Meet the gang of 21 who are changing the discourse of disability in every day living!
Disabilities do not equate to inabilities and so the Purple Fest is being organised to celebrate diversity and inclusion of persons with disabilities (PwDs). The Purple Fest, India’s first-of-its-kind inclusive fest, is a distinctive 3-day event that aims to showcase how we can come together to create a welcoming and inclusive world for everyone.
In order to raise awareness and gain visibility, 21 people will be representing the 21 disabilities recognised by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. These Purple Ambassadors will speak on behalf of their communities and aim to transform the perception of disability to break societal barriers, states a press release.
PURPLE AMBASSADORS – Part 1
Aarti Batra is a person with Thalassemia Major. She has completed her graduation and post-graduation in English Literature and is highly interested in world politics. She is currently working as a Research Assistant at Outline India and also engaged with Javed-Abidi Fellowship Programme.
A person with invisible disability, Aarti wants to do her part to normalise the discussion about and depiction of people with disabilities. She evaluated the accessibility and availability of public healthcare for people with disabilities in Gurgaon while she was enrolled in her fellowship programme. Over the course of the previous year, she also collaborated with the officials to identify gaps and find workable solutions.
Anjali Vyas is from Bhandara, Maharashtra and is a British Council certified IELTS Trainer by profession. A person with Multiple Sclerosis herself, she is an MS Patient Advocate and has been advocating for the Rights of persons with MS in the state of Maharashtra, with the MSSI (Multiple Sclerosis Society of India) since 2018. Her journey as a self-advocate began after a year of her MS diagnosis, when she wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of India demanding affordable treatment & research on MS in India. She served as the Hon. Joint Secretary of MS Society India, Pune Chapter from 2019 -2021. For the past 4.5 years at MSSI, she has represented and advocated for MSSI in various national consultations. She actively creates awareness through her social media handles by engaging with both national & international audiences.
Deepashree Narendra is a person with a Learning Disability. She joined Vinyas in 2015, and has been instrumental in driving brand management, human resource management, accelerating business growth and crafting valuable stakeholder experiences. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology Engineering and a post graduate degree in Intellectual Property Rights. She was the co-convener of CII Women Network Forum Mysuru and the Chair for YUVA, Young Indians; the youth vertical of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Besides these professional experiences, Deepashree has a strong zeal to work towards the betterment of education system and has taken initiatives to provide quality education to children from rural India.
Dhanya Ravi was born with a rare genetic disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), a type of Locomotor Disability. Aside from being a TEDx and Josh Talk speaker, she also addresses numerous audience members on topics including inclusion, mental health and social responsibility. She advocates actively for a more inclusive society and strives to raise awareness about rare genetic conditions. Dhanya is one of the founder trustees of Aasmaan Foundation Trust which has provided over 8 lakhs motorised wheelchairs to those in need.
To be continued…
