29 disabled candidates make it to selections for the Indian Administrative Services!

Over 29 people with disabilities have made it to the Indian Administrative Services this year. Of these nine are people with mobility impairments, eight have visual impairments, while 12 are deaf and hard of hearing.

These candidates say they were able to make it this far thanks to a lot of hard work and support from people who encouraged them to look beyond their disability.

Among the top candidates is Saumya Sharma, who stood ninth and has a hearing impairment. She said that she studied for a minimum nine hours every day. Even though she had high fever during the exam and was on saline drip, she did not lose heart.

The results of the Civil Services examination also prove the importance of inclusivity in the education system. Balalatha Mallavarapu, who has ranked 167, faced discrimination in school years because she had polio.

Her classmates would refuse to sit with heras they feared getting infected. The bias was so bad that she opted for home schooling until graduation.