Forty-nine-year-old Meenakshi Balasubramanian, a senior associate at the Centre for Inclusive Policy, has long been a strong voice advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities in Tamil Nadu and across the country. But activism was not part of her original plan; coming from a commerce background, her journey from accounting to advocacy was entirely serendipitous, she says.
A person with a mobility impairment, Ms. Meenakshi, now based in Chennai, completed her schooling and college in Thoothukudi. “When my family moved to Thoothukudi, we realised that finding a school for me would be difficult. One school refused to enrol me; they said classes were on the first floor and that other children would mock me. That was my first experience of rejection due to my disability. Until then, I never saw myself as different, and neither did my family or those around me,” she says.
Years later, Ms. Meenakshi also recalls being denied entry into public spaces like temples. “Some temples refused me entry because I was wearing calipers, shoes and using crutches. I realised it should not be this way. Everyone should have access to public spaces. When that happened, I wanted to go to the press, but I did not know my rights or the law,” she recalls.
