Swabhiman ''State disABILITY Information and Resource Center''
'Founded in 2000, Swabhiman (State Disability Information And Resource Centre) is a registered nonpro
Swabhiman – State Disability Information and Resource Centre was established in the year 2000 and registered as a non-profit in 2002. It is a cross-disability organization and advocates for a human rights-based approach to disability. One of India’s frontline disability organization, it is founded and led by people with disabilities. Program areas include advocacy, awareness, education, research, and training. It was at the forefront of the new disability law consultation and passage, accessible elections, Census 2011, and amendment of several policies. Focuses on achieving SDG4 (Inclusive Education), SDG8 (Decent Employment), SDG6 (WASH), SDG10 (Reducing Inequality), SDG11 (Accessible Cities) SDG17 (Disaggregated Data); and increasing public awareness on disability rights. Has served over 47000 children and youth with disabilities directly and lakhs indirectly.
01/08/2025
26/07/2025
We are elated to share that Sruti Mohapatra was honoured at the Femina Achievers Awards 2025, Odisha Edition, a celebration of resilience, brilliance, and unstoppable women who lead by example. Held for the very first time in Odisha, this iconic event recognized changemakers across diverse fields, and Sruti’s decades-long journey in disability rights, inclusion, and accessibility found its rightful spotlight.
Her work has helped shape policies, shift mindsets, and build a world where everyone belongs. To see these efforts celebrated on such a platform is both humbling and empowering.
Watch a glimpse of the celebration.
This recognition is for every activist, every person with a disability, and every voice that dares to demand inclusion.
31/07/2025
Join us live for Planning Anjali 2025 Silver Jubilee celebration
30/07/2025
30/07/2025: Ongoing Program- Exploratory Session for Anjali@25 Campaign (2025–2026)
30th & 31st July 2025
26/07/2025
19/07/2025
ProgressABILITY 2025
A powerful Legal Awareness Seminar on Disability Rights, organised by Ability Foundation in collaboration with Surana & Surana International Attorneys, brought together changemakers from across India for impactful conversations on inclusive education, fair employment, and landmark legal victories. A key moment was the launch of a comprehensive handbook on disability law and judgments, a vital resource for advocacy, awareness, and action.
In the panel on Inclusive Education, Dr. Sruti Mohapatra shared insights on the broader vision of inclusion. “India has robust laws and policies,” she noted, “but poor implementation continues to hinder real change. We must start with early education and changing attitudes.”
25/07/2025
08/07/2025
A New Feather in the Cap!
We’re proud to share that Dr. Sruti Mohapatra has been invited to join the Board of Advisors of SequelString AI Pvt. Ltd., a forward-thinking automation startup based in Mumbai. SequelString AI, founded by Ravish Sahay in 2018 with support from alumni of Harvard, IIT, and IIM, is transforming lives through cutting-edge tech in mobility, agritech, and social innovation.
With a growing list of clients, including Mahindra, EY, Hero MotoCorp, Times of India, and Oberoi Group, SequelString is pioneering impactful solutions in RPA, blockchain, and machine learning, driving change across industries.
Dr. Mohapatra’s inclusion marks a strong step towards more inclusive, diversity-centered innovation.
Ramesh Behera, a Class X student from K.C. Govt High School, Narayanpur, has emerged as a shining example of determination and perseverance. Despite living with a Learning Impairment, Ramesh has broken all barriers to achieve academic excellence, securing an impressive 92.67% in the Matriculation Examination 2024–25.
Ramesh’s journey reflects not just personal effort but also the strength of inclusive education. Hailing from a rural block in Balasore, he faced challenges both environmental and social. Yet, his commitment, the support of his teachers, and the enabling environment of his school allowed him to rise above limitations.
His story inspires thousands of children with disabilities to dream big and believe in their potential. Ramesh is not only a topper but also a trailblazer, showing that disability is not a barrier to success; it’s just another part of a unique and powerful journey.
24/07/2025
The Bagchi Sri Shankara Cancer Centre and Research Institute (BSSCCRI) is a state-of-the-art, not-for-profit comprehensive cancer centre under the Sri Shankara Cancer Foundation (SSCF), Bangalore. Dedicated to providing cutting-edge cancer care, BSSCCRI serves patients across this region with a strong commitment to excellence and compassion. On July 1st, observed nationwide as National Doctors’ Day in memory of the late Bharat Ratna Dr. B. C. Roy, Dr. Sruti Mohapatra was invited as a special guest to inspire and address the medical fraternity. In her powerful speech following the inaugural address by Dr. B. K. Mohanti, Academic Director, BSSCCRI, Dr. Mohapatra reflected on her personal experiences with doctors—the good, the bad, and the ugly. She spoke candidly about those who mishandled her case and caused lasting trauma, as well as about the deeply compassionate care she witnessed from doctors like her mother, Dr. Annapurna Devi, and grandfather, Dr. Sarat Mishra, healers revered for their humility and humanity.
24/07/2025
🌟 PRERANA SAMMAN 2025 SPOTLIGHT 🌟
📍 Koraput District | 🏫 Govt High School Borigumma
Meet Suhana Padhi, a shining star from Borigumma, Koraput. A determined and bright Class X student, Suhana scored an outstanding 92.83%, an achievement made even more remarkable as she navigates life with a locomotor disability.
Her unwavering commitment to education and her never-give-up spirit have earned her a well-deserved place among the Prerana Samman 2025 awardees.
👏 Let us celebrate Suhana’s excellence and courage. She reminds us that disability is never a barrier to dreams; determination is the key.
Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department, Government of Odisha Secysme Odisha
22/07/2025
On 22 July 2025, Swabhiman celebrated the tenth edition of the Prerana Samman at Jayadev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar. It was a morning filled with pride, promise, and the undying spirit of young divyang achievers.
Swabhiman honoured 118 students with disabilities from all thirty districts of Odisha who had scored 75 percent and above in their Class X examinations. Each received medals, certificates, and books as a tribute to their determination and excellence. Nine outstanding students who scored above 90 percent were awarded monthly scholarships of five hundred rupees.
The program also included a career counselling session to support and guide these young minds as they step forward into the future.
The event was graced by dignitaries who have long championed the cause of inclusion. Smt Aarti Ahuja, former bureaucrat and the driving force behind Odisha’s 2011 disability census, shared words of encouragement. Shri Sannyasi Behera, Deputy Secretary of the SSEPD Department and a person with blindness, delivered an inspiring address that left a deep impact on all.
Prerana Samman is not just an award ceremony. It is a celebration of resilience, hard work, and hope. Swabhiman remains committed to building an inclusive future where every child with a disability is seen, valued, and empowered.
Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department, Government of Odisha EducationOdisha
22/07/2025
Ongoing program
PRERANA SAMMAN 2025
21/07/2025
Celebrating Courage & Excellence!
Swabhiman presents - Prerana Award 2025
17 22nd July | 10 AM to 2 PM
Jayadev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Swabhiman ''State disABILITY Information and Resource Center'' posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Contact The Practice
Send a message to Swabhiman ''State disABILITY Information and Resource Center'':
After the accident which left her spinal cord severely injured, Dr. Sruti Mohapatra took to books. She was in a hurry to understand what had happened to her. Her first book was ‘Joni’ by Joni Eareckson. Joni Eareckson had broken her neck in a diving accident and was paralyzed. After months in hospital and rehabilitation centers, Joni learned to live with the fact that she could never lead a normal life again. For every act of daily living, she needed support. With the support of her family and her friends, Joni learned to live an active life and accepted the help with dignity. She also read ‘Take my Hands’ by Dr. Mary Verghese, the doctor in a wheelchair. After that, her next reading was about Stephen Hawking. Each of these stories infused her with the hope to start a new life, at a slower pace and often with assistance, back home in Odisha.
However, homecoming proved to be painful and perplexing. Shunned by society and humiliated at every step, she had become shy and soon she weaved a cocoon around her. She would interact just with her family, no one else was allowed in her cocoon. It was the Himalayan support of her parents and the love of her family which slowly gave her the strength to regain her confidence and look at life with a leonine zeal.
Her endeavor after that was a story of several pages, be it her going back to the University, earning a Ph.D., facing nth rejections while job hunting, or starting a study circle. The long and short of the stories is that perseverance and hard work are the only two keys to reaching goals successfully. In 1989, Dr. Mohapatra had started volunteering. Her sister, who got married the same year and left for the USA, sent her books and journals which fuelled her hunger for an independent and dignified living. Every page she turned gave her new dreams of living with her rights respected and protected. She corresponded with many of the addresses and telephone numbers in the magazines learning more with every turning page.
Dr. Mohapatra volunteered with the Odisha State Red Cross and visited Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre. In 1995, she joined the disability movement in India with the protest for the passage of the Disability Act in the Parliament. In 1996, with the formation of the National Disability Network (NDN), India’s chapter of DPI, she traveled extensively around the world and visited many schools, attended many conferences, spoke in many meetings, and enriched herself on the issue of disability.
What struck her was the stark difference in the quality of life of persons with disabilities in India and South-Asia as compared to other countries. She had already got a lot of knowledge from the magazines she was reading but the practical viewing was stupendous. Disabled people were considered as second class citizens in our country, who lived to die. Persons with disabilities had no place in society. They were confined to rooms at homes in urban areas, special schools or vocational training centers, buildings of various associations for the disabled, or to the beds in hospitals. Dr. Mohapatra refused to yield to society’s then norms. Disabled people were as much human as anyone else. Dr. Mohapatra herself couldn’t walk, but she could think, speak, see, and perceive like anyone else.
The 1999 Super cyclone in Odisha was her first and direct involvement in disability work at the grassroots’ level. The death, the stench, the fear, and the destruction so close to life, unsettled her. And in 2000, she had an opportunity to visit Erasama with the team from Action Aid. The death, destruction, and suffering of people devastated her. She couldn’t fathom the depth of suffering of those disabled by the cyclone and those who were earlier disabled and were now mutilated by the cyclone.
In 2000, the Action Aid team led by program officer Madhumita Ray suggested that Dr. Mohapatra initiate an NGO to work for the cause of disability. She was then busy putting together a platform where children with disabilities and those without could spend a few days and enjoy hands-on activities. Her exposure in the USA of children studying and playing together had convinced her that children were the ambassadors of a cause. For visibility of the disabled, disabled and non-disabled children together had to have a meeting point. She had met 21 officers and important decision-makers in various organizations and the concept had been rejected.
The 22nd meeting was with Ms. Sukanya Rath, the Child Rights and Information Officer of UNICEF, Orissa office in 2001. “Why not! How wonderful…”, was the response. Ms. Sukanya Rath is a lady of immense vision and dynamism. Enthusiastic and active, she said, “Let’s get doing!” Dr. Mohapatra had known her since they were in college. They were a group of young, bubbly people, who had founded GLASH, an amateur music group that had become the talk of the town in the 1980s.
The 23rd meeting was with Mr. R. Balakrishnan, the then Secretary, Culture and Tourism (GoO). Never before had Dr. Mohapatra met a more sensitive and empathetic government officer. “Sruti, we should have a world-class event someday, can you promise me that?”, was all he said. And thus, Anjali was born in December 2001.
In 2001, we started an office of Swabhiman in Dr. Mohapatra’s residence, and by 2002, Swabhiman was a registered non-profit with an identity of its own in terms of a Governing Body, a bank account, and byelaws. Dr. Mohapatra personally believes that more than a piddly disability pension, what people with disabilities need is information. With the right information, at the right time, each person with a disability is capable of taking care of his/her own life and living with dignity. And that is what Swabhiman strives for.
