Tag: Accessibility

Social

DRAG Hosts EMPOWER 2026 Annual Get-Together for Persons with Disabilities

Swara Bodke

Written by Intern Swara Bodke || Team Allycaral

PANAJI, GOA: In a heartfelt initiative to promote inclusion and empowerment, the Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) organised its Annual Get-Together, EMPOWER 2026, on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at Shubham Jinn Ashram, Agacaim — a meditation and holistic healing centre run by the Pilar Fathers. The programme was held from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm and brought together persons with disabilities for a day filled with learning, interaction, and celebration.
More than just an event, EMPOWER 2026 was envisioned as a safe and welcoming space where participants could feel included, heard, and empowered. The day featured interactive sessions on personality development, kitchen gardening, health awareness, mental well-being, and disability rights. Fun games, shared meals, and engaging activities further encouraged bonding and confidence-building among attendees.
Participation in the programme was free of cost, ensuring that financial constraints did not hinder anyone from attending. To enhance accessibility, transport facilities were arranged from Panjim Bus Stand and Agacaim Market for participants who required assistance.


Fr. Hilario Fernandes, SFX, Director of the Centre, inaugurated the programme by reminding participants of their importance as God’s creations. Through religious reflections and quotes, he emphasised that their relationship with God and their inherent dignity matter far more than their disabilities or societal perceptions.
Mithali Naik and her daughter Gargi from Giggle Gardeners, Borim, conducted an engaging session on kitchen gardening. They demonstrated hands-on techniques, including the correct proportion of soil mixing for a healthy and sustainable garden.
Ms. Terrency Luis and Ms. Vivian highlighted the importance of a balanced diet for maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. They also conducted health check-ups for all participants as part of the awareness initiative.
Avelino de Sa, President of DRAG, elaborated on the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, urging participants to understand and assert their rights.
Fr. Ivan D’Mello, SFX, delivered an insightful session on mental health, guiding participants through simple breathing exercises to help them let go of past experiences. He explained that dwelling on past challenges can affect the present and future, encouraging everyone to focus on healing and self-growth.
The programme concluded with a thanksgiving Mass, where participants expressed gratitude for the Association’s continued support since its inception.
Through EMPOWER 2026, DRAG reinforced the message that self-growth, dignity, and belonging are rights — not privileges — and that true empowerment begins when communities come together to learn, support, and uplift one another.

Automobiles

Maruti Suzuki Introduces Swivel Seat Option in WagonR for Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities

allycaralgoa

Maruti Suzuki has taken a significant step towards inclusive mobility by introducing a swivel seat option for its popular WagonR model, aimed at easing entry and exit for senior citizens and physically challenged individuals.

Developed in collaboration with TRUE Assist Technology under Maruti Suzuki’s startup incubation programme with NSRCEL–IIM Bangalore, the swivel seat solution reflects the automaker’s commitment to innovation with social impact. The specially designed seat rotates outward, allowing passengers to sit comfortably before being gently turned inside the vehicle, reducing physical strain and enhancing safety.

One of the key highlights of this innovation is that the swivel seat can be fitted to both new and existing WagonR models without requiring any structural modification to the car. The kit is approved by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and can be installed within just one hour.

The swivel seat kit comes with a three-year warranty and is currently available in 11 cities across India through more than 200 Maruti Arena dealerships. Based on customer response and demand, Maruti Suzuki plans to expand availability to additional locations.

With this initiative, Maruti Suzuki reinforces its focus on accessibility, convenience, and inclusive design, making everyday mobility more comfortable for those who need it most.

Events in Goa

Art Beyond Barriers: Accessibility at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2025

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

The Serendipity Arts Festival returns to Panaji this December for its tenth edition, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to making art accessible to all. As South Asia’s largest multi-disciplinary arts festival, SAF has grown into a dynamic platform where artistic practices, lived experiences, and community relationships converge.

This year, the festival once again transforms Goa’s riverfront and public spaces into vibrant zones of creativity, connection and inclusion from December 12 to 21. Throughout the year, the festival travelled through Birmingham, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Varanasi, Chennai, Gurugram, Dubai and Paris, offering previews of its tenth edition and engaging new audiences beyond Goa. Accessibility has been at the foundation of the festival since its inception, and in 2025 it continues to be central to the programming curated by poet and artist Salil Chaturvedi.

At the Access Village in the Old GMC Complex, sensorial, interactive and community-centred projects welcome visitors with diverse needs to experience art in ways that honour dignity and participation.

This vision is echoed by founder and patron Sunil Kant Munjal, who emphasises that culture must belong to everyone and that no visitor should ever feel excluded. The festival brings a range of unique experiences such as Scented Stories, a fragrance-based storytelling workshop; Hand/Eye, which explores touch as a mode of visual perception; and Breath + Sound Immersion, which blends meditative breathwork with sound healing.

Spaces like Studio Me and the Sensory Room provide open, calming environments for neurodiverse and neurotypical visitors to decompress and create. Curated by Tanul Vikamshi, the Paper to Sculpture workshop focuses on recycled materials and collaborative processes, while Nature’s Symphony offers blind audiences an auditory and tactile introduction to urban birdlife at Art Park and the Access Village.

The Gallery presents Therefore I Am, showcasing seven artists whose practices draw deeply from lived disability. Performances include Silent Rhythms, featuring India’s first group of deaf performers led by Dr. Alim Chandani, and Poems on the Move 2.0, curated by Thukral & Tagra with Chaturvedi, bringing live poetry readings into shuttle cabs across the city.

At The Lab, workshops by Siddhant Shah, Access for All, Rohan Marathe and Shivani Dhillon invite children, seniors and neurodiverse participants into sessions such as Dear Normal, Sound of Silence, Sensory Storytelling and Panchtantra Stories. Special projects further expand the accessibility commitment, including Cinema for Every Sense with audio-described Hindi films and a Pilates Flow Performance by Kaizen Wellness.

SAF Director Smriti Rajgarhia reflects on the decade-long journey, emphasising that accessibility has been a core priority long before it became a larger cultural conversation and remains central to the festival’s mission. Co-patron Shefali Munjal echoes this, noting that the festival has grown into a movement that fosters creative and social connection while supporting artists and cultural heritage.

As registrations for the 2025 edition go live, audiences are invited to secure their passes and explore a growing programme of exhibitions, performances, workshops and immersive encounters designed to make art a space for everyone.

Events in Goa

International Film Festival of India 2025: Embracing Accessibility for All

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

The International Film Festival of India returns to celebrate the joy of cinema from November 20 to 28, 2025, bringing together filmmakers, artists, industry professionals, and movie lovers from around the world. This year, the festival expands its vision by placing accessibility at the heart of its cultural celebration, ensuring that the magic of cinema is open to everyone.

Designed with inclusivity in mind, the festival grounds feature wheelchair-friendly spaces throughout the venue, allowing seamless movement and comfortable viewing experiences. Sign-language interpreters will be present across key sessions, screenings, and interactive events, ensuring that the deaf and hard-of-hearing community can fully engage with conversations, presentations, and moments that define IFFI each year.

With improved elevator access and thoughtfully designed pathways, the festival ensures that guests of all mobility levels can enjoy the full IFFI experience without barriers. More than just a showcase of films, IFFI 2025 stands as a celebration of community, diversity, and shared storytelling.

By embracing accessibility, the festival reaffirms that cinema is not only an art form but a universal language meant to be experienced and enjoyed by all.

Human Interest

Empowering Digital Governance: Goa Hosts State-Level UX Design Workshop

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

A two-day State-level Awareness and Sensitisation Workshop on User Experience and Design System took place on November 6–7, 2025, at the Commercial Tax Department, Altinho, Panaji. The event aimed to foster best practices, exchange ideas, and address challenges in implementing effective UX/UI for public-facing e-services.

Organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology through the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa, the workshop brought together officials from various government departments for an engaging learning experience on user-centred design.

The inaugural session was graced by Shri Kabir Shirgaonkar, Director of the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (DITE&C), and Shri Sameer Datar, State Informatics Officer, NIC Goa. In his address, Shri Shirgaonkar highlighted the importance of understanding user interface and experience in government applications and encouraged participants to apply these insights within their respective departments to improve digital service delivery.

The first day featured five sessions covering topics such as design thinking, accessible design, UX4G demonstrations, and the integration of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, with user-centric design principles to enhance trust and compliance. Experts leading the sessions included Mr. Ajeet Kumar, Deputy General Manager, NeGD, Mrs. Neeta Tandon, Consultant, NIC, Ms. Aparajita Singh, Principal Lead, Changeinkk, Ms. Stuti Sharma and Ms. Prapti Bhardwaj, UI/UX Designers, and Mr. Priyanshu Yadav, Domain Expert on DPDP.

The second day focused on hands-on training under the UX4G initiative, equipping participants with the skills to design and develop intuitive, user-friendly digital platforms that elevate the citizen experience. The workshop concluded with a collective vision to strengthen Goa’s e-governance landscape through design innovation and empathy-driven digital transformation.