The Accessibility Coalition
We are a coalition that brings together policymakers, civil society organisations, and the industry to collectively reimagine an India where inclusion of Persons with Disabilities is the norm and not the exception. Together, we hope to break siloes, shape dialogue and reimagine systems to accelerate access and inclusion.
The Context
India’s disability rights landscape is at a pivotal juncture. Nearly a decade after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 established a strong legal foundation, the challenge now lies in translating this mandate into consistent, system-wide implementation. There are early signs of progress. In the ICT sector, for instance, digital accessibility is increasingly being treated as a legal requirement rather than a voluntary best practice, particularly following recent interventions by the Supreme Court. This marks a shift away from an uneven, guideline-based approach toward clearer, enforceable obligations. Yet, these developments also highlight a deeper structural gap. Accessibility continues to be addressed in a piecemeal manner, often introduced after systems are built rather than embedded at the design stage. Meaningful inclusion across sectors - from education and employment to health and technology - requires accessibility to be treated as a foundational consideration, not a corrective measure. At the same time, engagement on disability policy has expanded but remains fragmented. Efforts are often organised around specific disabilities or sectors, with limited coordination across stakeholders. While this has enabled targeted progress, it has constrained the development of more cohesive responses to cross-cutting policy and regulatory challenges.
Why The Coalition?
The Accessibility Coalition addresses these gaps by strengthening collaborative civil society engagement with policy, bringing cross-disability perspectives together to ensure accessibility and inclusion are embedded across laws, institutions, and governance processes from the outset. No single organisation can tackle the breadth of these systemic challenges alone, particularly when faced with capacity constraints and resource limitations that restrict sustained advocacy. To bridge the gap between necessity, policy, legislation and implementation, the ecosystem requires a cohesive voice. We exist to coalesce these diverse efforts, transforming isolated expertise into a unified force for strategic policy engagement. Through this collective platform, we hope to create essential dialogue, align strategic priorities across the sector, and constructively engage with the government on the critical policy issues that affect the lives of persons with disabilities.