Our Key Campaign Initiatives
Championing the Inclusion of Women with Disabilities
Our “Leave No One Behind” initiative is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: India’s remarkable progress in empowering women must reach every woman, especially those with disabilities. We work to transform our society by actively designing schools, workplaces, and public spaces with inclusivity at their core. By prioritizing gender, age, and disability-friendly services, we can bridge the gaps and unlock the incredible potential of millions.
A Landmark Moment for Visibility
A key part of our advocacy is ensuring the voices of women with disabilities are heard at the highest levels. On International Women’s Day, our founder, Dr. Anjlee Agarwal, was given the honor of taking over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media accounts. This powerful initiative, featured on NDTV, brought the message of universal accessibility to a national audience, highlighting the urgent need to make our country truly inclusive.
Visibility is the Key to Equality
Our mission is to build a future where universal accessibility is the foundation for every woman’s advancement and growth. By making it a national priority to see them, hear them, and include them, we take the crucial first step towards true equality and justice. By embracing their inclusion, we help create a truly vibrant and inclusive nation—a Viksit Bharat, Sabka Bharat in its truest sense.
APNA ARCUASE Purple Walk Goa 100
APNA ARCAUSE Purple Walk is a 100 km journey across Goa, turning streets into forums for dialogue, learning, and inclusion. As a key partner in this initiative, Samarthyam with United Nations, Goa State Commissioner for persons with disbailites and Ethos Foundation supports this powerful event that coincides with the spirit of Purple Fest 2025. At its core, the walk challenges us all to ask: “Do our cities and spaces genuinely embrace everyone, from persons with disabilities to the elderly, pregnant women, and children? This journey is not just for awareness, but for a future where inclusion is a lived reality for all”. Samarthyam with Asia Pacific Network for Accessibility (APNA) pioneers in street walks and campaigns to raise awareness on universal design implementation.
Experiencing Accessibility First-Hand
One of the most powerful ways to understand barriers is to experience them. Our “Accessibility Walks” are dynamic, on-the-ground events that move beyond theory to provide tangible, real-world insights. We bring together policymakers, planners, students, and the public to navigate urban spaces, identify challenges, and advocate for a seamless, barrier-free pedestrian environment for all.
Flagship Event: Sugamya Yatra (The Accessible Journey)
On March 1st, International Wheelchair Day, we act as the official Knowledge Partner for Sugamya Yatra, a major national event. Organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Government of India, this initiative is a powerful platform for advocacy and experiential learning. We collaborate with key partners like the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities (IPH) to champion the cause of a more accessible Delhi.
Building Empathy Through Experience
A core component of our Accessibility Walks involves providing future city-shapers with a new perspective. During Sugamya Yatra, students of architecture and transport planning from prestigious institutions like the School of Planning & Architecture are invited to experience navigating the city with a simulated disability. This powerful exercise builds empathy and provides them with the firsthand knowledge needed to design truly inclusive spaces in their future careers.
Partner with Us
We can help you design and facilitate an impactful Accessibility Walk in your city, campus, or organization. It’s a transformative first step towards building a community that understands and champions universal accessibility.
Building Inclusive Learning Environments
While the Right to Education is a national priority, ensuring children with disabilities can access and thrive in higher and technical education requires focused effort. We partner with educational institutions and government bodies to bridge this gap, addressing barriers from inaccessible infrastructure to a lack of awareness, creating learning environments where every student is empowered to succeed.
Our Impact on National Policy & Global Advocacy
We work at the highest levels to shape the standards that create inclusive education. Our team has spearheaded disability-inclusive design elements and authored key national and global guidelines, including:
- Global Monitoring Report for UNESCO.
- Access to School and the Learning Environment Guidelines for UNICEF, New York.
- Harmonised Guidelines & Space Standards for Universal Design for the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India.
- School Audit Toolkit for UNICEF.
- School Zone Accessibility Code for the Indian Roads Congress.
Our Services for the Education Sector
We provide a comprehensive suite of services to help schools, colleges, and universities become truly inclusive:
- Campus Accessibility Audits: We have conducted audits of over 1400 schools and leading academic institutions, including IITs and IIMs, providing a clear roadmap to a barrier-free campus.
- Future-Proof Design Consulting: We review blueprints for new educational infrastructure to ensure universal design principles are embedded from the very beginning.
- Technical Training & Capacity Building: We organize workshops for engineers, teachers, and administrators on creating and maintaining accessible facilities, fostering a culture of inclusion.
- Mentoring & Monitoring: Following an audit, we provide mentoring support to implementing agencies to ensure the recommendations are successfully translated into a truly accessible environment.
A Snapshot of Our Partners
We are the trusted accessibility partner for India’s most prestigious academic institutions and government bodies, including:
- Government: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
- International Agencies: UNESCO, UNICEF, DFID, CBM
- Institutes of Excellence: IIT (Delhi, Jammu, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Gandhinagar), IIM (Ahmadabad, Jammu)
- Leading Universities: University of Delhi, IGNOU, University of Punjab, University of Hyderabad
Building Cities Where Everyone Belongs
As nations increasingly adopt legislation for full and equitable participation, our “Universal Cities” campaign provides the blueprint for urban transformation. We partner with city governments, urban planners, and civic organizations to implement the principles of Universal Design, creating sustainable and accessible cities where every citizen has the freedom to thrive.
Our City-Wide Success Stories
Accessible Delhi Campaign
Since 2008, we have been a key partner in the ongoing effort to make our nation’s capital more accessible. Through our advocacy and technical expertise, over 57 key public buildings, stadiums, major railway stations, and bus terminals in Delhi now have universal accessible features.
Inclusive Commonwealth Games 2010
For this major international event, we were entrusted by the Delhi Government to conduct access audits for all upcoming infrastructure. Based on our recommendations, the Sports Authority of India and the Organizing Committee ensured that all venues were made fully accessible for both elite athletes with disabilities and spectators.
Project Accessible Goa: A National Model
In partnership with the Government of Goa, we created a statewide model for accessibility. Through a series of “Training of Trainer” workshops, we built a local resource pool of access auditors. This led to massive accessibility implementation across schools, public buildings, markets, and factories, culminating in Goa winning the National Award for Barrier-Free State in 2006.
Project Accessible Auroville
We collaborated with the architects and planners of the unique Auroville township to develop a comprehensive inclusive urban development strategy. Our recommendations guided the process of making the Matri Mandir, public buildings, guest houses, and community living spaces barrier-free.
Ensuring Accessibility Reaches Every Village
Our “Access for All” campaign is a nationwide initiative dedicated to addressing social exclusion and promoting universal accessibility in rural India. We believe in community-led processes that create sustainable, long-term change. We partner with local leaders and organizations to ensure that the real Bharat is accessible for all its citizens.
Our Grassroots Approach
Our methodology is centered on empowering local communities to become champions for their own accessibility rights.
- Empowering Local Leaders: We work directly with and through grassroots Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), centering their lived experience and leadership in all our advocacy processes.
- Building Local Capacity: We conduct targeted capacity-building workshops and have facilitated the creation of “Access Co-ordination Cells” in multiple states, building a sustainable local infrastructure for change.
- Implementing Global Goals Locally: Our work focuses on the practical implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the community level, particularly those related to inclusive education, gender equality, and economic growth.
A Legacy of Rural Impact
Our commitment to rural accessibility has been a cornerstone of our work for over two decades.
- Since 2001, we have trained more than 13,000 people in rural and semi-urban areas, equipping them with the skills to advocate for Universal Design in their communities.
- 2020-Ongoing: We are actively working with OPDs in 16 states to implement key Sustainable Development Goals at the grassroots level.
- 2017-2019: We raised awareness on the SDGs and facilitated the creation of Gender Committees within OPDs across 16 states to ensure the full participation of women leaders with disabilities.
- 2004-2009: In partnership with DFID UK and VSO, we successfully established Access Co-ordination Cells in 9 states to drive community-led accessibility initiatives.
How We Create Impactful Campaigns
Community-Led & Participatory
Our campaigns are designed with the community, not just for them. We center the voices and lived experiences of persons with disabilities to create authentic and resonant messages.
Multi-Platform Engagement
From on-the-ground ‘Accessibility Walks’ to digital media outreach and policy forums, we use a multi-faceted approach to reach the widest possible audience and drive the conversation forward.
Action-Oriented Outcomes
Awareness is just the first step. Every campaign is designed with a clear, strategic objective, whether it’s advocating for policy change, promoting new standards, or fostering local collaboration.