Prayatna is proud to announce that our founder, Sarita Lamichhane, has been featured by Online Khabar, Nepal's leading online media, as one of the country's "40 Under 40" inspiring leaders. This is a recognition of Sarita's dedication and pioneering work in championing digital accessibility and the rights of persons with disabilities.
Born with a visual impairment in the remote village of Barpak Sulikot, Gorkha, Sarita faced significant societal challenges from an early age. Despite the obstacles, her determination shone through. She became the first visually impaired student from her school to pass the SLC examinations in the first division in 2005, utilizing Braille for her studies.
Following her move to Kathmandu for higher education, Sarita's focus shifted to advocacy. She began her journey by working with "Change Fusion Nepal," where she organized self-defense training and employment surveys for visually impaired women. Her commitment to leadership development led her to India, where she attended a leadership training program at the Kanthari Institute.
Upon returning to Nepal, Sarita founded Prayatna Nepal in 2015. The organization's core mission is to empower visually impaired women to lead independent and dignified lives. Prayatna works tirelessly to ensure that these women can play a decisive role in economic, social, and policy-making spheres, advocating for their human rights, equality, and freedom.
A key focus of Prayatna's work is digital accessibility. The organization conducts various training programs, teaching both sighted and visually impaired individuals how to create and utilize accessible digital content. These sessions cover essential skills such as using mobile banking and ride-sharing applications with screen readers.
Sarita has also been a vocal advocate for systemic change, highlighting the lack of accessible content on government websites. She has called upon institutions like Tribhuvan University and the Public Service Commission to publish information in accessible formats and to integrate accessible digital content creation into their curricula. Her tireless efforts and advocacy for accessible infrastructure and technology have made her a beacon of inspiration for the entire community of individuals with disabilities in Nepal.
Read the original article here published by OnlineKhabar on recognition of Prayatna Nepal's and Sarita's work: Pictures Don't Speak for Themselves: Let's Provide Digital Access
