Our Vision
Let’s make the world accessible
Our Mission
Embrace the ideals of all people living together harmoniously without fear of exclusion and discrimination
Objective
Inclusion, accessibility, equality, empowerment
About Samarthyam
Samarthyam is a not-for-profit organization of persons with disabilities, founded in 1991, dedicated to advancing universal accessibility, inclusion, and mobility for all. With over three decades of expertise, Samarthyam has been a pioneer in shaping accessibility standards, policies, and practices across India and beyond. We are:
- Empanelled Accessibility Auditors with the Government of India
- Members of the NITI Aayog Sub-Group on Disability & Accessibility
- Advisors to the Prime Minister’s Office and members of several high-level committees of UN agencies and the Government of India
Our team has co-authored key national standards and guidelines, including:
- Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Persons with Disabilities and Elderly (2016)
- National Building Code (2016)
- IRC 103: Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities (2022)
- SP:117 – Manual on Universal Accessibility for Urban Roads and Streets (2018)
- Universal Signage Guidelines (National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad)
Samarthyam’s Access Audit Team, comprising auditors with disabilities trained by UNESCAP, adopts a cross-disability approach. Our accessibility audits and gap analysis reports emphasize disability-, age-, and gender-responsive design to ensure truly inclusive environments.
About the Logo
Samarthyam’s logo embodies its 35-year journey of promoting accessibility, disability and gender inclusion, symbolizing universal empowerment and commitment to creating inclusive environments since 1991.
- Accessibility: The flowing path-like figure in blue and orange represents movement, freedom, and barrier-free environments.
- Disability Inclusion: The abstract human form symbolizes persons with disabilities being empowered and included in society.
- Gender Inclusion: The neutral, universal figure emphasizes inclusivity across gender identities.
- Inclusion Promotion for 35 Years: The badge on the top-right “Celebrating 35 Years – Accessibility & Inclusion” highlights our long-standing commitment.
Our Two-Fold Approach to Inclusion
Our mission is driven by two interconnected wings, each with a specialized focus but a shared goal: creating a truly accessible and equitable world for all.
Centre for Universal Accessibility
This is the technical engine of our work. As the authors of India’s National Accessibility Standards and officially empanelled auditors for the government, we provide expert audits, policy formulation, and capacity building. We implement practical, on-the-ground solutions to create accessible built, social, and virtual environments.
Our Expert Multi-Disciplinary Team
For over 35 years, Samarthyam’s dedicated professional team has been at the forefront of implementing national and international accessibility projects. We act as change agents, focused on disseminating Accessibility Awareness and creating truly enabling environments. Our unique strength lies in our in-house, multidisciplinary approach. Our team includes:
- Accessibility Auditors with Disabilities
- Architects & Landscape Architects
- Urban, Physical & Transport Planners
- Engineers & Road Scientists
- Information Technology Professionals
Together, our team conducts comprehensive Accessibility Assessments and Gap Analyses across the entire ecosystem – from the built environment and heritage sites to transport systems and websites.
Samiksha Goyal
Diversity, Eqality & Inclusion Expert
17 years of disability-inclusive advocacy and networking experience in development sector. Head, Advocacy Unit, actively involved in ‘Leave No One behind’ and ‘Make the Right Real’
Nidhi Madan
Architect & Landscape Architect
19 years of experience as Accessibility Specialist, Architect & Landscape Architect. Creating a barrier-free, universally-accessible built and transport environment is her passion and making the World Accessible her goal
Dr. Abha Khetarpal
Human Rights and Disability Rights Advocate
National Awardee and first woman from India to be honoured with Henry Viscardi Award, dedicated professional in the field of counselling, psychotherapy, education and writing for past 14 years.
Ar. Radhika Gopinath
Program Manager cum Architect
An avid advocate of Universal Design and Digital Accessibility, she blends her 12 years architectural expertise with a strong academic foundation and entrepreneurial spirit to create inclusive environments.
Adarsha Kapoor
Architect and Urban Designer
Architect and Urban Designer has more than 15 years of experience in human centered urban design, master planning, public space design & architectural design with focus on age friendly spaces
Gurusankar Kasivinayagam
Digital Accessibility Software Engineer
With 4 years of experience in the Tech Sector, a skilled web developer specializing in building inclusive and digitally accessible websites, driven by a passion for creating barrier-free experiences for all
Our Patrons
Stuti Narain Kacker
IAS Officer (1978 batch)
Former, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, MSJE and Chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights Government of India
Dr. Geetam Tiwari
Emeritus Professor, Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Has extensive academic and research experience in dealing with inclusive transportation eco-system with special relevance to road safety in low-income countries
Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda
President, World ENABLED
A globally recognized disability rights expert, investor, philanthropist, and social impact entrepreneur focused on accessible urbanism and the inclusion of disability rights in global public policy
Our 35-Year Legacy of Impact
1991
Samarthyam Is Born
Our journey begins: three founders with disabilities establish an organization of persons with disabilities (OPD) with a powerful mission: to make the world accessible for all
2000
Shaping the Declaration for Inclusive Tourism
At the first Asia-Pacific Conference on Accessible Tourism, our case studies helped shape the influential “Bali Declaration” for the United Nations
2001
UN ESCAP Capacity Building Training
Team Samarthyam successfully graduated from Training of Trainer: Non-handicapping Environment training and created a robust cadre of accessibility auditors in India
2004
“Access for All” Committee Formed
The Government of India forms the first “Access for All” committee, nominating our team members as Empanelled Access Auditors
2006
National Urban Transport Policy
Following our international “Mobility for All” conference with IIT Delhi, our advocacy directly leads to India’s first National Urban Transport Policy with inclusive mobility sections, transforming public transport
2007
UN CRPD
Worked with the UN agencies to harmonise the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with the Indian Disability Act
2010
Inclusive Commonwealth Games (CWG)
As official advisors, we conducted access audits for all CWG 2010 venues and infrastructure, ensuring the games were fully accessible for elite para-athletes and spectators
2011
Women with Disabilities Forum for Action
Forum of, for, and by women with disabilities was created to align accessibility with the lived experience and strengthen the grass root women to be empowered – education, livelihood, mainstreaming, etc.
2013
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act
Collaborated with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Mo Social Justice & Empowerment to align the UN CRPD with the RPwD Act
2015
Brainchild behind the Accessible India Campaign
Created the Strategic Policy for the flagship Accessible India Campaign launched by Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi ji, Prime Minister of India
2016
Authored the Harmonised Guidelines
We authored the “Harmonised Guidelines & Space Standards for Persons with Disabilities,” the first national accessibility standards that are now the foundational code for the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), followed by Accessible India Campaign and architectural manuals nationwide.
2020
Covid-19 Advisory and Caregivers Pass
Co-creating the rules for the pandemic with Government of India and WHO to ensure leave no one behind
2024
Over 18,000 Sites Audited
Marking over three decades of work, our team surpasses 18,000 accessibility audits, from World Heritage sites and airports to corporate offices and schools across India
2025
APNA is born
Asia Pacific Network for Accessibility (APNA) is crated to amplifying the need for accessibility implementation in the Asia-Pacific region
And we continue
What a journey indeed: from self-empowerment to using the lived experience expertise and counting more years of promotion of inclusion.
Join Us in Our Mission
Explore the impact of our work or connect with our team to discuss how we can partner together.
