are no elevators. He has to be carried up to class. This is more than just an inconvenience. He is often the subject of unsolicited humour, mocking and sometimes ragging. The teachers also do not take any special efforts to cater to his needs. This has resulted in him securing very poor academic grades apart from being excluded from most activities outside the classroom, including social and leisure activities.

23 year old Tim hails from Bangalore. He is a movie buff, watching most Bollywood movies on the first day of his release. He enjoys reciting famous dialogues of famous actors. However, a couple of months back, tragedy struck Tim. A serious illness, caused him to become hearing impaired. This has significantly affected all facets of his life. Most Indian films are released without subtitling and closed captioning. He can no longer pursue his passion, which could have been a balm through this difficult time.
These are real people facing real challenges in a world built without taking their needs into consideration. Despite advancements in all walks of life, persons with disabilities [PwDs] in India are viewed through the lens of charity and sympathy. The equal participation of the disabled remain a subject of low interest for most.