Mumbai : 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), formally launched the Breaking Barriers Fellowship 2026, with the support of the United Nations in India.

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

As India continues to strengthen its disability rights and governance framework, there is growing emphasis on sustained policy support, research inputs, and coordination to complement the work of public institutions. The Fellowship has been designed to provide such support while also building a pipeline of young professionals with practical exposure to disability governance and public systems.

Placement institutions include the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD), the National Trust, the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities (PDUNIPPD), the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities (AYJNISHD), and the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID).

The launch was held with the support of the United Nations in India (with UNICEF-YuWaah, UNFPA and UNV as technical leads) and marked the onboarding of the inaugural cohort of 10 Fellows, who will work closely with officials across institutions on priority areas of disability inclusion.

Addressing the Fellows, Ms. 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 emphasised that “empathy should be institutionalised and it is not DEPwD alone but every government and local body has a role to play.”

In conversation, Nipun Malhotra (Director, YLAC & Founder, Nipman Foundation) and Suresh Somani (Managing Trustee, India Autism Center) underscored the need for greater attention to Intellectual Disabilities, stating that “there is a great need for all disabilities but especially little has been done for Intellectual Disabilities.” They shared that “we are trying to set up an ecosystem, and it is upto young people to replicate it across the country and the world”.

The program also included discussions on the state of India’s disability inclusion ecosystem as well as a closed-door strategic roundtable anchored by the DEPwD with funders and partners. These deliberations focused on strengthening collaboration, improving engagement with public systems, and supporting initiatives that can inform policy and programs at scale.

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

Through the Breaking Barriers Fellowship, DEPwD and its partners reaffirm their shared commitment to nurturing young professionals, strengthening state capacity, and advancing disability empowerment and inclusive governance in India.