Breaking Barriers Fellowship 2026 launched with Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC), the Nipman Foundation and the India Autism Center, in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), launched the Breaking Barriers Fellowship 2026 with the support of the United Nations in India.

The Breaking Barriers Fellowship is a national initiative designed to place young professionals within institutions under DEPwD to support policy processes and the implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. Speaking at the launch, Rohit Kumar, Co-founder, YLAC, referred to the role of young people in public systems and said, “When you give young people platforms, it breaks cynicism and helps them move into policy spaces and create change.”

As India strengthens its disability rights and governance framework, there is increased focus on sustained policy support, research inputs and coordination to complement the work of public institutions. The Fellowship has been structured to provide this support while enabling participants to gain exposure to disability governance and public systems.

Placement institutions for the Fellowship include the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, the National Trust, the Rehabilitation Council of India, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities, the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities, the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities, and the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.

The launch, supported by the United Nations in India with UNICEF-YuWaah, UNFPA and UNV as technical leads, marked the onboarding of the first cohort of 10 Fellows. The Fellows will work with officials across institutions on identified areas of disability inclusion.

Addressing the Fellows, Manmeet Nanda, Joint Secretary, DEPwD, said the initiative “resonates deeply with the Department and me personally because we need to break barriers: physical, institutional, societal, mental.” She added that “empathy should be institutionalised and it is not DEPwD alone but every government and local body has a role to play.”

In a conversation, Nipun Malhotra, Director, YLAC and Founder, Nipman Foundation, and Suresh Somani, Managing Trustee, India Autism Center, spoke on the need to focus on intellectual disabilities. They stated that “there is a great need for all disabilities but especially little has been done for Intellectual Disabilities.” They also said, “we are trying to set up an ecosystem, and it is upto young people to replicate it across the country and the world.”

The programme included discussions on India’s disability inclusion ecosystem and a closed-door strategic roundtable led by DEPwD with funders and partners. The discussions focused on collaboration, engagement with public systems and support for initiatives that can inform policy and programmes.

Alongside the launch, an orientation programme for the Fellows is being conducted over two days. The programme covers the structure and expectations of the Fellowship, interactions with officials, and sessions on the evolution of the disability rights movement in India.

Through the Breaking Barriers Fellowship, DEPwD and partner organisations stated their commitment to supporting young professionals, strengthening state capacity and advancing disability empowerment and inclusive governance in India.