Svayam marks 25 years with scholarships to JGU students
Svayam, India's pioneering accessibility organisation, founded by Ms. Sminu Jindal in 2000, marked its 25 years on November 6. It held a National Summit on Accessibility themed ‘Removing Barriers, Realising Potential’ in New Delhi.
The Svayam Accessibility Awards were presented to students who have shown outstanding commitment to creating meaningful social impact in advancing accessibility and inclusion by conferring upon them the Prithvi Raj Jindal Visionary Scholarship 2025. The Scholarship amounting to Rs. 1,00,000 was conferred on 6 students: Aditya Goel (Jindal Global Law School); Ishani Ganguly, Sanya Aggrwal and Sumedha Goenka (Jindal School of Design & Architecture); Anandi Uppal (Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability); and Ashmita Mitra (Jindal School of Government and Public Policy). These students have improved inclusivity through accessible sports facilities and adaptive equipment on campus, adaptive architectural project that developed community toilets using universal design, water security project, and policy briefs on limited access to hearing health in India, by identifying systemic barriers and policy gaps respectively.
In its partnership with JGU, Svayam undertook several initiatives to make the campus more accessible and inclusive by conducting audits to identify critical barriers and gaps. Svayam donated two wheelchair-accessible e-carts to make the in-campus commute easy. With Svayam providing professional expertise, JGU made the campus more accessible for individuals with reduced mobility with the help of improved routes, accessible parking, secure entry points, levelled pathways, and new ramps with dual-height handrails. Buildings, classrooms, common areas, auditoriums, libraries, and all key areas were redesigned, making the campus accessible for all. Inclusive signage, accessible toilets and drinking water stations, elevators with braille panels and audio announcements across campus were fitted for a safe and more navigable environment.
Svayam was established with the vision to promote accessible infrastructure and transportation system through access audits, sensitisation training, simulation workshops, advocacy and awareness. In the past 25 years, Svayam has championed accessibility by working towards universal design in built infrastructure to empower individuals with reduced mobility and create a society that values and respects the rights of all its members by advocating for inclusive policies, promoting awareness, and collaborating with stakeholders, including government bodies, national and international organisations, and communities, to implement inclusive practices.
