A CHENNAI ACTIVIST'S FIGHT FOR ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION

Ms. Meenakshi, who identifies as an advocate for disabled persons, is part of a team at the NGO Vidya Sagar, that has been filing PILs against various agencies, seeking better accessibility in public spaces.

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Forty-nine-year-old Meenakshi Balasubramanian, a senior associate at the Centre for Inclusive Policy, has long been a strong voice advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities in Tamil Nadu and across the country. But activism was not part of her original plan; coming from a commerce background, her journey from accounting to advocacy was entirely serendipitous, she says.

A person with a mobility impairment, Ms. Meenakshi, now based in Chennai, completed her schooling and college in Thoothukudi. “When my family moved to Thoothukudi, we realised that finding a school for me would be difficult. One school refused to enrol me; they said classes were on the first floor and that other children would mock me. That was my first experience of rejection due to my disability. Until then, I never saw myself as different, and neither did my family or those around me,” she says.