Bhavna Botta, a young serial entrepreneur with cerebral palsy, had her dream project, Saahaagika, an exclusive boutique for ahimsa silk, washed away in the recent rains and floods in Chennai. Broken but not beaten, she looks for strength, motivation and new avenues to start afresh.

Could you tell us a bit about your journey and how you became an entrepreneur?

Varuni Agrawal is a sprightly 29-year-old young lady with Down’s Syndrome. She is a Teacher’s Assistant at Tagore International School in Delhi. Her parents and siblings, have, of course, been her support all the way. A tete-a-tete with Varuni and her parents on her desires and aspirations:

Rajeev and Nita Agrawal: Varuni's parents:

Varuni is a beautiful and vivacious girl. She enjoys Bollywood movies and music and loves to play music on Youtube and dance to it.

Nigel Ng suffers from a rare condition called Selective Mutism, an anxiety disorder, which makes him a loner amidst a group of people as he is unable to speak or communicate in specific situations when he gets a panic attack. He shares his experiences:

In your book (shown below), you talk about the bullying you underwent in school from classmates and even from teachers. Do those memories still bother you, haunt you? Do you remember how you felt then? What is your reaction now?

Shaloo Sharma, the head of a school in Gurgaon committed to inclusive education and Sunil Bhatt, a certified physical instructor for children with special needs from Ancramdale, New York share their views on the importance of Adaptive Physical Education for children with disabilities.

Adaptive Physical Education - A rights-based approach to accessible play.

Meet Varun Khullar, India’s first and only DJ in a wheelchair and second in the world. Varun Khullar was raring to go in life when a fateful accident changed everything. He shares with us how he picked up the pieces to work hard for his cherished goal.

THE ACCIDENT

7th of June 2014. The Accident which turned my life upside down

Since its inception in 2014, Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation, which promotes inclusion by enabling Persons with Disability (PwD) and able bodied people to participate in adventure sports like paragliding, marathons, trekking, scuba diving and mountaineering together, has impacted close to 4000 PwDs and over 1.5 lakh able bodied people. Yashasvini Rajeshwar, Head of Media and Communication of ABBF, gives details about the pioneering effort.

Tell us about this unique thought and its genesis.

This one of a kind café in Mumbai provides employment opportunities to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities and is full of yummy snacks. Read trustee Ashaita Mahajan’s interview for full story.

In the last few years, a handful of restaurants and eateries have opened across India that are creating opportunities for the differently abled. Café Arpan is the latest addition. Could you tell us how Café Arpan was envisaged and what is its mission?