Tanvi Shams, Asst. Professor, NLU- Odisha- a wheelchair user has been stuck at Bhubhaneshwar Airport since 4 hours. IndiGo has denied her to board the flight (ATR Aircraft) because of her disability. No support/ reason from the airlines/ airport staff provided.

Meet our next Purple Ambassador, Chaitanya Mukund, Chaitanya Mukund is an author, blogger, and supermodel who has Cerebral Palsy. In 2018, he gained recognition for becoming a supermodel with a disability at a fashion event that made it into the Guinness Book of World Records

Join Purple Ambassador Chaitanya Mukund on a journey of inclusivity and joy at the International Purple Fest, Goa - 2024. Date: 8th Jan 2024 - 13th Jan 2024 Venue: Panaji Register NOW: purplefest.goa.gov.in Video description & Transcript in comments #PurpleFest2024

#MissedNarratives #DisabilityInclusion 🧵 On 14.01.2024, I traveled from Goa International Airport, Dabolim to Airport Director- Visakhapatnam Airport with IndiGo via RGIA Hyderabad, and my connecting flight from RGIA Hyderabad to Airport Director- Visakhapatnam Airport got canceled. We were informed about the cancellation at the boarding gate. #IndiGo

I had to argue for a long time with the staff to get my tickets on the next possible direct flight on a priority basis, as both Amma & I were in wheelchairs. #FlightCancel #IndiGoAirlines

I am a person with late blindness and live with a rare neurological condition - #IIH, an invisible disability that requires reasonable accommodations, such as lying down at regular intervals, and Amma has age-related mobility limitations. #IndiGoAirlines #DisabilityInclusion

Initially, I was offered connecting flights to Vizag with 10-hour layovers. After 4 hours of waiting without water, food, and lack of information, we were asked to board the flight that was departing in 5 minutes. #FlightCancel #IndiGoAirlines

It was a rush! We somehow managed to board the flight with the support of wheelchair assistants. I traveled without my luggage in that chaos. I raised another complaint with the ground staff at the Vizag airport and received my baggage more than 24 hours after reaching home.

1/ My baseline report on Disability certification, UDID and Financial Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Deoghar, Jharkhand is finally published as part of the Javed Abidi-NCPEDP Fellowship. In the study, I focussed on two-gram panchayats of Sonaraithari block.

1/1 Last week I had a brief but bitter experience at Delhi Airport when I was told to ‘stand’ for security check while being on a wheelchair.

1/2 The security officer didn’t even give me time to properly position my crutches and stand. Instead, he asked me to take his shoulder for support. It was humiliating.

1/3 When I questioned him about his disregard for the disabled and elderly, he chose to stay silent, sporting a sheepish smile.

1/4 Upon asking the wheelchair assistant about it, they said it has been happening for a while now and no one pays heed.

1/5 Asking a wheelchair user or a less mobile person to stand during a security check at airports is a disgrace to their dignity and constitutes an outright offense under the law. Therefore, I urge Delhi Airport and Airports Authority of India to look into the matter seriously and diligently.

A pioneer initiative in South Asia, that started three years ago as NCPEDP Javed Abidi Fellowship on Disability came to conclusion today. A day, which celebrated development of leaders in their own rights in thematic areas ranging from accessibility, social security access to