Surprised that Chonsin Angmo of Himachal Pradesh has been missed out from the list. She is the first blind woman to scale Mount Everest on the 19th of May, 2025. She is the first blind woman in the World to scale the peak.
George -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Chandrashekhar Kulkarni Sent: 23 December 2025 08:03 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [AI] 8 Women With Disabilities Who Made Headlines In 2025 Very nice and inspiring article. Mobile 8080742446 On December 22, 2025 9:28:54 PM Sameer <[email protected]> wrote: > 8 Women With Disabilities Who Made Headlines In 2025 > > From winning world cups to campaigning for social justice, these 8 > women with disabilities redefined accessibility as a fundamental right. > > Vishal Sharma, Dec 22, 2025 > > 2025 was a year when the country finally recognised the need to hear > the stories of people with disabilities and saw some significant > changes in the narratives > > on disability. The country seemed to recognise the urgent need for > > accessibility > > and the fact that immediate action is the need of the hour. However, > needless to say a lot is yet to be done by both the government and > society as a whole > > for true inclusion and accessibility. > > The year 2025 turned out to be one when women with disabilities not > just made big achievements but broke many glass ceilings. They made > news headlines > > in sports, innovation, and activism. From winning inaugural world cups > to breaking records in able-bodied categories, the achievements of our > female stars > > once again proved the fact that disability lies in the inaccessible > infrastructure, in the binary systems and discriminatory attitudes and > not the people > > themselves. > > This list celebrates 8 trailblazers of India who with their resilience > and spirit, have not only realised their own dreams and the dreams of > a community > > long relegated to the margins of our country, but also sought a just > and accessible living environment that would be built for every Indian > citizen. > > 1. Sheetal Devi (Archer) > > Source: Olympics > > At the 2025 World Para Archery Championships, Sheetal Devi, 18, > secured individual gold, but her glass ceiling moment was when she was > selected for the > > able-bodied > > national team > > for the Asia Cup in Jeddah. > > Born without arms, the archer began shooting using her legs and > shoulders. By competing with 60 able-bodied sportspersons in the > compound women category > > and securing the qualification, Sheetal Devi not only made a mark in > the history of the country’s sports but also effectively dismantled > the binary frameworks > > of the sporting world, which historically have prioritised able-bodied > people and reduced disabled sports to secluded para sports. > > At the 2025 World Para Archery Championships, Sheetal Devi, 18, > secured individual gold, but her glass ceiling moment was when she was > selected for the > > able-bodied > > national team > > for the Asia Cup in Jeddah. > > ‘Hume kisi ko jawab nahi dena… humara arrow jawab dega (We don’t have > to explain, our arrow will do that)’ – her coach’s remarks became a > motto for the > > young archer making her sporting journey in the world. > > 2. Nidhi Goyal (Comedian & Disability Rights Activist) > > Photo: UN Women/Susan Markisz > > Nidhi Goyal is a pioneer female disabled > > comedian > > and a disability rights activist. Nidhi Goyal introduced her > ‘Feminist-Disabled’ framework through the International Purple Fest > and her leadership at > > Rising Flame in 2025. > > She has shown the world that comedy can be an effective tool against > ableist and gendered norms, can help us to reach out to people and > build bridges that > > empower the people who have long neglected. By tapping into the gap > between art and policies as a public speaker and comedian, Nidhi has > opened up important > > conversations about consent, desire and leadership of > > disabled women. > > 3. Dr. Anjlee Agarwal (Policy Architect) > > Dr. Anjlee’s website > > With her leadership at ‘Sugamya Yatra‘, Dr Anjlee Agarwal made efforts > to incorporate disability inclusion in India’s urban transformation, > by demanding > > that ‘Universal Design’ be the baseline for India’s rapidly growing cities. > > As a member of the NITI Aayog CSO Committee, her work has focused on > the disability laws’ ‘implementation gap‘ – a space where progressive > legal protections > > often fail on the ground in making any significant improvements in > disabled people’s lives. > > As a member of the NITI Aayog CSO Committee, her work has focused on > the disability laws’ ‘implementation gap‘ – a space where progressive > legal protections > > often fail on the ground in making any significant improvements in > disabled people’s lives. Through her advocacy, she has been trying to > ensure that new > > infrastructure projects, from metro stations to government buildings, > should be built aiming at providing dignity to all citizens > > 4. Virali Modi (Public Speaker and Model) > > Source: YourStory.com > > Virali Modi, a renowned motivational speaker, is making history by > using her visibility to bring down the ‘aesthetic ableism‘ of urban > cultural spaces > > in India. By her regular capturing of daily navigation of > accessibility in a country rampant with new infra projects, she > exposes the flawed foundations > > of modern development which totally ignores the basic needs of > millions of citizens. In one of her reels, she put it effectively: ‘we > don’t need your sympathy, > > we need ramps, accessible washrooms, and footpaths. Disability is not > the problem, > > inaccessibility > > is.‘ > > Her activism on Instagram and social media this year promoted the > right to the city – to exist, to access the essentials – as a > non-negotiable political > > right. > > 5. Dr Rajalakshmi S.J. (Dentist and Pageant Winner) > > Source: X > > Dr Rajalakshmi S J is a dentist, educator, and wheelchair pageant > winner. Her NGO, SJ Foundation works for the visibility and > representation of persons > > with disabilities. Rajalakshmi personally brought down the ableism > prevalent in medical fields that long barred disabled bodies from > high-precision professions > > like surgery. Her work in 2025 has continued on her established path > of disability advocacy and seeking further steps towards real empowerment. > > 6. Indian Women’s Blind Cricket Team (Cricketers) > > Source: Female Cricket > > The Indian Women’s Blind Cricket Team became the first world champions > in November 2025 by winning the inaugural > > T20 World Cup. > > Their journey began with tough training days. Led by captain Deepika > TC, India defeated Nepal by seven wickets in the final played in the > Sri Lankan capital Colombo. This massive feat by disabled cricketers > in an environment that is not accessible at all, is hoped to give > visibility and the much-needed infrastructure to sportspersons with > disabilities in the country. > > The > > champion squad > > included 3 categories of players, which were: B1 Category: Simu Das, P. > Karuna Kumari, Anu Kumari, Jamuna Rani Tudu, Kavya V. B2 Category: > Anekha Devi, > > Basanti Hansdah, Simranjeet Kour, Sunita Sarathe, Parbati Marndi. B3 > Category: Deepika T C (Captain), Ganga S Kadam (Vice Captain), Phula > Soren, Kavya > > N R, Sushma Patel, Durga Yevle. > > 7. Sminu Jindal (Industrialist) > > Source: Conscious Carma > > Sminu Jindal is an Indian industrialist and an economic architect of > inclusion. She is the Founder-Chairperson of Svayam, an initiative for > accessibility > > rights. In 2025, Sminu Jindal helped mobilise the > > National Summit on Accessibility, > > where she successfully shifted the discourse from “social welfare” to > an economic imperative, identifying accessibility as a trillion-dollar > growth driver for India’s future development goals. > > 8. Preethi Pal (Athlete) > > Source: Olympics > > Preethi Pal hails from a farming community in a village in Uttar > Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar. Now a star Olympian, Preethi, as a child, > faced immense challenges > > since she could > > barely walk. > > She received the honour of becoming India’s flagbearer for the World > Para Athletics Championships in 2025. A Paris Paralympic double bronze > medallist, Pal faced and overcame barriers in her journey from > battling cerebral palsy to becoming a sports icon for women in the country. > > A Paris Paralympic double bronze medallist, Pal faced and overcame > barriers in her journey from battling cerebral palsy to becoming a > sports icon for women > > in the country. > > With the outgoing year, these barrier-breaking stories dismantled the > global frameworks that are ableist and exclusive in their very nature > and called > > out India’s flawed development model. These pioneering women, with > their resilience, have given encouragement to other women and made > efforts to provide > > platforms to millions in the country. As is often said, their > achievement came not because of the system, but despite the system. > They are finally being > > heard and receiving the visibility that they deserve. The one thing > common in all these stories is that accessibility is not a privilege, > nor a request > > but a democratic and constitutional right which every single Indian > citizen deserves and is a prerequisite for any modern and equitable society. > > The spirit we need to adhere to for the approaching year should be: > the right to move, the right to equal participation and above all, the > right of accessibility, > > which cannot be conditional and negotiable for any citizen, no matter > where they stand in the ableist social hierarchy. > > https://feminisminindia.com/2025/12/22/8-women-with-disabilities-who-m > ade-headlines-in-2025/#google_vignette > > > -- > > Regards > Sameer Latey > > -- > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking > of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its > veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the > mails sent through this mailing list.. > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "AccessIndia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/ab45b93c-cfc2-4277-b508-4098e5533c92%40gmail.com. -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/19b490d6bd8.287f.9269d8599559711a312c440925871209%40gmail.com. -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/01a001dc73c9%24755f8fd0%24601eaf70%24%40gmail.com.
