A Partnership in Accessibility
Ensuring your buildings and transport hubs are truly accessible is a complex but crucial goal. Our expert Accessibility Audit Team, which includes auditors with disabilities trained by UN ESCAP, works directly with your team to navigate every challenge. With over 19,000 sites audited, we have the hands-on experience to make your vision of universal accessibility a reality.
Why Partner With Us?
When you choose Samarthyam, you are choosing a partner with unparalleled credibility and insight:
- Expertise You Can Trust: Our auditors are trained by UNESCAP and bring the critical perspective of lived experience with disability, ensuring our recommendations are practical, and meet the highest international standards as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
- Government-Approved Authority: As Empanelled Auditors for the Accessible India Campaign and Members of the NITI Aayog CSO Standing Committee, we are the trusted choice for the nation’s most important accessibility projects.
- A Legacy of Success: With over 35 years of pioneering experience, we provide you with proven, cost-effective strategies that have been successfully implemented across thousands of sites.
Our Services for Your Environment
We offer a complete suite of services to support you at every stage of your project:
- Comprehensive Audits & Certification: We conduct detailed accessibility audits of built-environment and provide official “Accessibility Compliance” certification which is inline with law.
- Proactive Design Consulting: Let’s get it right from the start. We work with your architects and planners to review blueprints and embed universal design principles before construction even begins.
- Hands-On Implementation Support: An audit is just the first step. We provide post-audit strategic planning and hands-on mentoring to your project teams, ensuring you achieve your goal of “Access for All”.
A Snapshot of Our Partners
We’ve had the privilege of partnering with some of the world’s leading organizations to help them achieve their accessibility goals. Join a list of partners that includes:
Corporates & Developers: ITC Hotels, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), DLF, TATA Power, Coca Cola, GENPACT
UN Agencies: UNESCO, UNICEF, UNESCAP
Government of India: Central Public Works Department, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Delhi Police
Urban & Transport Bodies: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Chennai Metro Rail Corporation, Bangalore International Airport, Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), New Delhi Municipal Corporation
Creating Inclusive Learning Environments
Every student deserves the chance to thrive. We partner with educational institutions like yours to create truly inclusive environments that comply with the National Education Policy and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. Having audited over 1000 institutions, we help you break down the physical, digital, and communication barriers that prevent students with disabilities from full participation.
Why Partner With Us?
You need a partner who understands the unique landscape of education.
- Government Recognized Expertise: As auditors empanelled with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, our recommendations are aligned with national policy and standards.
- Trusted by Leading Institutions: We are the chosen accessibility partner for India’s most prestigious institutions, including numerous IITs and IIMs, who trust us to uphold their standards of excellence.
- Unmatched, Practical Insights: Our “user-led” audit teams include persons with disabilities, providing a perspective that no one else can. This ensures our solutions are practical, effective, and centered on the student experience.
Our Services for Your Institution
We provide a holistic suite of services to make your campus accessible at every level:
- Holistic Campus Audits: We assess everything from classrooms and libraries to websites and transport, providing a complete picture of your institution’s accessibility and a clear path to improvement.
- Future-Proof Design Consulting: Building a new campus or wing? We review blueprints to embed universal design from the start, saving you time and costly retrofitting later.
- Inclusive Education Policy: We work with your leadership to review and formulate a robust “Inclusive Education Policy” that guides your institution’s long-term commitment.
- Faculty & Staff Sensitization Training: We empower your educators and staff with the knowledge and tools needed to foster a truly supportive and welcoming campus culture for all students.
A Snapshot of Our Partners
We’ve had the privilege of partnering with India’s top educational institutions to help them achieve their accessibility goals. Join a list of partners that includes:
- Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs): Kanpur, Kharagpur, Gandhinagar, Delhi, Jammu
- Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs): IIM Jammu
- Universities: University of Delhi, IGNOU, English and Foreign Languages University (Hyderabad), University of Punjab (SLIET), University of Jaipur, University of Garhwal
Dignified & Accessible WASH for All
Access to safe and clean Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) is a fundamental human right. For many, especially women and girls with disabilities, the lack of accessible facilities is a critical barrier to education, work, and community life. We partner with organizations and public bodies to address this challenge, ensuring your WASH facilities offer dignity, safety, and inclusion for everyone.
Why Partner With Us?
You need a partner with deep, specialized knowledge of this issue.
- Pioneering Expertise in Inclusive WASH: We are a pioneering organization in India dedicated to creating WASH facilities that are gender-sensitive, age-friendly, and fully accessible, setting the standard for this crucial work.
- A Focus on Gender & Disability: We bring a deep, intersectional understanding of the specific health and safety challenges women and girls with disabilities face, ensuring our solutions are truly life-changing.
- Trusted by Global Leaders: Our approach is recognized and supported by the world’s leading agencies for human rights and development, who partner with us to drive change on a national scale.
Our Services for Inclusive WASH
We provide end-to-end solutions to help you plan, implement, and advocate for accessible WASH:
- WASH Facility Audits: We conduct detailed assessments of your existing or planned sanitation facilities to identify barriers and provide a clear roadmap for accessibility and compliance.
- Inclusive Design & Consulting: We work with your teams to design new WASH infrastructure that is accessible and dignified from the start, incorporating best practices for all users.
- Policy & Advocacy: We help you formulate and advocate for policies that mandate accessible WASH in workplaces, public spaces, and communities.
- Community Awareness Programs: We design and lead impactful awareness initiatives, like our “World Toilet Day” events, to build community understanding and support for inclusive sanitation.
Our Key Partners in WASH
We’ve had the privilege of partnering with major national and international bodies to make inclusive WASH a reality. Our partners in this initiative include:
- UNICEF
- UNESCO
- Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India
- Indian Railways
- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
- Various Schools & Educational Institutions
Engineering Mobility for All
Accessible public transport is the key to education, employment, and equal opportunity for millions. We partner with government bodies, transit authorities, and service providers to solve mobility challenges and provide “first and last mile” connectivity. Our goal is to help you create inclusive, gender-friendly, and replicable transit systems that serve every member of the community.
Delhi Metro & National Metro Projects
Our accessibility standards, first implemented with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), have become the benchmark for accessible public transport in India. As official advisors, we are helping replicate these successful design standards in Metro Rail projects across the country, including in Bangalore, Kochi, Hyderabad, and Kanpur.
Low Floor Buses & Bus Shelters (BQS)
In collaboration with IIT Delhi and TATA Motors, we helped create the prototype for accessible low-floor buses in India. Our advocacy and design inputs—including wide doors, ramps, and clear information systems—have paved the way for accessible buses and universally designed bus shelters nationwide.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) & Pedestrian Infrastructure
A seamless journey requires accessible pedestrian pathways. We revised the Indian Roads Congress’s pedestrian guidelines to include inclusive design standards. We have also provided accessibility and gender-focused inputs to 11 major Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) projects, shaping a more accessible national Bus Body Code.
Indian Railways
We are actively working with the Ministry of Railways and its key manufacturing bodies (RDSO, RCF, ICF) on critical R&D projects. Our focus is on designing accessible railway coaches, inclusive toilets, and effective boarding devices to bridge the gap between the platform and the train.
National Policy Advocacy
Our work extends beyond physical infrastructure to shaping national policy. After organizing India’s first National Conference on Accessible Transportation in 2006, our advocacy directly led to the inclusion of mobility sections in India’s first National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP).
Creating Safe & Accessible Journeys for All
A truly accessible journey doesn’t end at the bus stop or metro station. We specialize in perfecting the “first and last mile” by ensuring pedestrian infrastructure is safe, dignified, and seamless for everyone. We partner with road-owning agencies and service providers to assess and implement infrastructure that serves all pedestrians, irrespective of their gender, age, or disability.
Our Approach to Walkability
Our methodology is built on collaboration and a commitment to creating tangible change. We work with your teams to:
- Conduct Comprehensive Audits We perform detailed, on-the-ground assessments of your streets, footpaths, and crossings to identify barriers and safety risks. Our user-led approach brings the invaluable perspective of persons with disabilities to the process.
- Provide Actionable Recommendations Following the audit, we provide a clear, strategic plan with recommendations to improve infrastructure. Our goal is to offer cost-effective and practical solutions that align with national standards and road safety measures.
- Support Implementation & Advocacy We work alongside you to implement the recommended changes and build public awareness. Through targeted campaigns and continued partnership, we help ensure the long-term success and safety of your pedestrian infrastructure.
Ensuring safe and inclusive mobility requires that road infrastructure be designed and evaluated through the lens of accessibility. Samarthyam conducts Road Safety Audits to identify barriers that compromise the safety of persons with disabilities, including inaccessible crossings, unsafe pedestrian pathways, poorly designed bus stops, and lack of tactile and auditory signals. Alongside audits, we develop Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) that guide planners, engineers, and enforcement agencies in integrating universal accessibility standards into road design, traffic management, and emergency response systems. These tools not only promote compliance with national and international accessibility norms but also foster safer, equitable, and dignified travel for all.
Making Incredible India Accessible to All
Accessible Tourism ensures that destinations can be enjoyed by everyone, including persons with disabilities, older persons, and cross-generational families. We partner with tourism boards, heritage site managers, and hospitality leaders to embed universal design into India’s most treasured sites, creating inclusive and welcoming experiences for every traveler.
Our Landmark Projects in Accessible Tourism
World Heritage Sites (UNESCO & ASI Partnership)
Since 2001, we have served as key technical experts for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and UNESCO. Our long-standing partnership has focused on making India’s World Heritage Sites and ticketed monuments accessible. We have conducted access audits and provided retrofitting strategies for iconic landmarks, including:
- Qutub Minar
- The Red Fort
- Humayun’s Tomb
- Sun Temple, Konark (Odisha)
The Dilli Haat Project: A Replicable Model
Our pioneering work to retrofit the famous Dilli Haat in New Delhi transformed it into a fully accessible and vibrant cultural space. This successful partnership with Delhi Tourism became a replicable, sustainable model, inspiring a city-wide movement to create barrier-free environments.
Pilgrimage Sites & Urban Spaces
Our expertise extends to all forms of public and cultural spaces. We’ve conducted access audits for major pilgrimage sites under the Prasad scheme of the Government of India and provided universal design inputs for major urban renewal projects, such as the plazas at Emporia Complex in Connaught Place.
Accessible Transport for Tourism
A key part of tourism is the journey itself. We partnered with UNESCO and Indian Railways on a heritage management and accessibility study of Bandra Station, Mumbai. This has served as a model project to be replicated across other heritage stations.
Awareness & Excursion Tours
For over 30 years, we have practiced what we preach. Samarthyam has organized more than 108 inclusive tours for persons with severe disabilities to historical, cultural, and religious sites, actively promoting and demonstrating the principles of accessible tourism.
Our Approach to Shaping Policy
Comprehensive Audit Reports
Receive a detailed report identifying all accessibility barriers, benchmarked against national and international standards, giving you a clear picture of your current compliance.
Actionable Strategic Roadmaps
We deliver a step-by-step strategic plan complete with prioritized recommendations, timelines, and budget considerations to guide your accessibility journey effectively.
Customized Training Modules
Get access to professional training materials and workshops, customized for your team, to build in-house capacity and foster a sustainable culture of inclusion.
Post-Implementation Support
Our partnership doesn’t end with the report. We provide ongoing support and mentoring to your implementation teams to ensure your accessibility goals are successfully met and maintained.