I live in Raipur. I have been part of this community for a while now — navigating retinitis pigmentosa, running a business, and recently writing a book about what all of that actually feels like from the inside. Raipur is home. It is also, honestly, a city where the conversation around disability and inclusion is just beginning.
I am part of Young Indians — a youth initiative under CII (Confederation of Indian Industry). We want to organise something here. A small, offline event focused on accessibility and inclusion. Not a large-scale fest. Not an awareness programme. Something intimate and practical that could genuinely move something — even slightly — in a city where very little exists yet. I am writing here before we plan anything because I believe the people in this community — who have navigated inaccessible schools, workplaces, and cities their entire lives — should be part of designing this, not just attending it. Here is roughly what we are thinking: A half-day offline event in Raipur bringing together two groups that rarely sit in the same room — people with disabilities and the people who have the power to change things for them. School principals, college administrators, employers, and local policy makers on one side. Disabled individuals, their families, and caregivers on the other. Not speeches. Conversations. The kind where something might actually shift. We are also thinking of an accessible walk — guiding non-disabled participants through one Raipur neighbourhood the way a person with a disability navigates it. Not for drama. Just for the kind of understanding that arrives when you feel something rather than hear about it. But I genuinely do not know if this is the right format. And I do not know everything that is needed. Which is why I am here. A few things I would really value your thoughts on: >From your own experience — what is one thing that could actually be done at an event like this that would make a real difference? Not awareness for its own sake — something practical, something that changes how a person in that room thinks or acts afterward. Is there anyone — a speaker, an organisation, an individual — that you think should be in the room for a conversation like this to be meaningful? Someone from the disability community whose voice carries weight, or someone from the mainstream world who has genuinely changed something? And if you or someone you know is based in or near Raipur and would be open to being part of this — either as a participant or as a voice from lived experience — I would love to know. I am not announcing anything yet. I am trying to build something worth building. And I would rather do that with this community than without it. Rishabh Gupta Author, What I See Now | Managing Partner, Anant Resources | Co-Founder, Green Energy Feeders Raipur, Chhattisgarh [email protected] +91 83190 50810 -- 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/CAOukPW_Wtnc74_iJXy%2BnQJ%3D6dPwFi_OHirRE85dxvsrifXVVtA%40mail.gmail.com.
