Climate Strain
Navigating Delhi's congested streets and hazardous air, Pranav Sethi experiences sensory issues that intensify with shifting weather patterns, making everyday life physically and mentally draining.
Filmmaker: Aalap Deboor
Aalap Deboor is a producer-entrepreneur with 15 years in the entertainment industry. After a career in entertainment journalism followed by TV programming & production with MTV & Vh1, he started Much Much Media, a Mumbai-based content studio. Read more about Aalap Deboor
Redefining Justice
Roshani Adhikari recently made history as Nepal's first blind female lawyer. She is committed to making her country's legal system more accessible.
Filmmaker: Bishwamitra Bhitrakoti
Bishwamitra Bhitrakoti is a communications officer at the National Federation of the Deaf, Nepal and president of the Annapurna Deaf Association. Read more about Bishwamitra Bhitrakoti
Breaking Free
Angela Nsimbi shares her story of living with bipolar disorder, reflecting on the challenges of her diagnosis and the transformative power of family support.
Filmmaker: Esther Suubi
Esther Suubi is an advocate for young girls and women's voices and a peer educator at Triumph Mental Health Support. Read more about Esther Suubi
Farming Through Extremes
Farmers with disabilities in rural Nepal are facing unprecedented challenges as climate change intensifies. Unpredictable weather patterns, including devastating floods, threaten their livelihoods and disrupt farming in remote, mountainous regions.
Filmmaker: Chhitup Lama
Chhitup Lama is the founding executive director of Himalayan Education and Development (HEAD) Nepal. Read more about Chhitup Lama
News From the Global Frontlines of Disability Justice
A Life’s Work
After losing his sight, artist Jean de Dieu Uwikunda found new ways to create, using a flashlight at night to outline objects and distinguishing colors by their scents. His story, along with that of DeafBlind sports coach Jean Marie Furaha, is rare in Rwanda. While over 446,000 Rwandans have disabilities, a 2019 study found that only 52 percent of working-age disabled adults were employed, compared to 71 percent of their non-disabled counterparts.
‘I Won’t Give Up My Rights Anymore’
After a life-altering accident, Lakshmi Lohar spent years in isolation, struggling with fear and stigma in her rural Nepalese community. In 2023, she found a lifeline through KOSHISH National Mental Health Self-Help Organization, which helped her develop social connections and access vocational training in tailoring. Today, Lakshmi is reclaiming her independence, standing up for her rights, and shaping a future beyond the limitations once placed on her. ““I won’t give up my rights anymore,” she says, “just like I learned in the meetings.”
Rwanda’s Marburg Crisis
As Rwanda confronts its first-ever Marburg virus outbreak, people with disabilities face heightened risks — not only from the virus but also from the lack of accessible health information. “Without proper accommodations, such as sign language interpreters, captions, Braille, or visual aids, the Deaf and DeafBlind community may miss crucial information about how to protect themselves, symptoms to watch for, or where to seek help in case of infection,” says Joseph Musabyimana, executive director of the Rwanda Organization of Persons with Deaf Blindness.
Capturing Vision Through Sound and Touch
Last summer, the DJP trained Indigenous activists with disabilities from the Pacific on the iPhone camera to create a documentary series on disability and climate change. With VoiceOver, the iPhone provides image descriptions for blind and low-vision filmmakers and offers other accessible features. “If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense for a blind person to use a camera,” says DJP filmmaker Ari Hazelman. “The iPhone gives you more avenues to tell your story in a more profound way as a blind person.”
Work for All
The We Can Work program equips young Rwandans with disabilities to navigate barriers to employment through education, vocational training, and soft skills development. By fostering inclusive workplaces and advocating for policy changes, the program aims to reduce poverty and promote economic independence. Participants like Alliance Ukwishaka are optimistic that the program will enable them to achieve their dreams and showcase their potential. The initiative is part of a larger effort to support 30 million disabled youth across seven African countries.
Global Recognition
Faaolo Utumapu-Utailesolo’s film “Dramatic Waves of Change” has been named a finalist in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival. The film, completed during a Disability Justice Project workshop in Samoa, highlights the impact of climate change on people with disabilities in Kiribati. Utumapu-Utailesolo, who is blind, used an iPhone with accessibility features to create the film. “Do not leave people with disabilities behind when [you] plan, implement, and monitor programs regarding climate change and disaster,” she says. Her achievement is a testament to the power of inclusive filmmaking.