Second Indian Congress for Persons with Disabilities starts tomorrow in Bengaluru

The second National Congress for Persons with Disabilities begins in Bengaluru tomorrow in a much bigger avataar. Around 200 delegates from across India will take part in the three-day event, hosted by the Indian Congress for Persons with Disabilities and the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. There will be a mix of panel discussions, workshops, cultural events, a marathon and a bike rally, all with the goal to create an inclusive world.

The first such Indian Congress in 2018 in Coimbatore saw the presence of 75 participants, including Thomas Kraus, Initiator, Worldwide Congresses for Persons with Disabilities.

“The concept is about 20 years old, says Akila Vaidyanathan, Founder, Amaze Charitable Trust, and core member of the Indian Congress for Persons with Disabilities. “There was a world congress which was attended by some people from the disabled community in India and a need was felt to have something in India for people with disabilities, run by people with disabilities.

The Coimbatore event, which she calls a ‘dry run’, with its concerts and discussions saw a huge response. This time, the event is being entirely managed and run by people with disabilities.

We are expecting between 150-200 delegates and about 500 people are expected to participate in the Run for Inclusion. There will be workshops on issues like financial management by people from the community like Sumant Iyengar of Flipkart. We will also be taking the participants for a visit to an organic farm. – Ashwin B N, Organizing Secretary, Second National Congress for Persons with Disabilities

“The aim of the Congress is to infuse the disabled community in India with the feeling of ‘Yes We Can’, says Manjunath Reddy, Joint Secretary. Second National Congress for Persons with Disabilities. “By organizing it on our own, we want to show the community and the world that even we can do such things like everyone else.

Among those who is looking forward to the events is Karthik Chandrashekhar, a Chennai-based engineer. “I attended the first Congress and I loved meeting so many new people and hearing such wonderful discussions. I am going again mainly to meet people, hear their experiences and views and find out how people are tackling their problems.

If you are keen to attend, you can sign up until 29 April at this link – https://samarthanam.org/congress-for-pwds