CavinKare Walk India Campaign

Dr. Ketna. L. Mehta is a celebrated figure in disability circles, both for her contribution to changing the lives of those with spinal cord injury, as well as for her indomitable spirit of adventure. A paragliding accident in 1995 resulted in spinal injury and left her needing long term rehabilitation, but never dulled her inherent thirst for life and her academic bent of mind. In recognition of academic excellence, she was made a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of India in 1999 and went on to be awarded a PhD for her work on Healthcare Rehabilitation Management in 2009. Establishing the Nina Foundation in 2001 was born of the desire to enhance the quality of life in all aspects for those with spinal cord injury. From home-based and virtual rehabilitation services and mentorship to awareness drives and outbound programmes, Nina Foundation works to enable a life of dignity for everyone.

Vidhya Y is the founder of Vision Empower, which works to equip and encourage children with visual impairment to pursue STEM education in school because this is an area where blind students are conspicuously absent. The organization works with partners to create accessible content, instruction kits, and technologies to assist the teaching and learning of STEM in schools. This initiative is the result of Vidhya’s personal journey. Despite math being a favorite subject in school, she was always discouraged on account of her blindness. Nevertheless, she persisted, and she went on to complete a BCA, dealing with the challenges of inaccessible material and insensitive environments along the way, finally topping her batch. When it came to getting a job, there was little success, with people frustratingly pointing her in the direction of ‘blind jobs’ such as a telephone operator. This was the moment when she decided that she would not look for jobs anymore. She would create them.

Vinayana Khurana is an author, poet, blogger, and research scholar. Her writings are effective messages aimed at removing stereotypes and creating inclusivity. Her intellectual bent of mind and the ability to concentrate have been the dominant aspects of her persona, more than the challenges of mobility and speech posed by cerebral palsy. Vinayana always wanted to express her thoughts, and her journey from being unable to write, to today, typing her poems, stories, blogs, and books, has been truly remarkable. Vinayana is currently working towards an MPhil degree. Her own educational journey, from a special school to mainstream institutions, has influenced the choice of subject for her dissertation– inclusive education. Her indomitable spirit and eternal optimism have held her in good stead and as she says, ‘I may be sitting in this wheelchair, but my mind is flying.’

Aishwarya is a multi-faceted personality. Artist, scriptwriter, counsellor, and entrepreneur. When a brain tumor robbed her of her eyesight while studying for a degree in mass communication, she decided to give life her best shot and hit the ground running. Discovering screen readers was life-changing, and during her work in rehabilitation at L V Prasad Eye Institute, she worked on awareness audio and then directed video films. Rekindling her interest in art, Aishwarya focused on making it tactile and accessible. Having spent the first decade after acquiring a disability on rebuilding her life, she then sought to find solutions to problems faced by persons with visual impairment. This led to Spacefelt, an application that allows people with visual impairment to label anything according to their specific requirement needs. Aishwarya’s journey continues. Her story could very easily have been one of loss—a child who lost both her parents, her eyesight, and many of her dreams. Instead, she rewrote her script, and today, her story is one of potential.

Chhonzin’s achievements are impressive and inspiring. Born in a small village in Himachal Pradesh, she gradually lost her vision over a four-month period. Navigating the challenges of moving away from home to complete her schooling, often in challenging circumstances, the world opened up when she entered university. From winning medals and performances at the state and national level in kabaddi, swimming, and marathon events to playing cricket and football, Chhonzin has made a mark everywhere. Her love for mountaineering stemmed from an inclusive course in which she excelled, and thereafter she scaled Mount Kanamo peak (19,635 ft) and Mount Kang Yatsae 2 (20,459 ft) in addition to the Siachen glacier. Her ambition in sports and mountaineering is limitless. Chhonzin has always chosen the more difficult route, not only for herself but also to give confidence to others like herself and to give society the understanding that visual impairment need not be as limiting as it is often thought to be.