Empowering Inclusive Storytelling to Influence Policy and Perception

Background & Rationale

India is home to over 26.8 million persons with disabilities (Census 2011), though the actual number is likely higher due to underreporting, social stigma, and limited access to diagnosis. PWDs in India continue to face structural and social exclusion in areas such as education, employment, healthcare, housing, transportation, and digital access. Despite several legal protections including the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 implementation remains uneven, and public awareness is alarmingly low.

While many journalists and media organizations in India have taken significant steps to highlight issues of disability, there remains a need to deepen and diversify the coverage—especially from a rights-based, intersectional, and policy-oriented perspective. With this fellowship, we aim to support and nurture a dedicated cohort of journalists whose work focuses specifically on the experiences of persons with disabilities. These stories will explore the intersection of disability with health, education, employment, social justice, and regional disparities—bringing forth perspectives often overlooked in mainstream discourse. The fellowship seeks to complement ongoing efforts by amplifying such narratives and creating a sustained, inclusive media ecosystem around disability rights.

The Need

There is an urgent need to foster a new generation of journalists who understand disability not as a medical condition, but as a matter of rights, dignity, and social justice. This fellowship is an attempt to:

• • Create space for long-form, investigative, and impactful stories that capture the lived realities of the disability community.




• • Document and amplify stories from underserved geographies and intersectional identities—Dalit, Adivasi, Muslim, women, and LGBTQ+ PWDs.




• • Bridge the gap between journalism and policy by enabling evidence-based storytelling that can influence public understanding and advocacy.




• • Support journalists with mentorship, editorial guidance, and financial resources to pursue independent, public-interest journalism.