Project aims to transform disabilityresearch into tool for social change

New Delhi: Action-driven research lies at the heart of Project Anusandhaan, an academic initiative that seeks to transform disability studies into a powerful instrument for social change.Anchored at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and developed through a collaboration between Centre for Disability Research and Training (CDRT) and National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, the project aims to link scholarship with lived realities.
The vision took shape at Swami Vivekananda auditorium of Kirori Mal College, where Anusandhaan was formally launched on Feb 6. Conceived as a platform to deliberate on present challenges and future possibilities in disability research, the event brought together academics, activists and practitioners to reflect on how creation of knowledge can directly inform everyday experiences and public policy.Launching the initiative, CDRT coordinator Someshwar Sati described it as "a landmark moment in the history of the disability rights movement in India where academics (disability studies) meet disability activism to foster the cause of a truly inclusive society."The deliberations opened with Professor Shubhangi Vaidya tracing the evolution of disability studies as an academic discipline and highlighting its expanding scope. From the history of medicine and cultural representations of disability to employment, technology and intersections with gender, sexuality, caste, race and ethnicity, she outlined how these overlapping realities offer fertile ground for meaningful research interventions. Such perspectives, she noted, are essential if scholarship is to move beyond theory and respond to real-world complexities.Other speakers reflected on experiences of the disabled in educational institutions, workplaces and cultural and political spaces. A shared concern emerged across the sessions that research must be rooted in lived experiences and designed to generate concrete outcomes — whether in improving campus accessibility, strengthening workplace inclusion or shaping responsive policies. Participants stressed that when grounded in everyday realities, academic inquiry can become a catalyst for systemic change.Professor Anil Aneja summed up this approach, saying, "research is the most important and engaging tool of disability activism, and the two must go hand in hand".The need for sustained collaboration between scholars and activists in the field was also underlined, with Sati noting that while research and advocacy have long informed each other, initiatives like Anusandhaan create space for more intentional partnerships.At its core, the project seeks to build a living ecosystem where inquiry leads to impact, and voices from the disabled community guide both research priorities and policy directions. By positioning disability research as a driver of inclusion rather than a purely academic exercise, the initiative signals a shift towards participatory and action-oriented scholarship.As institutions across the country grapple with questions of access and equity, Anusandhaan offers a timely model, treating disability not as a marginal subject but as a field rich with possibilities for building a more inclusive society.